Home Guides Home Home Improvement Troubleshoot, Fix and Repair What Type of Circuit for a Washer & a Dryer? Email Reddit A washer and gas dryer can share a dedicated 120-volt, 20-amp circuit. The dedicated 120-volt electric circuit that services your laundry room can be shared by both your washing machine and a gas dryer. If your dryer is electric, it needs its own 240-volt circuit. 120-Volt Laundry Room Service Your laundry room needs a dedicated 20-amp circuit, according to the National Electrical Code, and it can service both the washing machine and a gas dryer. You can have more than one receptacle on this circuit, but all of them must be in the laundry room. Any receptacles within 6 feet of a sink must have ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) protection. Because the circuit is connected to a 20-amp breaker, you must wire it with 3-wire, 12-gauge cable. Electric Dryer Circuit If you have an electric dryer, it must be on a dedicated 240-volt circuit. The size of the breaker you need to control the circuit is specified on the dryer label.

If it's 30 amps, which is common, you must wire the circuit with 10-gauge, 4-wire cable, which includes three conducting wires and a ground. References Electrical Construction & Maintenance: Branch CircuitsIAEI: Do washing machines require GFCI protection? Patio Furniture In Monmouth County Nj/Getty Images Suggest a Correction How to Buy a Condo on the Lower or Upper ... Buy Speed Queen Washer And DryerNormally, in high-rise condominiums, each floor comes ... Do You Tip Moving Company PackersThe Best Affordable Waterfront Properties If you are looking to buy a property by the ... The Differences Between Owning a Condo or an ... The definition of a condo is a unit that's owned ... What Is a Month-to-Month Tenancy? Typically when you enter into a lease it's for a ...

What size breaker would you use on a washing machine circuit? Electrical code calls for a dedicated 20-amp breaker for the laundry room. This circuit provides sufficient power for the washer and a gas dryer. The code allows more than one outlet on the laundry circuit, but it requires all the outlets to be in the same room. If the laundry room has a sink, any outlets within 6 feet of it must include ground-fault circuit interrupter protection. What determines the circuit breaker size? How do you calculate a breaker in a main panel? How do you wire a basic 220 circuit? The electrical code also specifies use of 12-3 wiring for a 20-amp breaker. This wire includes two 12-gauge wires with insulation and a bare 12-gauge ground wire in a single cable. The insulated wires provide the hot and neutral feeds. In laundry rooms where an electric dryer is in use, the code specifies a dedicated 240-volt circuit. The back panel of the dryer specifies the size of breaker it requires, but most use a 30-amp breaker.

The 30-amp breaker requires 10-gauge wires. The dryer cable should have four wires, including the dedicated ground wire. The circuit breaker provides protection for the home by monitoring the flow of electricity passing through it. Under normal circumstances, electricity flows unhindered through the breaker. However, if there is an overload due to a short in the line or appliance, the circuit breaker trips, interrupting the flow to prevent overheating and a potential fire. Learn more about Electrical How do you install a circuit breaker box? Install a circuit breaker by turning off the power, running the wires to the breaker panel, attaching the wires to the new breaker, and testing the circuit... What are some tips for troubleshooting a three-way switch? Troubleshoot a three-way switch by turning off the circuit breaker and using a continuity tester to check between the common terminal and each of the trave... How can I reset my circuit breaker? To reset your circuit breaker, turn off all the switches, unplug all appliances, turn the breaker switch on and fix the wiring problem if the breaker trips...

How do you troubleshoot a circuit breaker? To troubleshoot an electrical circuit breaker, identify the initial electrical issue; for example, problems such as flickering lights or faltering electric... How many watts can a 20-amp breaker handle? How do you choose the correct size anchor for your boat? How do you use a wire gauge amp chart? Why is electrical grounding important? How do you download a free PDF file of the national electric codes? What is a washing machine cleaner?Browse GE Appliances's official support documentation for owners of GE refrigerators, ranges, microwaves, ovens, dishwashers and other GE Appliances. Answers and comments provided on Google Answers are general information, and are not intended to substitute for informed professional medical, psychiatric, psychological, tax, legal, investment, accounting, or other professionalGoogle does not endorse, and expressly disclaims liability for any product, manufacturer, distributor,

service or service provider mentioned or any opinion expressed in answers or comments. Please read carefully the Google Answers Terms of Service. After many pitfalls, I have gotten my new dryer working. It's a Kenmore 81182 electric dryer. Very long story short, the neutral wire at the breaker box wasn't tight, at all, not in the least (how my previous dryer ran 10 years is a mystery). Got that squared away, but I am wondering if the 30amp dryer should be on a dedicated 50amp breaker. I had it off for two days and noticed all other appliances working in the house (fridge, washer, dishwasher, oven, stove, central heat/air). The panel at the box is not labelled, but a nice little piece of cardboard inside the box labels the slot "dryer". Shouldn't this appliance be a 30amp breaker? Or am I misreading "minimum circuit rating = 30amp"? Hope this question falls to DIY.SE. Your question is a bit convoluted, but the answer is very simple. The breaker size must match or be lower than the wire amp rating feeding the circuit, and appliances on that circuit should not exceed the max rating of the wire or breaker.

In a dedicated circuit for a dryer, for example, the normal size of the circuit would be 30 amps. 30 amps requires a minimum of #10 copper or #8 alu. With this wire size, the breaker must not be larger than 30 amps. Do not use a larger breaker then what the current rating of the wire is rated for. The 50 amp refers to the capacity of the circuit: in particular the wires. The dryer can, and likely does, draw much less, similar to plugging a 60 watt light bulb into a socket rated for a 100 watt bulb. This itself is not a problem. That said 30amp is more typical. If that circuit runs one 30 amp outlet (http://fam-oud.nl/~plugsocket/NorthAm-3hd.html ) then a 30 amp breaker is proper. While you can measure all the circuit elements starting with the wires to see if they match a 50 amp circuit, it's probably just easier to drop a 30 amp in there and be done with it. 30 amp is paired with #10 wire (complicated exceptions beyond the scope of this answer apply).Browse other questions tagged dryer circuit-breaker or ask your own question.