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.

Electric dryer wiring size.

Wiring for a 4 prong dryer receptacle. Wiring a dryer wiring a 240v dryer. See an electric dryer installation with a typical 240 volt electric power cord wiring system. Electrical wire for the home.

3 wire and 4 wire configurations for clothes dryers. Lets look a how the electric dryer is wired and what to do if your cord does not match the plug. The minimum recommended wire size for clothes dryer circuits is 10 gauge. The receptacle and wiring should be modernized to a 4 conductor arrangement instead.

Wire size for dryer the wire size for a 30amp dryer circuit is 10awg copper. The nec requires that dryers have a dedicated circuit with a minimum of 30 amps. Conversion of these appliances in the u s. 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. You may find yourself with either a 3 wire or 4 wire electric dryer or a 3 wire or 4 wire outlet. Is prohibited by the nec national electric code. The wire size for an electric dryer circuit.

Electric dryer circuit cable the typical cable used for a dryer circuit is 10 3 type nm cable which has three insulated wires and a bare ground wire totaling four wires in all. You may find yourself with either a 3 wire or 4 wire electric dryer or a 3 wire or 4 wire outlet. You may find yourself with either a 3 wire or 4 wire electric dryer or a 3 wire or 4 wire outlet. In general a circuit that runs 15 feet to reach the dryer requires larger wire usually 8 gauge.

The proper dryer wire size depends on the ampacity and when the current draw is 30 amps the wire should be 10 gauge. Most electric dryers run on 240 volt power and draw 30 amps. 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.

10 gauge copper wire with thhn or thwn insulation is rated for 30 amps. In that case you ll have to do the very simple procedure of converting a 4 wire dryer to a 3 wire setup. You need beefier eight gauge wire for an industrial or heavy duty dryer that draws 40 or more amps of electric current.