simple electric question

[swordfish]

i am trying to install a dryer plug into my mlc-8dx light controller here is the link http://www.randmsupply.com/images/link/MLC-8DXInstructions.pdf

i have the correct dryer extention plug, the problem is that the plug and wires are all grey. the middle wire from the plug has the guage written down the wire. my question is how can i tell on the plug which wire is wich so i can install it into the box?? thanks dont wana screw this up.

 

[FreezerBoy]

All three are gray or, are there two grays and one bare (or green)?

120 uses a black hot wire and a white neutral wire. 240 has no neutral, both wires are hot. Hook it up as in the photo of page 2 in your instructions (note the bare wire for ground)

 

[swordfish]

all of the wires are bare copper at the end, they are all coated in a grey jacket. one wire in the middle had the guage written on it. so if its 240 volt the only wire i need to really figure out is the ground correct?

 

[FreezerBoy]

Gauge is simply wire thickness and doesn't mean it's hot or ground. Are any of the wires marked for voltage? Do you have two stranded and one solid wire? If so, the solid wire would be ground. Can you trace the wires to the plug? Is it simply a round cord or is it flat with each wire being separately encased?

Can you post a pic?

Try asking MadPenguin here.

If only one wire is marked, I'd think it was the one different than the other two, meaning the ground but, that's just a guess on my part

 

[swordfish]

middle wire had voltage and guage on it.

 

[FreezerBoy]

Looks to me as though the middle wire goes to the ground plug.



Two wires are hot, one is ground. Ground is not part of the circuit. To mark only one wire suggests it's for a different purpose than the other two which suggests the unmarked wires are identical in purpose.

I'm going to shoot a PM to MadPenquin to check this out.

 

[swordfish]

hey thanks 4 the help man

 

[madpenguin]

Looks to me as though the middle wire goes to the ground plug.



Two wires are hot, one is ground. Ground is not part of the circuit. To mark only one wire suggests it's for a different purpose than the other two which suggests the unmarked wires are identical in purpose.

I'm going to shoot a PM to MadPenquin to check this out.

Your right. Middle one is the ground. What you can do if you REALLY want to make sure is to plug that 10-30P into a hot dryer receptacle. Keep all three exposed wire ends away from each other and use a multimeter to measure between each. Between both outside wires should give you 240v. Between any one outside wire and the middle wire should give you 120v.

If that's what happens then you know the middle is the ground and the 2 outside ones are hot. But... I already know the middle one is the ground so do what you will.

Let me clarify real quick tho. For the purpose of an actual dryer, the middle one is the neutral which serves 120v functions on your dryer like the buzer and any other 120v gadgets. For your purpose if your running straight 240, your going to want to have the middle one be a dedicated ground. That means you should open up your 10-30R receptacle and mark green tape around the white wire and then open up your panel cover and do the same there.

You don't really have to do that unless the 10-30R is fed from a subpanel where neutrals and grounds are isolated. In that case, you would want to move the white #10 off the neutral bar and onto the dedicated grounding bar attached to the frame of the panel.