Electric Dryer Wiring Size

3 wire and 4 wire configurations for clothes dryers.

Electric dryer wiring size.

Lets look a how the electric dryer is wired and what to do if your cord does not match the plug. 10 gauge copper wire with thhn or thwn insulation is rated for 30 amps. You may find yourself with either a 3 wire or 4 wire electric dryer or a 3 wire or 4 wire outlet. Most electric dryers run on 240 volt power and draw 30 amps.

You may find yourself with either a 3 wire or 4 wire electric dryer or a 3 wire or 4 wire outlet. The nec requires that dryers have a dedicated circuit with a minimum of 30 amps. See an electric dryer installation with a typical 240 volt electric power cord wiring system. The wire size for an electric dryer circuit.

Is prohibited by the nec national electric code. Wire size for dryer the wire size for a 30amp dryer circuit is 10awg copper. The receptacle and wiring should be modernized to a 4 conductor arrangement instead. Electrical wire for the home.

See an electric dryer installation with a typical 240 volt electric power circuit and the dryer cord wiring system. However amperage decreases over distance so appliance manufacturers advise a larger wire gauge for circuits that extend beyond a distance from their source. A 4 prong dryer outlet is wired as a 120 240 volt circuit. Circuit wire size for an electric clothes dryer if the new electric dryer requires a 240volt 30amp circuit then the electrical circuit wiring requires a 10 gauge copper wire not a 12 gauge.

The 120 volt service is for the dryer s timers sensors and other electronics while the 240 volt service supplies power to the heating elements. Conversion of these appliances in the u s. You need beefier eight gauge wire for an industrial or heavy duty dryer that draws 40 or more amps of electric current. See an electric dryer installation with a typical 220 volt electric power cord wiring system.

In general a circuit that runs 15 feet to reach the dryer requires larger wire usually 8 gauge. You may find yourself with either a 3 wire or 4 wire electric dryer or a 3 wire or 4 wire outlet. Wiring a dryer for 3 wire and 4 wire cords. The minimum recommended wire size for clothes dryer circuits is 10 gauge.

The proper dryer wire size depends on the ampacity and when the current draw is 30 amps the wire should be 10 gauge. In that case you ll have to do the very simple procedure of converting a 4 wire dryer to a 3 wire setup. Lets look a how the electric dryer is wired and what to do if your cord does not match the plug.