Dryer 240 volt line
#1
Dryer 240 volt line
In the process of remodeling my basement I had to tear out the paneling that consisted of 1/8" thick plywood. The dryer outlet was screwed directly on the surface of the plywood, with the conduit, running from the outlet up to the overhead, also on the surface of the plywood. I removed the dryer outlet cover and unscrewed the outlet from the mounting box to get at the screws, then moved the outlet and conduit out of the way so I can remove the plywood. With the plywood removed I re-mounted the outlet to the mounting box and re-attached the cover. After turning on the breaker it immediately tripped. I opened up the outlet box again and the wires where still secured. Also, there's a junction box prior to the dryer outlet (that feeds a couple of 120 volt outlets) that I had to unscrew from the plywood. The wires in there where secure also. Any hints on where the short may be? All I did was move the junction boxes out of the way and now the breaker is tripping. Hints on how to troubleshoot?? Thanks.
#2
Member
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 122
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes
on
0 Posts
You probably have a ground wire making contact with an exposed area of one of the hot wires or possible touching one of the outlet hot terminals. This is especially lkely if the dryer outlet is in a single gang box.
The other situation ("Also, there's a junction box prior to the dryer outlet (that feeds a couple of 120 volt outlets) that I had to unscrew from the plywood.") Sounds like some "rigging". These outlets are not up to code as they are not properly protected from overload since they are fed by the dryer circuit (30 amp). You really should eliminate these or feed them from an appropriate circuit.
The other situation ("Also, there's a junction box prior to the dryer outlet (that feeds a couple of 120 volt outlets) that I had to unscrew from the plywood.") Sounds like some "rigging". These outlets are not up to code as they are not properly protected from overload since they are fed by the dryer circuit (30 amp). You really should eliminate these or feed them from an appropriate circuit.