220 Outlet for Dryer!


  #1  
Old 03-13-00, 07:00 AM
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I just bought a house and it is not wired for an electric 4 prong dryer. It is setup for a gas dryer, but I happen to have an electric dryer. Can anyone tell me how I can wire this up so I can use my dryer?

thanks in advance

Todd
 
  #2  
Old 03-14-00, 06:25 AM
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You'll have to run a new 230 volt, 30 amp circuit for the dryer. Need a new breaker, the proper recepticle and enough 10/3 wire to get from the panel to the dryer location.
 
  #3  
Old 03-14-00, 07:14 PM
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hello Tackls,
ok here is what u will need to start,
1- 30amp 2 pole breaker thast fits your panel,
1- 30 amp 4 wire dryer receptical surface mount if possabel
romex stapels or straps
1- romex clamp
enough 10/3 romex to get from panel to recep location
ok heres how 2 wire this
1. turn off MAIN breaker
2. remove panel cover
3. install 2 pole breaker make sure breaker is in off position
4. remove knock out and install romex clamp
5. pull in romex
6. hook the black and red of romex to breaker
7. hook the white to the nutural bar
8. hook the bare to the ground bar
9. replace panel cover
10.turn MAIN back on leaving 30 amp off
11.stapel or strap your romex every 4 feet
12.install recep
13.hook black and red to the hot turminals (normaly marked)
14.hook white to nutural (normaly marked)
15.hook bare to the ground (normaly marked)
16.turn 30 amp breaker on
 
  #4  
Old 06-03-05, 11:03 AM
skushman
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additional breaker panel

I reference to the proceeding message. What if I do not have any room in my breaker box for a 2pole 30amp breaker. How would I ad an additional single breaker panel for this application?
 
  #5  
Old 06-03-05, 11:28 AM
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It must be a 2-pole breaker to get 240V for the dryer. A single pole breaker only provides 120V.

A common solution is to replace two of your existing single pole breakers with a single tandem breaker if your panel will support tandem breakers. That should leave you with enough space for a new 30A double pole for the dryer.

What make and model of panel do you have? The manufacturer's label on the panel should indicate if it will accept tandem breakers.
 
  #6  
Old 06-03-05, 12:16 PM
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Actually you would need to replace four of your single poles with 2 twins. This leaves two empty slots for the double pole required for the dryer.
 
  #7  
Old 06-03-05, 12:27 PM
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I suggest you strongly consider buying a gas dryer.

In the long run you will find it much cheaper to buy a gas dryer, since they are cheaper to operate.

Depending on what you need to buy to install a receptacle for your dryer, you will find it cheaper to buy a gas dryer. This is especially true if you have to hire an electrician to do the work.
 
  #8  
Old 08-05-05, 09:00 PM
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I have read the details of the previous posts and I am also in the same situation with gas dryer install on new home with the exception that there is a current 120v outlet where I can put a 240V outlet. As I understand it I should need only to install 2 pole 30 Amp breaker in sub panel (taking out 2 single pole 20A breakers) and the outlet (dryer and outlet are 4-wire types, so good to go there) and I should be able to use the existing wire, assuming its 10-3 type wire that was used for 120 V outlet. How can I verify the wire, if I remember correctly it should be marked on the wire itself, is this correct? Are there any other things to take note of on this type of mod. Additionally, which wires go where in the sub panel going from the 2 single pole breakers to the 1 2-pole brker?

Additionally, on one of the posts in the forum, someone stated that it was illegal for a tenant to make this mod. Are there any more details on this aspect. The owner has authorized the mod. Thanks.

Steve
 
  #9  
Old 08-06-05, 05:39 AM
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The wire used for the 120 volt receptacle is almost certainly NOT 10-3. 12 gage wire is used for 20 amp circuits in most cases, and three conductor wire (plus ground) is normally only used for multi wire circuits and when three conductors are needed (switches).

You also have the problem of the circuit(s) you would be removing. They are probably not something you can do without, both according to code and just plain living.

Your best bet is probably is to add a new 30 amp dryer circuit, leaving everything else intact.
 
  #10  
Old 08-06-05, 09:05 AM
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Unhappy Thanks

Bob,

Thanks for the reply, looks like it's a complete new 30 Amp circuit or a gas dryer. Was hoping to do this inexpensively. I can't believe the developers were so stupid as to not wire for 240V when they built it and left the option to homeowners. Oh well.
 
  #11  
Old 08-06-05, 08:35 PM
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It is not unusual for a home to be either "mostly gas" or "mostly electric".

Check with any HD, appliance store, etc. You can tell just by looking at their stock that you are in a "gas market" or an "electric market" by how much of which they have. Builders in any particular locality tend to follow the trend, dictated by rates and infrastructure availability.

You can purchase a good quality gas dryer under $400. I guarantee you will exceed that amount before the electrician even gets out of his truck.
 
  #12  
Old 08-07-05, 04:56 AM
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I too would echo the "go with gas" comment if you can. Yes, gas appliances are more expensive to buy and more expensive to install (the first time), but gas appliances are so much cheaper to operate that the pay for themselves over time.
 
  #13  
Old 08-07-05, 09:02 AM
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Yes, Gas would be great, but unfortunately I am active duty military and move too much to be messing around with gas appliances. It just isn't widely available as an option especially on any houses built more than a few years ago. I will have to go with the 30 amp circuit mod. option. As for mostly gas or mostly electric, the strange thing with this house, is that the stove is gas, the oven is electric and the dryer hook-up is gas. Can't really see a theme developing, developer must have had a tough time choosing.

Any tricks for routing a 10-3 wire? The washer/dryer room is on the first floor on concrete slab and no access to area between ceiling/2nd story floor overhead. The sub panel is in the same room as washer/dryer on opposite wall and room is between garage and living area. I thought about going out from sub panel to garage through the walls (Would need to drill through 2 Wall studs) and then route across the room outside in garage (possibly securing romex in corner in overhead, garage is finished so not a whole lot of options for concealement) and then bringing it back through the garage/utility room wall and connecting to a surface mount receptacle on the other side. This would leave everything else alone, and I would just need to add 2 pole breaker to sub panel and make 2 connections, one to receptacle the other to the brkr Thanks for all the info.

Steve
 
  #14  
Old 08-07-05, 09:23 AM
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Originally Posted by Vonduck
As for mostly gas or mostly electric, the strange thing with this house, is that the stove is gas, the oven is electric and the dryer hook-up is gas. Can't really see a theme developing, developer must have had a tough time choosing.
Not that it helps your situation, but IMHO this is the ideal configuration: gas is superior for a cooktop, electric provides a more stable oven temperature, and gas is much cheaper to operate for a dryer. This is how I configured my house.

Also FYI unless the house was built completely on spec it is likely that the original homeowner made the decisions regarding gas vs. electric for appliances, the builder/developer is just delivering what the buyer wants...
 
  #15  
Old 08-09-05, 02:46 PM
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But back to the fact that you are a tenant in a rental unit... I beleive that no matter what authorization the owner has given, this must be installed by a licensed electrician. The owner can't legally install it himself either.

Doug M.
 
 

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