I believe the center wire on the 3 prong outlet is a neutral wire and i ve read that using neutral for chassis ground is never a good idea.
Water heater plug wiring.
Wiring an electric water heater does not require that you use a plug in device.
For long distances you may need to go with heavier wire.
Take one of the wires on the water heater and connect it to the black wire from the circuit use a wire connector and wrap electrical tape around the wires.
Wiring a hot water heater in 7 steps remove the junction box cover this is probably on the top or the side of the water heater.
If the circuit wiring is supplied by a 4 wire cable and there is a spare white wire then simply cap off the white wire with a wire connector fastened onto the end of the wire.
There is no neutral wire in the water heater since it is 240v unit.
Therefore an extra conductor is not required.
Locating the electrical connections.
How to wire an electric water heater step 1.
Connect the other wire from the water heater to the white wire.
Test the voltage never mess with any electrical components without first checking to see if there is power running to.
If you are replacing an existing hot water heater then the circuit will already be present at the site.
The only other wire to connect is the wire that goes to the metal case of the water heater where there s a green screw.
Before you begin use.
Step 6 replace check.
Likely you will only need.
Before you examine or touch the water heater wiring or electrical connections turn off the power.
Understanding electric water heater wiring turning off the power.
If you are hard wiring the water heater to the branch circuit conductor you will need to run three awg 12 conductors one black one white and one green through a short length of flexible.
The water heater only requires 2 hot 120 volt wires to heat water and function.
On the top or the side of the hot water heater depending on the type you will see the junction box cover.
The electrical wire connections for a water heater are made at a built in junction.