Routing Dryer Power

[James-W]

I have a quick question.

My youngest daughter daughter wants to move her dryer about 10 feet. The washer and dryer are upstairs in a room just off the kitchen. To route the power to where she wants the dryer by going thru the basement and then up the wall, would be next to impossible without doing some major tear down of the wall and the finished basement ceiling.

My question is, can I use conduit and run power from the old outlet to the new outlet by going on the outside of the wall instead of going thru the wall? To go thru the ceiling in the basement and then up inside the wall is certainly doable, but not very practical since it would require tearing the drywall off the wall and basement ceiling and then having to re-do it all. I would rather avoid doing that if at all possible.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Is the existing dryer circuit 3-wire or 4-wire?

 

[Norcal]

What type of receptacle, 3-wire, or 4-wire? As soon as you move it it must be brought up to current code requirements, & if the existing wiring only has a neutral & 2 hots, the whole feed needs to be replaced, this needs to be determined before proceeding.

 

[ddawg16]

Not only do you have to move the electrical, you have to move the vent...and water lines.

I hope there is a really good reason

 

[James-W]

It is only 3 wire so I guess this is going to be a lot more complicated than I had hoped. I'll have her get a permit and let her know this will take awhile before it is totally done.

The washer won't be moved, only the dryer, so I won't have to mess around with water lines and the drain. She wants the dryer moved so that it is closer to the vent. Right now the vent pipe comes from the back of the dryer, goes up to the ceiling, then over to where the outside vent hole is, then the pipe comes down to where the vent hole is, and finally it goes outside. She wants to get rid of that whole goofy setup and have just a simple pipe going outside with a vent hood.

 

[The Cobbler]

would it be permissible to put alonger drier cord and use the existing receptacle?

 

[James-W]

would it be permissible to put a longer drier cord and use the existing receptacle?

That is an interesting thought I had not considered. I am not sure you can buy a cord that would be long enough, just guessing on length here, but it would have to be roughly 16 feet long. I could make a long cord to plug into the outlet and hard-wire the other end into the dryer. I wonder if that would meet code?

 

[Norcal]

What type of cable is being used?

 

[matt_i]

That is an interesting thought I had not considered. I am not sure you can buy a cord that would be long enough, just guessing on length here, but it would have to be roughly 16 feet long. I could make a long cord to plug into the outlet and hard-wire the other end into the dryer. I wonder if that would meet code?

You'd have to determine the amperage first. I'm going to guess 50A for now driving you to a #6 awg SO-cord, which you can probably buy by-the-foot at a box store. Then there's the matter of getting a male plug and the appropriate ring terminals (?) to land the new conductors on the dryer's input.

It has a cord now which is probably sized for piece-price reasons at the OEM. Simply lengthening it with appropriate sizing is not that far of a stretch.

 

[James-W]

What type of cable is being used?

It has the regular gray colored 3 prong appliance cord that you get from stores that sell appliances. There is a male plug on one end and the other end is hard wired into the dryer.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

You'd have to determine the amperage first. I'm going to guess 50A for now driving you to a #6 awg SO-cord, which you can probably buy by-the-foot at a box store. Then there's the matter of getting a male plug and the appropriate ring terminals (?) to land the new conductors on the dryer's input.

It has a cord now which is probably sized for piece-price reasons at the OEM. Simply lengthening it with appropriate sizing is not that far of a stretch.

Say what?

50a for a dryer circuit?

Maybe you missed the dryer part?

Dryer citcuits are 30a.

 

[matt_i]

Ok, then use #10 awg

 

[CJ7VFR]

Can you put a new vent hole in the building above the current location of the dryer? You could always do that and seal up the old vent location if it is possible.

Jim

 

[James-W]

Can you put a new vent hole in the building above the current location of the dryer? You could always do that and seal up the old vent location if it is possible.

Jim

I am sure that could be done, but it would be real hassle. See, the dryer is currently on an inside wall. Obviously, the vent is on an outside wall. So the vent coming out of the back of the dryer goes up, across the ceiling to the area above where the vent is located, then down to the vent and finally outside. The daughter wants the dryer moved to the outside wall so the vent can go pretty much straight outside rather than have all this piping inside the house.

The daughter is right, it would not only look nicer but the dryer would work better with a much short vent. Being that the vent is so long, lint gets caught in the pipe and then the air flow goes down and it takes longer to dry the clothes. I agree with the daughter, moving the dryer would be a good idea. I am just trying to do this without turning it into a major production, if that is possible.

 

[allenb12]

if the vent is the problem I had a similar problem several years ago. I put a boster fan in the vent as close to the dryeras i could. Picked up power from the washing machine plug. Turn the fan when you start the dryer. I never had another problem.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

I dont think there would be a code issue with adding a longer cord to the dryer.

Or can you run surface mount conduit on the outside wall?

 

[James-W]

I don't think there would be a code issue with adding a longer cord to the dryer.

Or can you run surface mount conduit on the outside wall?

I can run surface mount conduit, that isn't a problem. But if I do that and install an outlet behind the dryer, won't I need to install 4 wire cable all the way back to the breaker panel instead of using the 3 wire cable that is currently there?

The basement is finished and there is a drywall ceiling rather than a removable tile ceiling. So I would have to open up the drywall behind the dryer, install a new metal box with a new 4 prong outlet, run the new cable down thru the floor, Knock some holes in the basement ceiling so I can run the new cable over to where the breaker is, get a 30 amp breaker and install it.

Doing all that isn't really a big deal, but then I have to fix all the drywall I ruined in order to run the new cable, that's the part I am hesitant about doing. I mean, I can do all that stuff, but I would rather not do it if I can avoid doing it.

If it is permissible to make a longer power cord for the dryer, then I would much rather do that. It would make things a whole simpler for me.

 

[manwithtools]

Cord should be fine if it's protected from damage (what that means is open to interpretation I suppose). I'd be tempted to run it inside some PVC conduit for the majority of its length.

 

[The Cobbler]

.....

If it is permissible to make a longer power cord for the dryer, then I would much rather do that. It would make things a whole simpler for me.

a longer cord would probably look "less intentional" too, and if it ever is an issue, it's easy to go back

 

[wyliesdiesels]

I can run surface mount conduit, that isn't a problem. But if I do that and install an outlet behind the dryer, won't I need to install 4 wire cable all the way back to the breaker panel instead of using the 3 wire cable that is currently there?

The basement is finished and there is a drywall ceiling rather than a removable tile ceiling. So I would have to open up the drywall behind the dryer, install a new metal box with a new 4 prong outlet, run the new cable down thru the floor, Knock some holes in the basement ceiling so I can run the new cable over to where the breaker is, get a 30 amp breaker and install it.

Doing all that isn't really a big deal, but then I have to fix all the drywall I ruined in order to run the new cable, that's the part I am hesitant about doing. I mean, I can do all that stuff, but I would rather not do it if I can avoid doing it.

If it is permissible to make a longer power cord for the dryer, then I would much rather do that. It would make things a whole simpler for me.

Yes you would.

Any extension of the circuit would require it to be brought up to current code which is 4-wire.

Sheetrock really isnt hard to repair. And is cheap.

Alternative is longer appliance cord...

 

[James-W]

Yes you would.

Any extension of the circuit would require it to be brought up to current code which is 4-wire.

Sheetrock really isn't hard to repair. And is cheap.

Alternative is longer appliance cord...

I think I will go with the longer appliance cord. If it were just the sheetrock behind the dryer that needed to be removed, I would go that route. But in the basement, where the breaker panel is relation to the dryer, the floor joists are running the wrong way. I would have to drill a hole thru each floor joist to run the new 4 wire cable. That means I have to cut out a sizable hole between each joist so I can get a drill in thee to make the hole for the new cable. I would rather not have to do that. I guess in the great scheme of things it would be the right way to do it, but I just don't feel like screwing around for several days in order to finish this up. I can make the new cord at home, go to her house, move the dryer, level it up, hook up the vent, plug in the new cord and be done with it.

One final question, should I put the new cord in PVC pipe or conduit or whatever, in order to protect it? I could run the new cord in conduit along the wall, but I could run it along the floor just as well. Which would be the better method for doing it?

 

[Norcal]

My question was what type of cable was run to the dryer receptacle? 10/3 NM, or other?

 

[tonyprovo723]

Amazon and Home Depot offer 25' 3 wire dryer extension cords. I thought I've seen shorter ones as well, factory made.

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

 

[James-W]

My question was what type of cable was run to the dryer receptacle? 10/3 NM, or other?

Not sure, haven't taken it apart. I only know it is 3 wire because that is what the receptacle is.

 

[James-W]

Amazon and Home Depot offer 25' 3 wire dryer extension cords. I thought I've seen shorter ones as well, factory made.

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

I will have to check that out. I want to hard wire the cord into the dryer though.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

I think I will go with the longer appliance cord. If it were just the sheetrock behind the dryer that needed to be removed, I would go that route. But in the basement, where the breaker panel is relation to the dryer, the floor joists are running the wrong way. I would have to drill a hole thru each floor joist to run the new 4 wire cable. That means I have to cut out a sizable hole between each joist so I can get a drill in thee to make the hole for the new cable. I would rather not have to do that. I guess in the great scheme of things it would be the right way to do it, but I just don't feel like screwing around for several days in order to finish this up. I can make the new cord at home, go to her house, move the dryer, level it up, hook up the vent, plug in the new cord and be done with it.

One final question, should I put the new cord in PVC pipe or conduit or whatever, in order to protect it? I could run the new cord in conduit along the wall, but I could run it along the floor just as well. Which would be the better method for doing it?

I wouldnt bother unless you have small critters that go behind the dryer....

My question was what type of cable was run to the dryer receptacle? 10/3 NM, or other?

Good question.

My last house built in 96 had 3-wire stove(10-50) and dryer(10-30) outlets. But when i pulled the outlets out of the wall, the NM-b was 4-wire and some hack landed the neutral and ground on the neutral terminal of the outlets.

That was a first for me and I saw a lot in my service repair days.

 

[James-W]

My last house built in 96 had 3-wire stove(10-50) and dryer(10-30) outlets. But when i pulled the outlets out of the wall, the NM-b was 4-wire and some hack landed the neutral and ground on the neutral terminal of the outlets.

I will check it out before I do anything else. I doubt that is the case here, but it is certainly possible.

Thanks everyone for the help, much appreciated.

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

You might be able to find something in RV shore cord for silly cheap too

 

[James-W]

You might be able to find something in RV shore cord for silly cheap too.

I don't know of any RV stores near here, but there must be one in Madison or Milwaukee. I can check that out and see what they have available.

I have a friend who works for a local company that has ton of scrap electrical cable from projects they have done in the past. They save all sorts of pieces that are left over and throw them into a huge wooden box. Maybe I can get a piece of the size and type I need from that scrap pile.

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

10 ft cord $17
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C7MWQS8/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[James-W]

10 ft cord $17
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C7MWQS8/?tag=atomicindus08-20

We will need a longer one than that, most likely about the 16ft - 20ft range, possibly a little more. The dryer will get moved maybe 10ft but by the time we keep the cable to the walls so it is out of the way, it will take more cable than just the 10ft we moved the dryer. We will likely do the switching around of the dryer this coming weekend. I need to get over to her house and take my tape measure with me. Once I know just what we need to do the job, I can start collecting the stuff and getting ready to do it.