[Kirkwood]

I have a whirlpool Electric Dryer approx 4 years old that has never been grounded properly! It's on a 220v system and when you hook the wires up as directed it smells like something is burning. When you change the white wire on the power cable and attach it to the black wire on the appliance and vice versa with the black wire on the cable, the dryer works; but, if you touch the dryer when putting wet clothes from the washer in the dryer 'you get a electical shock. I tried to case ground it to a pipe and got a high voltage arc.

Any body else have this problem?

[applianceman]

I think there is something seriously wrong with the wiring to the dryer. I recommend calling an electrician before something bad happens.


For do-it-yourself appliance repair visit Appliance Repair Guide For All Major Home Appliances

[Kirkwood]

Thanks

I found the problem! I bought the washer and dryer from Lowes and it had the power cords already attached. I tried to ground the dryer using #12 gage single core copper wiring to the water faucet and it arched terribly. I took my voltmeter and measure the current and got 110v from the chasis to the faucet. I then turned off the circuit breaker and removed the wall plug to verify the hook-up. I then realized the installer had the common ground wire going to the red wire on the Dryer and the black load wire going to common ground. Once I corrected it the heater element got hotter and it scared me, because I thought I had set something on fire in the wall. Then I realized it was now operating as designed at 220v and it had been previously operating at 110v. It's doing great.

AThx

[applianceman]

It sounds like you got it fixed. That could have been bad. Make sure the dryer is grounded. If you there are three wires coming to the plug ground the dryer with the neutral (white) and if there are four wires coming to the plug ground it with the bare ground wire.