New Dryer

[hanaqueen]

Hello All,

I am newbie to this blog, and also newbie to the electricity etc.....

But a lot of people told me that I can do this myself, but I really want to confirm with all you experts....

I had a very very old dryer for a very long time, and it is using the wall plug something similar to 125/250v, 3 pole, 50A Flush Mount Single Receptacle.

But with the new dryer, I have to have the new wall plug of 3 pole, 4 wire, 30A, 125/250v.

I looked up the Home Depot specs for both, they both are the specs are the same. (That is so weird. I thought one says 50A and the other says 30A)

Here is the Specs for both:
Amperage (amps): 50A
ETL Safety Listed: No
Energy Star Compliant: No
Horsepower (hp): 250 hp
Maximum Amperage (amps): 50A
Safety Listing: Yes
Voltage (volts): 250v
Voltage Rating: 250v

I wanted to know can I just take the 50A receptacle to 30A outlet? Some people advised me that I can just replace the 50A to 30A. I wanted to make sure it is ok before I can do that.

Thank you all for your valuable knowledge.

 

[Norcal]

The 50A is for a range, you need 30A for a domestic clothes dryer.

 

[Cuda]

Is the 250 hp a misprint on your post, or a misread? That makes no sense to me.

 

[nehog]

I think the 250 HP should have been 25?

 

[PassnThru]

To get the real ratings either read the manual or go to the manufacturers web site. They are more likely to have the most accurate info.

 

[porschedude996TT]

Where I live the builder wire the Dryer with 50 amp recepticles. They also wire the oven recepticles to 50 amp. I understand there was a change in the NEC in 2008 that changed the service from a three prong to 4 prong. If your house was built prior to 2008, then that may be what you are seeing. I don't think the new dryer is going to require more energy than the old one. Check the data plate on the old one.

FYI
http://electrical.about.com/od/appliances/ss/4wireto3wiredryercord.htm

 

[Norcal]

Where I live the builder wire the Dryer with 50 amp recepticles. They also wire the oven recepticles to 50 amp. I understand there was a change in the NEC in 2008 that changed the service from a three prong to 4 prong. If your house was built prior to 2008, then that may be what you are seeing. I don't think the new dryer is going to require more energy than the old one. Check the data plate on the old one.

FYI
http://electrical.about.com/od/appliances/ss/4wireto3wiredryercord.htm

That "builder" needs to be shot, 1 body part at a time.

 

[v7guy]

I know that when we bought a house last year we also bought a new dryer. It required a 50A receptacle. I tossed a new breaker in the box and ran the romex over to the new outlet I picked up. I installed the outlet to the brick basement walls by fastening a 2x4 to the brick and the outlet to the 2x4. works great, real simple and no problems involved. anyone starting out with home repair should be able to do this job with a bit of research and some respect for the hazards involved.

 

[Hockeyman]

I would think it would be easier to change the dryer cord to the old type,if that's possible.

 

[jay50]

I know that when we bought a house last year we also bought a new dryer. It required a 50A receptacle. I tossed a new breaker in the box and ran the romex over to the new outlet I picked up. I installed the outlet to the brick basement walls by fastening a 2x4 to the brick and the outlet to the 2x4. works great, real simple and no problems involved. anyone starting out with home repair should be able to do this job with a bit of research and some respect for the hazards involved.

Dayum,
What type/make of dryer requires 50 amp circuit?
This isn't an older commercial dryer you got out of a laundry mat that was closing was it....

 

[Norcal]

Most Laundromats use gas dryers due to lower operating costs. I do question 50A service for a clothes dryer though.....

 

[walrus]

FYI
http://electrical.about.com/od/appliances/ss/4wireto3wiredryercord.htm

That tutorial is suspect, they say take the white from the dryer off the frame and hook it to the center terminal with the cord white wire. In the next pic they show it hooked to the center terminal and to the frame?

 

[v7guy]

Dayum,
What type/make of dryer requires 50 amp circuit?
This isn't an older commercial dryer you got out of a laundry mat that was closing was it....

LOL, nope, just some generic dryer that the misses decided she wanted. I figured it was extreme overkill for a dryer, but it's what the dryer called for so I did what it stated. the difference in price was insignificant and the dryer works without issue. She's happy, and that generally means I can be happy and go do something productive. lol

 

[PassnThru]

This 50A thing got me curious so I checked the requirements online for the new dryer we bought about a year and a half ago. 30A requirement is all - that is for the current models also.
Which brings up a question. If I have an appliance that is rated for 30A and I put it on a 50A circuit - couldn't that potentially cause problems? What I'm thinking is that if the appliance has an issue and starts drawing over 30A then the circuit will happily supply it until things get totally out of control.

 

[cowboyjosh]

The NEC changed the requirement from 3 prong 220 outlets in the 2003 book I believe, not 2008 like it was mentioned. If your house was wired with a 4 prong dryer outlet, you'll have to use a 4 prong cord. As far as the 30 amp vs. 50 amp; its a local AHJ issue, some will stick with 30 amp, some will require 50 amp, local AHJ supersedes the national NEC book. If you have a question regarding your local code, call your builder, or the electrician that wired the house, or your local jurisdiction.