Dryer breaker

[Terry Coombs]

Just bought our first electric dryer , wewe have always used gas in the past . No natgas here , and propane would require installing a big tank . So what size brbreaker do I need in the panel to power this thing ? Current draw according to the model plate says it dawaws 22-24 amps , but there's also the start current surge - I'm not sure if the heating element comes on at power up . So will a 30A breaker handle this , or do I need to go with a 40 ? -- Snag

[trader_4]

All the dryers and similar that I've dealt with, the installation instructions spec the ampacity requirement for the circuit, which would include the breaker and wiring. Given that the plate says 24, I would think 30 would be the correct size, assuming the wiring supports it.

[philo]

Yep.

30 amps is pretty much the standard

[Ralph Mowery]

The breaker for mine is 30 amps. I would assume that most all dryers for normal house use would be the same.

Just make sure you use the size of wire for the breaker current.

[gfretwell]

You want a 10 gauge 4 wire circuit on a 30 gauge circuit. Typicall;y this is 10/3 wg Romex. Use a 14-30r receptacle.

[clare]

Driers are generally 30 Amp, Ranges are generally 40 Amp

[Terry Coombs]

Thanks , I was leaning towards a 30A , but wasn't sure . The wiring will be new , the plan is to run 10/2 w/gnd , the run is about 25 feet or a bit more - unless she wants it somewhere other than where I plan to put it . The other likely location is right next to the power panel , a run of maybe 5-6 feet .

[Ralph Mowery]

The code in most places for a new dryer or stove requires 4 wires. Two hot wires, the neutral and a ground. Number 10 wire is correct for most instalations of a 30 amp breaker.

When you get the dryer , you will need a 4 wire plug to match the socket you are going to install.

Look at the dryer where the wires attach and see if there is a strap that goes from the neutral to the frame of the dryer. If it is there , be sure to remove it for the 4 wire cord instalation.

Years ago the dryers and stoves only used 3 wire plugs and the neutral and frame were hooked together, but that is not the correct (code) way to do it now.

[Ed Pawlowski]

New installation requires 10/3 with ground. You may still be able to buy the old cordsets, but I'm not sure.

[clare]

For driers code is 10/3 with a 4 wire plug because many driers run only the element on 220, with the motor and controls on 120 - which now requires a neutral. Used to be you could use the ground as a neutral and get away with it. Not any more.

[clare]

MOST driers come with the cord and plug attached these days - and it will be a 4 terminal plug.

[makolber]

It can also create a very dangerous shock hazard.

All new installs should be with 4 wire plug.

Mark

[micky]

Weren't their instructions with the dryer, or did you get one of those kits from Eico?

[Ralph Mowery]

They may do it in some places. The ones I bought in the past did not .

I did a quick check of Lowes for the dryers I looked at the cord is extra. Usually a wa to get around $ 20 to $ 30 more out of the sell.

About 25 years ago I needed a new dryer and not the cord so I asked them to keep the cord and bring it to the house for free.

[gfretwell]

Yes you can but they are not legal on a new installation, only for replacement. As Phil Simmonds said on the NEC proposal that eliminated the exception of using the neutral for a gr5ound, "the war is over" (it was a WWII era exception to save copper)

BTW it was NEVER legal to run a dryer on 10/2. The third wire needs to be insulated since it is technically the neutral. That is why, in most cases a bare ground will be available in the cable, even if you have the 3 prong plug. Most 10/3 romex still had a ground. Typically the bare wire was terminated in the box and the white went to the "L" shaped prong. Both landed on the neutral/ground bus in the panel. This arrangement was NOT allowed on a sub panel. If this is a sub, you needed to run 4 wires, even if Glen Miller was playing on the radio. That is a frequent violation that catches people when they do a power upgrade and use the old panel as s sub off the new panel.

[dpb]

...

Which is why there's been a news story every night over it for the last

60+ years...oh, yeah, "not!"

[trader_4]

+1

[John]

Yah, putting in a proper 4-wire circuit is soooooooooooooo much more expensive.

[CRNG]

On Tue, 8 Sep 2015 13:21:39 -0700 (PDT), [e-mail] wrote in

Looks more like "complexity" just for the sake of complexity. The

3-wire installations work fine for 50 years. What suddenly made it dangerous?

[CRNG]

On Tue, 08 Sep 2015 15:45:12 -0400, [e-mail] wrote in

Just curious. Why "not anymore"? Has the nature of electricity changed, or just the code? If just the code, what justifies the increased complications?