2 Receptacles on 1, 240V circuit


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Old 02-09-13, 03:59 AM
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2 Receptacles on 1, 240V circuit

I currently have a 240 V circuit dedicated to a NEMA 10-30 receptacle for a 24 V dryer, with a 30 Amp breaker. I want to add a NEMA 6-50 receptacle for a 48 amp kiln to the same circuit because I have no more room in my panel for a seperate circuit. If I switched out the 30 Amp breaker with a 60 amp breaker and ran a 6 gauge wire from the breaker to the 6-50, how would I reconnect the 10-30 to the circuit? (The 10-30 is currently connected to the panel with an 8 gauge, would I have to replace that wire to match the 6 gauge feeding the 6-50?)

I won't be running both devices at the same time.

Thanks!
Kyle
 
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Old 02-09-13, 04:21 AM
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Welcome to the forums! You can't mix apples and pears except in salad. You can't protect the dryer with a 60 amp breaker, and you can't protect the kiln with a 30 amp breaker. Your best bet would be to either replace single breakers with tandem breakers to give you the space in the panel for the additional breaker, or run a subpanel off your main panel to handle the excess. Door #1 would be the first choice. Maybe you can post a picture of your panel and door so we can see what you have. Better information will surely come from that.
 
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Old 02-09-13, 07:40 AM
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I just took some photos, but they are not so great because the blizzard knocked out my power.
I would definitely prefer consolidating four 15 amp breakers into two tandems, and then having a dedicated 240 V 60 amp line. In case you can't see the breakers, here is the layout :
Left
1540 (takes up 2 slots)
60 (takes up 2 slots)
15
30 (takes up 2 slots)
20/20 (tandem)
20/20 (tandem)

Right
20 (takes up 2 slots)
15
15
20
15
20/20 (tandem)
15
15
15
- I can't upload the photo from my iPhone and I don't have access to a desktop, so the description will have to do for now. It's a 100 amp residential service. I don't think there will be a problem amp-wise as long as I don't use the ranger or dryer while using the kiln
 
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Old 02-09-13, 10:22 AM
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You definitely need separate circuits for the dryer and the kiln. One option would be to replace the 2-pole breaker with one large enough to feed a small subpanel, and then run the dryer and kiln circuits out of that.
 
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Old 02-09-13, 12:41 PM
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I want to add a NEMA 6-50 receptacle for a 48 amp kiln
I wouldn't advise putting a 48 amp load protected by a 60 amp breaker on a 50 amp receptacle.
 
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Old 02-09-13, 01:16 PM
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Is a subpanel a DIY project?

With regards to the receptacle, the kiln manufacturer makes the kiln with a 6-50 plug, so apparently it shouldn't be a problem. The manufacturer specifies that a 60 amp breaker and 6/3 is the appropriate set up.

Why exactly can't there be two 240 V receptacles on one circuit? I've read this is possible. As long as the line can service each applicant alone, wouldn't it not be a problem to just only use one of the appliances at at any given time? The dryer needs 24 V and the kiln 48. With two receptacles, 6/3 wire, and a 60 A breaker, would that suffice for either applicant running by itself?

thanks for your responses!
 
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Old 02-09-13, 01:38 PM
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As previously written the dryer can't be protected by a 60 amp breaker and the kiln won't run on the 30 amp breaker needed to protect the dryer.
  • Replace the #10 cable with #6.
  • Install a 60 amp breaker in the main panel.
  • Install a subpanel near the dryer.
  • Put a 30 amp and 60 amp breaker in the subpanel.
  • Run cables to each receptacle from their respective breakers.
You would have to remember not to use both at the same time.
And yes a subpanel is a DIY project, especially this way, but you could do one next to the main and run a new cable just for the kiln.
 

Last edited by ray2047; 02-09-13 at 11:36 PM.
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Old 02-09-13, 08:35 PM
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If you run one cable to a location near the dryer and kiln, that would allow the breaker for the dryer to be moved there, freeing up a 2-pole space in the main panel for the breaker that would protect the subpanel.

It also appears, on reflection, that there is one full-height slot available in the main panel now, and that there are seven 15A full-height breakers in it. If so, replacing four of the 15A full-height breakers with two 15A tandem breakers should free up one more slot, and allow a new 240V breaker to be installed there for the kiln.
Just thinkin',
 

Last edited by Nashkat1; 02-09-13 at 09:28 PM.
 

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