Minnie Bannister wrote:
OK, here's one for you:

Our previous house had a 4-pin outlet for the dryer, but our present one
had only a 3-pin outlet, so I replaced the dryer cord by a 3-pin one
(and moved the green wire at the connection block, according to
instructions).

But we have subsequently stacked the dryer and the washer, so everything
now has a "real" ground through the washer's power cord, right? (And
doesn't that mean that the neutral and ground are now connected at a
place other than the main panel?)

No. Your dryer has 2 hots and a ground and no neutral. An exception in
the old code allowed you to use the ground for the unbalanced portion of
the dryer load (for the timer, buzzer, light, and maybe the motor). Your
washer has a hot, ground, and neutral, and its neutral is isolated from the
frame.

Would there be any advantage in replacing the 3-pin dryer outlet by a
4-pin and replacing the 4-pin cord?


I would leave it alone. I assume you know you cannot just replace the
outlet unless you run a big (probably #10 copper) neutral wire? This means
running a whole new cable to the dryer, unless the wires are in conduit.
If you're willing to rewire it properly, it would be marginally safer to
have 4 wires. But not much safer as long as the neutral connections are
good and tight in the 3-wire hookup.

Best regards,
Bob