I'm clueless about this stuff, so forgive me. We're replacing a dryer that seems to use a 50A cord which goes into a 40A breaker. The new dryer is 30A, which had me thinking that we'd need to get an electrician out here. But the landlord talked to an electrician friend of his who says that the 40A breaker is fine, and won't cause a problem.
Is this accurate? I thought Amps were always supposed to be matched up. Can the dryer regulate a 40A circuit down to 30A or should I have a 30A circuit installed?
i believe some local codes, if not the nec, require that if you have a 30 amp dryer, you use a 30 amp breaker. as was explained to me once, there exists a mostly hypothetical situation where the dryer element could be damaged but not break (i.e. not an open circuit), lowering its resistance and raising the current above 30A but below 40A. thus the breaker wont trip and your dryer could be drawing too much current and overheating. while i agree it 'could' happen, im not sure i believe it or that its really much of a worry.
that said, i would just replace the breaker with a 30A yourself. if you cut power to the panel (not at the breaker in the panel, but the breaker where the power comes into the building before it gets to the panel) you cant get hurt, once you get the cover off its basically undoing two screws that hold two wires which dont matter if they get reconnected 'backwards', pulling out the old one, putting in the new one (they just snap in), and retightening two screws with the wires back in them. any decent book on home fix it electricity will explain the procedure very clearly. there isnt really anything you can screw up if you turn the power off and dont do something completely insane.
if it comes down to calling an electrician or leaving it, i would leave it. the breaker itself is like 20 bucks tops (probably more like 10) and if you do it makes some sense. an electritian will ream you.
Just for the sake of accuracy, although some of the following advice it right, it's mostly not right for the right reasons. Please see inline comments if trying to use this info:
=== That's part of the reason for the existance of these groups.
We're replacing a dryer
breaker. The new
get an
electrician
and won't cause a
=== Yes, the statement is accurate. Whether it's allowed or not is another question, one which can best be answered by a call to your local Code Enforcement Officer. ONLY that office can give you a definitive, OK to the insurance industry, etc. type of answer as they call the shots. Please read on and then contact them. With an electrician friend or friend of a friend, you have ready access to the number if you can't find it in the phone book under Building Codes, Residential or something similar.
I thought Amps were always supposed to be matched
=== The amperage of the ckt breaker can NEVER be less than the amperage required by the equipment. Equipment requirements will be indicated in tis documentation and on a nameplate ON the equipment.
Can the dryer regulate a 40A circuit down to 30A or should I have
=== Doesn 't work this way. 40 amps would be the MOST your breakerwould allow to flow. More than 40 amps and the breaker would open up, turning off the circtuit. So, 40 is greater than 30, and it'll work fine. Since the cable is rated 50A, even if over 40 amps are drawn, the cable will not be a problem. So, in this sense it's quite adequate. Only your code officer would know if YOUR codes will allow you to use it though.
(40 amps), you are
The dryer does NOT "draw" 30 amps constantly. 30A will be the maximum it will EVER draw, and probabloy will only come close to anything like 30Afor the few seconds it takes the heating elements to get up to temperature, after which the total current will drop way down below 30A, maybe 20 or 25 amps, maybe lots less, depending on the design.
Local codes ARE the NEC, with their own added increased requirements. You must meet LOCAL codes. Only when local codes are not in place can you rely on the NEC. Local codes are usualloy more stringent than the NEC. NEC is the MINIMUM requirements, and locals often up the minimums.
require that if you have a 30
=== AND the correct cable, plug, and receptacle for a dryer rated at 30amps! There are MANY 30A plug/receptacles, and only one of them fits this application.
Question: Didn't the dryer come with a cord attached? It had to have had one if it was bought legally. In such case, the receptacle MUST accept the supplied plug on the dryer. IF it came without a plug, and you are in North America, then the UL/CSA integrity has been broken and this is not a legal device. Your home or renter's insurance would look down on such a thing if it caused a fire; as in, not covered.
as was explained to me once, there
element could be
its resistance
=== Flawed analogy. You cannot damage an element toward an open ckt condition and cause it's resistance to go UP. But, that;s irrelevant because it's the PLUG, CABLE and RECEPTACLE which must carry the current here, and accordign to the OP descrip, all would be fine (assuming wiring back to the box was properly sized). I don't know what you meant, but this is off target and incorrect.
thus the breaker wont trip
overheating. while i
its really much of
=== This could be relevent if the analogy were correctly posed.
yourself. === But, use the CORRECT plug and receptacle! Changing a breaker is relatively easy, BUT STILL VERY DANGEROUS since even with the Mains pulled (turned off) there is STILL
220 live inside that breaker box!
if you cut
the breaker where
panel) === In most cases, there is no such thing. The main panel is wired directly to the meter and you cannot pull the meter yourself.
you cant get
screws that hold
'backwards', pulling out
and retightening
on home fix it
there isnt really
dont do something
=== Not ture, and a VERY dangerous thing to be telling an admitted newbie! It would be true for anyone with electrical background, but NOT a complete newbie who doesn't know the mains wire from the buss wire.
i would leave it. === I don't think that can be stated when the type of plug/receptacle has been completely omitted from any of the discussion to date, NOR the electrical codes having been checked.
IFF the dryer came with an attached plug, and IF it plugged into the present receptacle OK, then yes, you likely could leave it. But using the "old" cable, plug and receptacle? NO, not necessarily allowable, and your home insurance could depend on this being right! If it's not to code, it may not be insurable!! Don't take chances.
like 10) and if you
=== And that's total bullfeces. You cannot possibly know that he would not get an hones electrician. You don't reall know what you're talking about in this posting; you should not have posted it.
Maybe you are randy, but who are you, and you sure can't find the CAPs key, can you? You write like a third grader.
Unless you have told your story wrong, it will not work. If the old cord was 50a, it is the wrong outlet for your new 30a plug. It will not fit. So, unless you want to replace it yourself (which, given your question, I would highly recommend against) you will have to have an electrician in. He will check to make sure the breaker, wire, outlet and dryer are all compatible.
It is important that no part of the circuit be rated lower than the breaker, and that the load not be rated higher than the breaker. As long as you do that they do not have to be exactly the same.
Not to doubt you but I have never bought a dryer or stove that came with a cord attached... They always sell them extra at some ridiculous mark up. When did they change this?
It sounds like the easiest thing would be to put a range cord on the dryer to match the outlet. IIRC, a 50A outlet is OK on a 40A branch circuit. It's not ideal, but I would not hire an electrician to change anything in a house I was renting.
My house had a range outlet and 45A fuses for the clothes dryer when I moved it. It's not right, but it works.
Thanks for the advice everyone - very much appreciated. Some follow-up comments/questions:
It didn't come with a cord; in fact, the box even says something to the effect of "no cord included". I had thought this was a standard practice, as I almost ordered one online from Sears and they also had me buying a cord separately.
That being said, I've seen images online of what 30A receptacles look like, and mine isn't it. So I'm confident that my receptacle won't accept a 30A cord.
But from what I gather so far, the current cord & receptacle will work, but may be against code. This would at least allow me to use the dryer now and get an electrician out here (shortly) down the line. My concern was whether or not something bad could happen just by me trying out the new dryer. But it sounds like there's no risk here?
Many electric ranges and dryers now have cords that specifically fit the model (ie. has a special grommet on the cord which fits into a holder on the range, etc.).
Often it can be difficult to install a 'universal' cord in place of the one designed for the particular appliance.
Far as I know it's never changed. HOWever, it also depends on what country you're in, which is why I asked if it was North America or where? In the UK for example, hardly anything comes with a cord, but in the US, an electric dryer will always come with a cord attached, which also is the correct NEMA. All you have to do is plug it into a correct receptacle for the supplied plug. You CAN get them without cords, if you ask and the retailer is willing, but ... that's not the norm. Normally you just "plug it in" unless it's a hard-wire or some special job. I'm beginning to think the OP isn't in NA but haven't looked at all the threads.
Hmmm, interesting. Don't assume you have the wrong one just 'cause you didn't see it on a site. If you go to
formatting link
'll get a look at many of the different types of plugs and receptacles there are. BTW, the R in the NEMA number indicates Receptacle and the P the Plug.
You still haven't said whether you're from NA or not, so I have to assume you are. The cord should have been part of the purchased part IF you are in NA and the product meets UL/CSA or Orange County, etc etc etc.. If you're not NA, it's possibly a different story, as I said originally.
receptacle will
me to use
down the line.
just by me
risk here?
Correct, it does not SOUND like there would be any risk, from your description, and assuming you are safety aware and capable with electricity.
What I do find really funny is that, since you got this from a legit store, there was no documentation with the specific information you need to install this dryer. It sounds as though you may have gotten some sort of a contractor's deal, in which case you may not have a warranty also - worth checking.
Well I'm in North America, and have legally bought two dryers in the last 5 years. Both of them from reputable dealers and neither of them came with a cord in the box. In fact, if you peruse the online specifications of various manufacturers, there is a section that looks something like this:
"30A, 120/240V, 60HZ, AC-ONLY. USE COPPER WIRE ONLY. A FOUR-WIRE OR THREE-WIRE, SINGLE PHASE ELECTRICAL SUPPLY REQUIRED. A TIME-DELAY FUSE OR CIRCUIT BREAKER AND SEPARATE CIRCUIT IS RECOMMENDED."
In fact, the Amana site states specifically: Electric cord - not supplied with dryer.
And the dealers asked me if I had a three or four prong outlet at the installation site. They then charged me for the appropriate cord. The installers brought the dryers, cords, and ducting and completed the installations.
Neither GE nor Whirlpool come "with" a cord attached. In the installation instructions, there are sections for making the connections using either three or four prong cords.
In my recent experience in North America, I'd say that finding an electric dryer with a cord attached is not the norm. And they are UL listed. Now if its a gas dryer, then they do have the cords attached properly wired for 110V.
You have things backwards. Bought my first electric dryer 23 years ago and no cord. my son recently bought one - - - no cord. Dealer says none of them have cords.
The Maytag manuals show the cord as "not included".
Y'all should get your appliances in Canada, they ( dryers and ranges ) come with a cord ( manditory ) and only one style of an cord for each appliance which is a lot less confusing! :) The normal built in stuff of course doesn't have a cord ( d/w, ovens, cooktop ).
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