Steve, yours is a good question and you likely understand all this, but I have tried for over 15 years to explain to non electricians and non engineers the DIFFERENCE between the GrounDED Conductor (Neutral) and the Safety Equipment GroundING Conductor BUT THEY JUST DONT SEEM TO GET IT and pooh pooh and make fun of the National Electrical Codes board of electrical experts and know more then they do, so I give up and tell them to do as they please lol
The Grounded Conductor (Neutral) is a live current carrying conductor intended for carrying normal return current
The Safety Equipment GroundING Conductor is designed to carry ONLY fault current by providing a dedicated low impedance fault current return path to trip the breaker and save your life IT DOES NOTTTTTTTTTTTTT CARRY NORMAL RETURN CURRENT only fault current.
The Neutral IS INSULATED for safety reasons while the safety equipment grounding conductor is often bonded to the outer metal case frame of tools or appliances. Would you strip the insulation off the Neutral and tell your grandchild to touch it ASK YOURSELF THAT ???????? If you bond the Neutral to the outer metal dryer frame and your barefoot grandchild comes in on a wet floor and touches it and got electrocuted you would give your life to have done it right !!!!!!!!!!!! YES Billy Bob and Bubba that can happen
If you come in contact with a live current carrying Neutral (because its wired to say the dryers metal frame) YOU ARE POSSIBLY PLACING YOUR BODY IN PARALEL WITH LIVE CURRENT AND SOME CURRENT CAN FLOW THROUGH YOUR BODY AND HEART AND YOU CAN DIE IF ITS IN THE 30 TO 50 MA AND OVER RANGE
SO TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS
1) If the tenant's dryer has a newer 4 prong cord set, should I change the receptacle, or offer to change the dryer cord?
I WOULD CHANGE OUT THE RECEPTACLE that the safest thing to do plus it takes it up to modern code and may save a life plus may keep you from being sued ITS YOUR CHOICE
2) If I change the receptacle, is there an acceptable way to wire it to the existing 3 conductor wire?
NOT a good correct way in my opinion even though sure Billy Bob and Bubba it can work
3) And if I change the cord, would the ground and neutral then be tied together inside the dryer?
It may well be I cant say from here
BOTTOM LINE its your risk of liability and a risk of a life so do as you please but as I see it your choices are:
(A) Listen to non electricians, non professionals, non engineers and do what they say !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(B) Do as the National Electrical Code and professional electricians and professional electrical engineers advise
DO NOT DO AS I SAY DONT TAKE MY WORD FOR IT IM TOO LONG RETIRED FORM ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING PRACTICE AND RUSTY ON THE LATEST CODES (but if I were the responsible design engineer and was providing service for a modern 4 wire dryer Id use a matching modern 4 wire receptacle)
I WOULD NEVERRRRRRRRR WANT TO TOUCH A LIVE CURRENT CARRYING CONDUCTOR AND PLACE MY BODY IN PARALELL WITH IT SO IT CAN CARRY A SHARE OF THE CURRENT (can happen if Neutral is bonded to dryer frame) BUT IF BILLY BOB AND BUBBA WANT TO FINE LOL They know more then the NEC experts, just ask them !!!!!!!!!!!!
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