The two “hot” slots should have approximately 240 volts. The easiest way is to use a six-dollar two-lead tester, like the Sperry 80-480VAC/DC tester. If we come across a 240-volt outlet with nothing plugged into it, we test it to ensure it’s energized. One thing we don’t do, however, is unplug 240-volt appliances to verify these things. If you forget, take a close look at the outlet and you’ll probably see stamping on it to indicate the amperage. On a 50-amp outlet, all of the slots are straight. On a 30-amp dryer outlet, you’ll have one slot with a right-angle. These two outlets do not have the same hole patterns to ensure they’re not used interchangeably. Range outletĮlectric clothes dryers run off of 30-amp circuits, while electric ranges typically have 40-amp or 50-amp circuits. This is why clothes dryers and ovens don’t come with appliance cords your appliance might need a 3-wire or 4-wire cord. So in 1996, the rules changed, and all new 240-volt outlets had to have a 4th prong for a neutral wire.Įxisting installations can stay the way they are, and connecting a new appliance to a 3-wire 240-volt outlet is still acceptable. It wasn’t a lot of current, but still, that’s not what the ground wire is meant for. These would run off 120 volts, so they’d use the ground wire on a 240-volt appliance to complete a 120-volt circuit. The third wire that comes into a three-prong 240-volt outlet is the ground wire, and under normal circumstances, there should never be any voltage carried on this wire.īut then appliance manufacturers started putting 120-volt motors and electronic controls into their appliances. A 240-volt appliance will run off of two hot wires, creating 240 volts. Three prongs or four prongs? Either is fine.Ģ40-volt outlets come in two varieties 3-prong or 4-prong. But most people call these “outlets”, so I’ll keep saying outlet too. It’s that thing you plug your electric clothes dryer or electric range into. Here at Structure Tech, we check to make sure that the right amperage outlet is used, and we check to make sure that the outlet is energized.įor the record, the proper term for what I’m referring to is a receptacle. How is a home inspector supposed to inspect a 240-volt outlet? Home inspection standards of practice don’t go into this level of detail, so it’s up to each home inspector to decide for themselves what the proper standard of care should be.
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