Dryer plug / outlet incompatibility


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Old 10-20-18, 06:01 AM
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Dryer plug / outlet incompatibility

Landlady replaced our dryer for free, which was nice, but the plug for the new dryer doesn't match the outlet.

I was told the plug is a Nema 10-30 and the outlet is a Nema 10-50. See attached image. From the image, are those the correct plugs?

Do they sell adapters for this specific fix? If not, what sort of electrical work would be necessary to fix this?
 
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Old 10-20-18, 07:10 AM
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Hi, it’s a bit hard to tell from the pic, but the receptacle looks like 50 Amp , in which case it must be changed and also breaker size must be checked to be sure it is 30 Amp to match the dryer cord.
Geo
 
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Old 10-20-18, 03:36 PM
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Yep.. outlet is 10-50R, so as said by Geo, it needs changing to a 10-30R and breaker changed to a 30A if currently a 50A breaker.
 
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Old 10-22-18, 06:52 AM
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Originally Posted by Geochurchi
Hi, it’s a bit hard to tell from the pic, but the receptacle looks like 50 Amp , in which case it must be changed and also breaker size must be checked to be sure it is 30 Amp to match the dryer cord.
Geo
Thanks very much. Why would the receptacle and breaker need to be replaced, specifically? Are there possible safety issues with connecting a 30 amp dryer to the current receptacle?
 
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Old 10-22-18, 06:56 AM
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Originally Posted by pattenp
Yep.. outlet is 10-50R, so as said by Geo, it needs changing to a 10-30R and breaker changed to a 30A if currently a 50A breaker.
Thanks a lot, and I just have the same question I asked the previous poster: Why would the receptacle and breaker need to be replaced, specifically? Are there possible safety issues with connecting a 30 amp dryer to the current receptacle?
 
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Old 10-22-18, 07:05 AM
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To start with that dryer cord won’t plug into that 50 amp receptacle and second when you put the correct dryer receptacle there it can only be on a 30 Amp circuit, if the breaker that is suppling that old receptacle is 30 Amp then there is no need to change, but I doubt it.
Geo
 
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Old 10-22-18, 10:41 AM
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Originally Posted by qG8oLrI4gw1i
Why would the receptacle and breaker need to be replaced, specifically? Are there possible safety
issues with connecting a 30 amp dryer to the current receptacle?
Yes.
The ~30 amp dryer runs on 30 amps, has a cord rated for 30 amps, the wall wiring is supposed to be rated for 30 amps and it is supposed to have a 30 amp breaker as a safety shutoff.

If that 50 amp oven receptacle is connected to a 50 amp breaker and then if your 30 amp dryer malfunctions and tries to pull 49 amps; the 50 amp safety feature wouldn't trip and protect you. Possible results are you fry the 30 amp new dryer, or 50 amps through the 30 amp wall wiring melts the insulation and cause a fire in the wall, or the 30 amp cord melts and causes a fire behind the dryer.

So, you want the circuit breaker, the outlet and the plug to match.
 
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Old 10-22-18, 11:18 AM
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(Meant to quote)

That's a really comprehensive answer, thanks. I was already pretty wary and that's definitely helpful.

The socket is definitely labeled 50 amps, is it possible the wall wiring could be 30 amps in spite of that?
 

Last edited by qG8oLrI4gw1i; 10-22-18 at 11:19 AM. Reason: forgot to quote
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Old 10-22-18, 11:22 AM
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Originally Posted by Hal_S
Yes.
The ~30 amp dryer runs on 30 amps, has a cord rated for 30 amps, the wall wiring is supposed to be rated for 30 amps and it is supposed to have a 30 amp breaker as a safety shutoff.

If that 50 amp oven receptacle is connected to a 50 amp breaker and then if your 30 amp dryer malfunctions and tries to pull 49 amps; the 50 amp safety feature wouldn't trip and protect you. Possible results are you fry the 30 amp new dryer, or 50 amps through the 30 amp wall wiring melts the insulation and cause a fire in the wall, or the 30 amp cord melts and causes a fire behind the dryer.

So, you want the circuit breaker, the outlet and the plug to match.
That's a really comprehensive answer, thanks. I was already pretty wary and that's definitely helpful.

The socket is definitely labeled 50 amps, is it possible the wall wiring could be 30 amps in spite of that?
 
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Old 10-22-18, 12:14 PM
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Originally Posted by qG8oLrI4gw1i
That's a really comprehensive answer, thanks. I was already pretty wary and that's definitely helpful.

The socket is definitely labeled 50 amps, is it possible the wall wiring could be 30 amps in spite of that?
Look in panel. What is the breaker size and wire size?
 
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Old 10-22-18, 02:36 PM
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Originally Posted by qG8oLrI4gw1i
is it possible the wall wiring could be 30 amps in spite of that?
Yep.
Looks like a plaster wall,
Generally, old homes are updated by adding a new room on the back,
Often that starts with a pre-WWII kitchen in the back, then a post-WWII bathroom/mudroom, which means you can find 50 amp oven wiring re-purposed for 30 amp dryer usage.

Best to check the breaker/fuses, then the wiring, then the outlet, then cord.
 
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Old 10-22-18, 05:47 PM
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Landlady replaced our dryer for free, which was nice, but the plug for the new dryer doesn't match the outlet.

Why would the landlady do this? Did the demise of your old dryer have to do with faulty wiring or something like that?
 
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Old 10-22-18, 07:50 PM
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Originally Posted by pattenp
Look in panel. What is the breaker size and wire size?
Unsure about breaker size, the box has some breakers labeled 30 amp and others labeled 50 amp. Unsure which ones correspond to the dryer. Wire size is somewhere between 0.6 and 0.75 inches wide.
 
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Old 10-22-18, 07:58 PM
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Originally Posted by Hal_S
Yep.
Looks like a plaster wall,
Generally, old homes are updated by adding a new room on the back,
Often that starts with a pre-WWII kitchen in the back, then a post-WWII bathroom/mudroom, which means you can find 50 amp oven wiring re-purposed for 30 amp dryer usage.

Best to check the breaker/fuses, then the wiring, then the outlet, then cord.
The wall has a plaster layer but it's some sort of cinderblock under that (this is all happening in the basement.) The wiring goes out of the socket, straight up to the ceiling, and is hooked to the ceiling until it reaches the breaker box, so it never goes out of sight into the wall or ceiling before it gets to the box.

Your advice about checking all four of those categories is well taken. How would I check the wiring?
 
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Old 10-22-18, 08:02 PM
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Originally Posted by CasualJoe
Why would the landlady do this? Did the demise of your old dryer have to do with faulty wiring or something like that?
No, the tumbling mechanism stopped working. She didn't charge because apparently the previous dryer was extremely old and she already had the new one sitting around. Although I would've suggested fixing the old one if I knew how everything was going to turn out...
 
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Old 10-23-18, 03:05 AM
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Checking power to that outlet is easy you can even use a non contact tester to see if there is power. When you see there is power turn breakers off till the dryer plug does not have power that is breaker you need to find out if 30 or 50 amp.
 
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Old 10-23-18, 04:23 AM
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qG8oLrI4gw1i: It is all well and good that you are concerned about the plug not matching the receptacle. Please keep something very important in mind please. Since you rent this residence I would highly suggest that you do not use any type of adapter nor do you change any wiring, breakers, receptacles or the plug-harness. The reason is "liability" as you do not own the property.

You can research what should be done and educate yourself and then propose to the landlady what should be done. If in fact the old dryer was plugged into the existing receptacle rated at 50 amps that in it self was dangerous as stated already. Again, if the dryer failed for any reason and started to pull much more amperage than its rating it is possible it could cause serious issues.

Plug and receptacle configurations are different depending on amps and volts to prevent unintended plugging an appliance into the wrong rated circuit.

It is wise that you want to learn more about this issue, but again do not do anything at all in the way of changing anything on your own or even hire an electrician to do it. Leave this to your landlady to do so there is no chance of liability on your end.
 
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Old 10-23-18, 04:39 AM
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Originally Posted by AFJES
qG8oLrI4gw1i: It is all well and good that you are concerned about the plug not matching the receptacle. Please keep something very important in mind please. Since you rent this residence I would highly suggest that you do not use any type of adapter nor do you change any wiring, breakers, receptacles or the plug-harness. The reason is "liability" as you do not own the property.

You can research what should be done and educate yourself and then propose to the landlady what should be done. If in fact the old dryer was plugged into the existing receptacle rated at 50 amps that in it self was dangerous as stated already. Again, if the dryer failed for any reason and started to pull much more amperage than its rating it is possible it could cause serious issues.

Plug and receptacle configurations are different depending on amps and volts to prevent unintended plugging an appliance into the wrong rated circuit.

It is wise that you want to learn more about this issue, but again do not do anything at all in the way of changing anything on your own or even hire an electrician to do it. Leave this to your landlady to do so there is no chance of liability on your end.
Lol, you read my mind regarding my concern about liability. Thank you!
 
 

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