A lot of people complain about their dryer not working even after trying many fixes. However, the problem may be deeper than you ever thought. This could be the circuit breaker not accommodating its size to the dryer’s requirements. You may be asking yourself, “What size breaker for dryer do I need?” Find out more ahead in this article regarding troubleshooting dryer and breaker problems.
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My Dryer Is Not Working!
It becomes an annoying problem when your dryer is not heating at all. There’s no need to worry, no sweat at all! There are different things that can cause this and knowing is important for you to make repairs.
Faulty Electrical Connection
There can be a problem with the wirings connected to the dryer. Try and look for any exposed or cut wires. Just be sure to turn off the central power grid to prevent any injuries from touching the wires.
You can do it yourself as the process is similar to wiring a 4-way switch or wiring a 3-way switch if you’ve done it before. However, if you’re not familiar with this, it’s better to call a professional instead.
Broken Circuit Breaker
Once your breaker is faulty, you can expect your dryer to not work at all. Consider this one an emergency since if you ignore this, a fire can break out. Call your local electrician so they can install a new circuit breaker and prevent any electrical accidents that may occur.
Improper Size of Breaker to Dryer
The most common case here is that the dryer doesn’t match current levels with your circuit breaker. You can check the current level on your dryer’s proprietary sticker to see if it matches with your breaker. The dryer’s current should match or just be below the circuit breaker’s level.
If your breaker is too low, your dryer will keep tripping power and won’t work. But if your breaker is too high, you can damage the dryer and even cause a fire to start.
The Role of Circuit Breakers
A circuit breaker’s main role is to protect the integrity of an electrical circuit. This can be from an excessive discharge of current, overloading, and short circuits. With circuit breakers, many electrical accidents are prevented at home and in commercial establishments. Once it detects a problem in the circuit, it immediately cuts off the flow of electricity to prevent any accidents.
Different Breaker Sizes
There are five available sizes for circuit breakers that you can get. Each size has its own capacity to run different electrical appliances. Getting to know how each size works with different appliances is the key to prevent any electrical accidents and damaging devices.
15 Amp Breaker
The 15 amp breaker is the lightest of the bunch that contains 14 to 15 wire gauges. This breaker is able to handle simple electrical sources at home. This includes generic electrical receptacles, power outlets, and light fixtures.
20 Amp Breaker
A 20 amp breaker holds 12 to 13 wire gauges and can handle more demanding electrical appliances. These usually power the outlets found in the kitchen where many electrical appliances such as the microwave, the oven, and the blender are used.
30 Amp Breaker
Lying in the middle of the bunch, the 30 amp breaker contains 10 to 11 wire gauges. And because of its capacity, it can handle something a bit more demanding like water heaters which run throughout the home. Some homes today that don’t use many appliances are only equipped with up to 30 amp breakers.
40 Amp Breaker
The 40 amp breaker comes with 8 to 9 wire gauges which allow it to power clothes dryers. If you’re having problems with your dryer not working, it might be because you’re not using a 40 amp dryer.
It can also handle many appliances sold today, so around 40 amps for a breaker is a safe margin.
50 Amp Breaker
Since the 50 amp breaker has the biggest size, it can easily handle electrically-demanding appliances such as electric ranges. This one contains 6 to 7 wire gauges and most homes use this breaker size. Getting this breaker is a frequent choice by many homeowners because it allows flexibility in buying electronic appliances without the worry to go above the breaker’s limit.
Conclusion
Looking at the different sizes of breakers, it’s clear that a 40 amp breaker would be best for most dryers. However, this still depends as you should take note that appliances should not exceed the amp limit of the breaker.
Observe proper maintenance of your breaker by ensuring that the current level matches with the wire capacity that it’s designed to hold. So if you’re dryer is not working, take a closer look and it might be because the size of the breaker and the power drawn by your dryer does not match properly.
