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Electronics Forum / Electrical Engineering / July 2009



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30A verses 50A Circuit for Clothes Drier

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PeterOut - 18 Jul 2009 15:23 GMT
We live in the US and have recently had a new dryer installed.  The
new dryer has an L-shaped ground as opposed to a flat ground for the
old dryer.  The people who delivered the dryer said that I could
change the plug but the circuit had to be 30A, not 50A.  I looked on
the fuse box and the dryer circuit had a double switch with 30A on
each switch.  Does this mean that the circuit is 30A or 60A?

Many thanks in advance for any assistance,
Peter.
krw - 18 Jul 2009 18:10 GMT
>We live in the US and have recently had a new dryer installed.  The
>new dryer has an L-shaped ground as opposed to a flat ground for the
>old dryer.  The people who delivered the dryer said that I could
>change the plug but the circuit had to be 30A, not 50A.  I looked on
>the fuse box and the dryer circuit had a double switch with 30A on
>each switch.  Does this mean that the circuit is 30A or 60A?

30A. You're fine.  None of the dryers I've bought (not many,
admittedly) came with cords/plugs.  The reason being, as you've found,
that not all houses use the same receptacles.  It's easier just to buy
the appropriate cord for the house.
Rich. - 18 Jul 2009 19:07 GMT
> <MajorSetback@excite.com> wrote:
>
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>>the fuse box and the dryer circuit had a double switch with 30A on
>>each switch.  Does this mean that the circuit is 30A or 60A?

The plug with the straight ground prong is a 50 amp plug for a kitchen
range. A dryer plug is only 30 amps and should have the plug with the L
shaped ground prong. Someone wrongly installed a range receptacle on your
dryer circuit.
James Sweet - 18 Jul 2009 20:14 GMT
> We live in the US and have recently had a new dryer installed.  The
> new dryer has an L-shaped ground as opposed to a flat ground for the
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> Many thanks in advance for any assistance,
> Peter.

30A is standard for a clothes dryer, I've never seen one that required
more. You have a 30A circuit, it has a double pole breaker because in
the split phase panels in North America that's how you get 240V. 120V
from either side to ground, 240V between the two sides. A 240V circuit
gives you twice the power capacity by doubling the voltage, but it is
still 30 Amps because the same current flows through each side. In your
case, it sounds like you just need to replace the receptacle with one
matching the dryer plug.

There are two varieties, 3 wire and 4 wire, one has neutral, one is only
two hots and ground. My Maytag Neptune dryer can be configured for
either one, when I got it I had to replace the 4 wire cord with a 3 wire
and change a jumper wire in junction box on the dryer, I forget the
details but it had instructions on the inside cover of the box.
Tom Horne - 19 Jul 2009 18:42 GMT
snipped
> ... dryer plug.
>
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> and change a jumper wire in junction box on the dryer, I forget the
> details but it had instructions on the inside cover of the box.

This may at first seem a mere linguistic quibble but receptacles for
dryers can more accurately  be described as having a separate
Equipment Grounding terminal plus two hots and a neutral or as only
having two hots and a neutral.  Since dryers manufactured for the
North American market usually have 120 volt motors and controls there
must always be a neutral present in the circuit for them to operate.
In older installations it was thought to be acceptable to bond the
frame of the appliance to the neutral rather than providing a separate
Equipment Grounding Conductor in the circuit.  If you look at the two
types of thirty ampere receptacles used for dryer outlets in North
America you will see that both the three wire NEMA 10-30R and the four
wire 14-30R have the L shaped neutral terminal but only the four wire
one has the terminal for the round ground pin of a NEMA 14-30 Plug.
--
Tom Horne
Dori - 20 Jul 2009 11:46 GMT
> We live in the US and have recently had a new dryer installed.  The
> new dryer has an L-shaped ground as opposed to a flat ground for the
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> Many thanks in advance for any assistance,
> Peter.

Use a hammer and smash the plug into the socket.
Dan Litov - 20 Jul 2009 12:11 GMT
>> We live in the US and have recently had a new dryer installed.  The
>> new dryer has an L-shaped ground as opposed to a flat ground for the
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>
> Use a hammer and smash the plug into the socket.

I got a better idea, why not hook up each switch to Dori's nipples and she
could tell you if it's 30A or 60A.
Dori - 20 Jul 2009 13:22 GMT
>>> We live in the US and have recently had a new dryer installed.  The
>>> new dryer has an L-shaped ground as opposed to a flat ground for the
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
> I got a better idea, why not hook up each switch to Dori's nipples and she
> could tell you if it's 30A or 60A.

It would be more effective to hook it up to your nose and watch how bright
it glows.
Dori - 20 Jul 2009 13:22 GMT
>>> We live in the US and have recently had a new dryer installed.  The
>>> new dryer has an L-shaped ground as opposed to a flat ground for the
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
> I got a better idea, why not hook up each switch to Dori's nipples and she
> could tell you if it's 30A or 60A.

It would be more effective to hook it up to your nose and watch how bright
it glows.
Dan Litov - 21 Jul 2009 17:57 GMT
>>>> We live in the US and have recently had a new dryer installed.  The
>>>> new dryer has an L-shaped ground as opposed to a flat ground for the
[quoted text clipped - 13 lines]
> It would be more effective to hook it up to your nose and watch how bright
> it glows.

Suck my dick.
Curtis Brown - 21 Jul 2009 19:25 GMT
>> We live in the US and have recently had a new dryer installed.  The
>> new dryer has an L-shaped ground as opposed to a flat ground for the
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>
> Use a hammer and smash the plug into the socket.

No tardlet. The OP is better off hooking his dryer to the dedicated circuit
that your vibrator is using.
Proteus IIV - 24 Jul 2009 11:11 GMT
> >> We live in the US and have recently had a new dryer installed.  The
> >> new dryer has an L-shaped ground as opposed to a flat ground for the
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
>
> - Show quoted text -

TWAHAHAHA

KEEP IT REAL
THEY NEED TO AT LEAST KEEP THEIR GARMENTS CLEAN AND DRY

THERE IS NO IF OR BUT'S ABOUT IT
THE 30AMP CHARDWARE SHOULD DO FOR THE CIRCUIT
UNLESS HE IS GOING INTO BUSINESS AND HIS CLOTHES DRYER IS THE
COMMERCIAL VARIETY

I AM PROTEUS
 
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