Can I plug my dryer into this outlet?

December 7, 2005 2:40 PM

Can I plug my dryer into this outlet meant for an electric range? [images inside]

I've moved to an older house, and the laundry room is wired for gas. I did find the above outlet nearby however, which is meant to be used with an electric range.

Is using this outlet OK and just a matter of rewiring the plug on my dryer? Or should I be concerned about incorrect voltage, amperage, phases and the like?

I do have layman's knowledge of electrical work, and an confortable installing light fixtures, wall switches, and such... but don't want to venture into this territory and blow up my house and or dryer without some qualified advice.

posted by FearTormento to Home & Garden (22 answers total)

The outlet is 220V, the plug looks like standard 110. I'd be concerned.
posted by aberrant at 2:46 PM on December 7, 2005

I think those are both 220V, so it should work; however you should check the breaker or fuse to make sure the circuit can deliver enough current for the dryer. (More than likely it can; I'd imagine a stove would pull more current than a dryer.)
posted by kindall at 2:49 PM on December 7, 2005

Wait, yeah, double-check that it is in fact 220V as well.
posted by kindall at 2:49 PM on December 7, 2005

Response by poster: Since the photos might not convey the scale adequately, I'll add that these are both the larger 220v 4-pin style outlet and plug... definitely not the standard 3-prong 110v.
posted by FearTormento at 2:50 PM on December 7, 2005

Ah, I missed the 4th pin. Sounds like it's the "neutral" line, which would indicate 220V. Still, hard to tell. I'm almost positive the outlet is 220V. What's the fuse rated for?
posted by aberrant at 2:56 PM on December 7, 2005

I'd be hesitant. I checked my McMaster-Carr catalog and I think they're both three phase 220VAC - but the dryer plug has a ground terminal and the outlet doesn't. I prefer my high current devices to be grounded.
posted by mbd1mbd1 at 2:57 PM on December 7, 2005

Call an appliance store. Say you've got the old angled-3-prong 220v outlet, and your dryer is the three prongs + circular ground style plug; ask if they've got a converter or what they recommend to get your dryer working.
posted by SpecialK at 2:57 PM on December 7, 2005

Response by poster: Thanks for the advice!

Aberrant: I'll have to doublecheck the fuses at home. I'd have to use trial and error to find which might be the corresponding fuse, since the breaker box isn't labelled at all. My gut tells me it would be whatever the highest amperage fuse is in the box, since this house doesn't have A/C and all the heating and cooking is gas.

mbd1: Do you think there is any way to ground the connection myself? Similar maybe to those plugs that convert a 2-prong outlet to three with a screw hole for grounding? Or should I start looking into gas dryers?
posted by FearTormento at 3:04 PM on December 7, 2005

Take the pix to home depot and buy a new 220 wall socket to match the range. Get someone who can change the sockets. A simple job. (turn the fuse off!)
posted by JohnR at 3:04 PM on December 7, 2005

Or see if a store (akin to Home Deopt) carries a converter plug.
posted by rhapsodie at 3:07 PM on December 7, 2005

The ground is the bottom pin on the left pix, and the center hole on the right pix.
posted by JohnR at 3:09 PM on December 7, 2005

Mod note: moved the pix to more inside
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 3:13 PM on December 7, 2005

It is not hard to rewire your dryer to the 3 prong plug. I had to do this at an apartment that had a 3 prong outlet due to being built before code changed to 4 prongs for dryers (you can get the new cord and plug at any home repair place).
posted by blackkar at 3:17 PM on December 7, 2005

Response by poster: I've tracked down this cord, which though theoretically for a range, would fit the outlet and could be attached to my dryer instead of the plug I have wired in now.

The cords designed for dryers are all rated 30A. This one is rated 50A. Should this be of concern?
posted by FearTormento at 3:18 PM on December 7, 2005

If the cord itself is rated for a higher amperage than the dryer, that's not a problem. If the cord is rated for a lower amperage than the appliance to which you want to attach it, that's very bad.
posted by aberrant at 3:28 PM on December 7, 2005

Thanks, jessamyn, for moving those pictures to "more inside".
posted by matildaben at 3:34 PM on December 7, 2005

This is what I presume to be a complete listing of all standard NEMA receptacles.

It looks like the receptacle is 10-50R in the 3 pole 3 wire table and that the plug is 14-30P in the 3 pole 4 wire grounding table.

Basically, I think you are missing the ground connection. A wild guess is that it is a range receptacle from before the era of grounding, but I really have no idea.

I might have more to add later...
posted by Chuckles at 4:21 PM on December 7, 2005

Best answer: It is an extremely bad idea to connect a dryer to a range receptacle. A dryer commonly requires overcurrent protection rated at 30 amps. The range's overcurrent protection is typically 50 amps. What you need is to replace the 50 amp circuit breaker or fuse with one rated for 30 amps, and purchase the proper receptacle.
posted by scottymac at 4:28 PM on December 7, 2005

I'll second scottymac: Make sure the breaker or fuse is 30 amps (dryer) not 50 amps (range).

DON'T mess around with grounding! If the old wiring has no ground wire, run a new cable with a proper ground wire.

I'd guess that running a new cable would be cheaper than installing a new gas line.
posted by larry_darrell at 5:26 PM on December 7, 2005

Best answer: I wonder if they make some kind of fused adapter to allow plugging a 30A device into a 50A receptacle while maintaining the correct protections... I did a couple of searches, but I couldn't find anything.

Anyway, you probably don't have a ground wire there, which means rewiring from the panel regardless.
posted by Chuckles at 5:41 PM on December 7, 2005

Best answer: If your dryer plug and the old receptacle are about the same size you've got a 10-50R receptacle. That means you could have a 50A 110v receptacle with ground-neutral-line or you have a 50A 240V receptacle with two hot leads and a ground. The latter is way more likely. Or you could have had some DIY "genius" wire anything to the receptacle. Only way to tell for sure is with a meter.

If it is a 240V receptacle you aren't missing the ground on your 3 prong receptacle, your missing neutral. Many older ranges used 240V for everything and therefor did not need a neutral connection. You can't use that line to supply your dryer because the motor and control circuitry require a neutral leg. If you've got a good sized MIG welder or 10 horse table saw though it would be perfect for that.

Chuckles scribbled "I wonder if they make some kind of fused adaptor to allow plugging a 30A device into a 50A receptacle while maintaining the correct protections."

Yep, though you can make your own cheaper: range cord -> double fuse block with 30A fuses -> dryer receptacle.
posted by Mitheral at 7:52 PM on December 7, 2005

Response by poster: Thanks all for your answers!

I should also mention that I'm renting, so any drastic rewire work isn't an option. This has got to be a plug 'n play (or dry?) solution.

Given this, and the relative unknowns behind this outlet that was likely installed many many years ago, I might have to go ahead and find someone with a gas dryer to trade.
posted by FearTormento at 10:50 PM on December 7, 2005