(15A?) receptacle off 30A dryer outlet?

Hi, I'm in the process of installing an exterior GFCI receptacle in my garage, and have been looking for somewhere to run power from.

In my adventures, I found a nearby receptacle, that appears to run off a 30A dryer outlet. There's a junction box next to this outlet, that runs unprotected cable along the ceiling, through an adjacent storage room, and into the garage where it feeds this receptacle.

I was under the impression that dryer outlets were supposed to be a dedicated circuit?

I'm a novice, but am concerned that this existing receptacle is controlled by a 30A breaker, and probably shouldn't be wired into the dryer outlet circuit. I'm not sure that this is safe.

So, would it be a good idea to remove this receptacle, and the long section of unprotected cable, and restore the dryer to a dedicated circuit?

Thanks.
Ben.

 

It is unsafe and should be removed immediately. A standard duplex 120 volt receptacle must be fused for no greater than 20 amps (or 15 amps if supplied by #14 cable). The method of running the cable may also be a non code compliant.

Post back and we can help you run power to the garage.

 

Yes it would be a good idea to return the dryer to a dedicated circuit. The situation you describe is not safe or up to code.

 

A total hack job for all the reasons already mentioned. Someone did you no favors.

 

If you aren't using the dryer receptacle, remove it and replace the (hopefully) 2 pole breaker with two 15A singles and voila! 2 receptacle circuits at your disposal. The 10 AWG (again, hopefully) wire is fine to use for a 15A circuit.

 

But if it is a 3-wire dryer plug there may be no ground and the cable across the ceiling is still a problem.

In a perfect world it would be a unused 4-prong dryer plug and you could replace it with a subpanel.

 

Thanks for the quick replies. I will remove the receptacle and unprotected wiring, and return the circuit to a dedicated 30A outlet.

Thanks for the help. Just to answer a couple of questions that came up:

* The dryer outlet has a four-prong cover. I will check the wiring inside. It's currently in use.

This is a 1956 house, so I doubt this is the only issue.

Edit: There's a 15A receptacle on another circuit in the garage. I'm considering drawing power from there, but need to work out what else is on the circuit. I figure, as someone had a second power source to the garage, it may already be maxed out. The GFCI is to power block heater on a pair of vehicles left outside in Canada's frigid winter.

Thanks again!

Ben.

 

Is this an attached garage?

 

Depending on the size of the house, the original main panel was probably a 4 to 6 circuit fuse box.

You better check the wattage on the block heaters. The last ones I was around were 1000 watts each, just high enough wattage that you couldn't put two heaters on one 20 amp circuit. There generally isn't a thermostat on most block heaters, they operate at full power continuously. You might need two new circuits.