How do you wire a 4-prong 240V 30A outlet to a 3-wire sauna heater that needs 240V 15A?

Answer 1

== == You are not allowed to change a four-wire outlet to a three wire outlet.

You can change a four wire cord to a three wire cord.

That is VERY different! == I have answered this question at least 6 times. The 4 wire plug has a neutral and the 3 does not. An untrained homeowner who does their own Plumbing can flood the house with water or sewage, on the other hand electricity can kill instantly. I wouldn't want to gamble my family's lives on my incompetence.....pkazsr 3 wire plugs are old and outdated. Way back in the old days they didn't ground equipment so plugs didn't have a ground. (Remember the old 2 wire 110V outlets on houses built before the 50s?) A few people got killed so they decided to add a safety wire. It took them longer to catch on with heavy appliances, but eventually they did. That it what the fourth pin is. Since many homes still have the 3 wire plug it is allowed in older homes. New homes must use the new 4 wire plug. Changing your 4 wire cord to a 3 wire cord is the same as plugging a 3 wire 120V appliance into one of those 3 prong to two prong adapters they sell. Your appliance works now, but is ungrounded. Don't listen to anyone who says to replace the new up-to-code plug with an older plug. That is the same as replacing your 3 prong 120V outlets with old two prong outlets! Ignore anyone who tells you to do so, they think they know a lot more than they actually do. Buy a new cord. It is cheap and safer.

The first thing you do is make sure the power is off before you work on any part of this project. Water and electricity and people don't mix very well. You could easily die. I'm serious. You can get a little shock from changing a light switch, but if you're grounded through water or a metal pipe, you could die from that same amount of current that gave you a little shock when you weren't grounded. It sounds like you're trying to convert a dryer outlet to a sauna power source. You'll need to replace the outlet with a hard-wired connection (you take off the outlet and put a blank cover on the junction box) in that junction box and extend it with 14/2 (with ground) wire to wherever your sauna is. Then you wire your sauna to the new wire. Here's the important part: YOU HAVE TO CHANGE THE OLD BREAKER SUPPLYING THIS CIRCUIT

WITH A NEW, 240 VOLT 15 AMP TWO POLE BREAKER. If you're not fully conversant with electrical work, I wouldn't attempt this job. It could mean your life, or the life of one of your family members. Or you could all die when your house burns down. Whatever. Spending a couple hundred bucks on an electrician is worth it. Use angieslist.com so you don't get ripped off.

IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY SURE YOU CAN DO THIS JOB

SAFELY AND COMPETENTLY

REFER THIS WORK TO QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS.

If you do this work yourself, always turn off the powerat the breaker box/fuse panel BEFORE you attempt to do any work AND always use a meter or voltage indicator to insure the circuit is, in fact, de-energized.

Answer 2

This type of question usually means you aren't ready to do this yourself. Study some electrical material and the National Electrical Code and work this answer out for yourself. If I were to give you an answer, you might attempt to do something you shouldn't be doing, and that may cost someone a shock, a home fire, or their life.

Answer 3

Before working on this circuit be sure that the power is turned off. First the breaker that will be feeding the outlet should be a 2 pole 15 amp breaker using at least a #14 wire. Since this is a 240 volt install you will not be using the white wire. Tape it off and push it to the back of the outlet box. Take the 2 hot wires and connect them to the two terminal screws of the 240 volt rated outlet. Connect the ground wire to the (usually) green screw. Re install the outlet face plate. Job complete.

Answer 4

It is not recommended to wire a higher amperage outlet to a device with a lower amperage requirement, as it can lead to overheating and potential fire hazards. It is best to have a qualified electrician install the appropriate outlet for the sauna heater's specifications.