new washer-drier circuit

I have a partial basement which I am planning on using as a laundry room with an electric washer and gas drier. There are no hook-ups and no suitable circuits, so I was planning on putting in a dedicated 110v circuit. The run from the breaker box to the washer/drier location is about 25 feet straight through the crawlspace. The breaker box/service panel is on the exterior of the house and has several breaker slots open above the main breaker.

How many amps do i need on the circuit?

On a scale of 1-10 how difficult is this project?

What are some good books/website that may shed some light on this job?

Thanks,
Joe

 

Probably a 20-amp circuit. But I'm not really familiar with the electrical requirements of a gas dryer. Can you educate me?

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the easiest, this job is only about a 3.

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most dangerous, adding a breaker to the panel is about a 7.

If there is no rough-in for a laundry, the plumbing job may be a 9. The supply plumbing will be easy, but the drain and especially the venting will be difficult. I think the venting issues are much more difficult than the electrical issues.

Go to your local public library and enter "home wiring" into the search engine. I recommend books over web sites for learning, since the book is more likely to fill in all the safety details. Web sites often just jump right to the solution without providing the necessary background for safety.

 

that 120v is required. the only amperage info noted was "15 amp fuse 3-wire" under the field "fuse requirements."

 

Bulb,, there will be a label on the back of the machine,,, same for the washer,,, find what the amps are,, this will be actual,, no a general like the fuse requirement. I would say on gas dryer it will be 4 or 5 at most.

 

210.11.C.2 requires laundry receptacle circuits to be 20 amp 12 awg rated with no other outlets such as other rooms or lighting on that laundry circuit.

You should be able to run your gas dryer and washer on one 20 amp branch circuit.

Do not install a 15 amp branch circuit 14 awg wire to serve a laundry it would be a code violation.

Hope this helps

Wg

 

thanks for the great advice.

John Nelson: i know this is the electrical forum, but when you said the venting is difficult did you mean the plumbing vent or the drier exhaust vent?

Thanks,
Joe

 

I meant the drain vent. The dryer exhaust vent is straightforward as long as you make sure it vents outside. Drain venting is much more complicated, and the results of not doing it right are not immediately obvious.