Hi folks

I have a problem with my dryer. Putting the dryer on will
intermittently flip the main circuit breaker. There doesn'tseem to be
a particular pattern - the dryer would run for sometime and then cause
the main circuit breaker to flip. The dryer is a maytag 120V/240V
three prong 5600 watts machine. It is on it's own circuit with a 30+30
amp breaker but this breaker neever flips.

My daignosis till now is that when the dryer is on and any other
appliance switch on (even a light bulb) will cause the main breaker to
flip. That would point to a faulty main breaker. Hoever it can be
something else. Is there a 3 phase thing going on for this 240 V
supply ?

Suggestions are welcome. Is replacing the main breaker a very
expensive proposition, since I am not very keen on doing it myself ?

Regards
Debjyoti

D P wrote:

Hi folks

I have a problem with my dryer. Putting the dryer on will
intermittently flip the main circuit breaker. There doesn'tseem to be
a particular pattern - the dryer would run for sometime and then cause
the main circuit breaker to flip. The dryer is a maytag 120V/240V
three prong 5600 watts machine. It is on it's own circuit with a 30+30
amp breaker but this breaker neever flips.

My daignosis till now is that when the dryer is on and any other
appliance switch on (even a light bulb) will cause the main breaker to
flip. That would point to a faulty main breaker. Hoever it can be
something else. Is there a 3 phase thing going on for this 240 V
supply ?

Suggestions are welcome. Is replacing the main breaker a very
expensive proposition, since I am not very keen on doing it myself ?

Regards
Debjyoti

Sounds like a bad Main breaker OR bus stabs.

Depending on where you live, the utility *may*
offer to help, especially since there is no way for you
to make the circuit dead (short of pulling the meter).

Worth the dime to call.

Jim

"D P" wrote in message
om...
Hi folks

I have a problem with my dryer. Putting the dryer on will
intermittently flip the main circuit breaker. There doesn'tseem to be
a particular pattern - the dryer would run for sometime and then cause
the main circuit breaker to flip. The dryer is a maytag 120V/240V
three prong 5600 watts machine. It is on it's own circuit with a 30+30
amp breaker but this breaker neever flips.

My daignosis till now is that when the dryer is on and any other
appliance switch on (even a light bulb) will cause the main breaker to
flip. That would point to a faulty main breaker. Hoever it can be
something else. Is there a 3 phase thing going on for this 240 V
supply ?

Suggestions are welcome. Is replacing the main breaker a very
expensive proposition, since I am not very keen on doing it myself ?

Regards
Debjyoti

Could also be corrosion at the main lugs (big setscrews). Don't try to
touch them, though, without having the utility pull the meter first, unless
you have the right protective gear (rubber gloves and face shield, among
other things).

An honest electrician would do a visual inspection of the load center,
replace the main breaker if he didn't see any other problem, retorque the
main lugs, and charge about $125 to $175, depending on the area of the
country.

Do you, be any chance, have the load center described in this article:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml88/88091.html

Although the article doesn't say anything about it, one of the effects of
the wrong lug material in the above recall is frequent tripping of the main
breaker. For this particular situation, the defective main lugs are steel
colored, and the replacement (good) lugs are gold colored, as they are
chromium dioxide plated.

Is the dryer your only big load? How about ovens, A/Cs, water heaters? If
you do and they don't trip it, then it would certainly change the solution.

When you unplug the 240 volt dryer plug from the wall outlet,
do the prongs look blackened from arcing?

If so,
perhaps a qualified person should replace the 240 volt outlet.

On 24 Mar 2004 16:23:00 -0800, (D P) wrote:

Suggestions are welcome. Is replacing the main breaker a very
expensive proposition, since I am not very keen on doing it myself ?

Regards
Debjyoti

Hi:
Do you have any other large electric loads like an elect water
heater or oven? Do they ever blow the breaker? The dryer could have
an intermittent internal fault.. breaker could be bad.. There could
be a wiring issue.

I would call an electrician out in a hurry in this case. If it is a
wiring issue it could lead to a fire. The main breaker is fairly easy
for an electrician to replace. I would guesstimate about an hour
time. The price on the breaker is all over the place depending on the
type and age.

Please don't let this go. Get someone out soon.

Steve B.

I would try tightening the connections on the circuit breaker. If they are
loose, the resulting heat could trip the breaker after a while. It could
also be a bad breaker.

John Grabowski
http://www.mrelectrician.tv




"D P" wrote in message
om...
Hi folks

I have a problem with my dryer. Putting the dryer on will
intermittently flip the main circuit breaker. There doesn'tseem to be
a particular pattern - the dryer would run for sometime and then cause
the main circuit breaker to flip. The dryer is a maytag 120V/240V
three prong 5600 watts machine. It is on it's own circuit with a 30+30
amp breaker but this breaker neever flips.

My daignosis till now is that when the dryer is on and any other
appliance switch on (even a light bulb) will cause the main breaker to
flip. That would point to a faulty main breaker. Hoever it can be
something else. Is there a 3 phase thing going on for this 240 V
supply ?

Suggestions are welcome. Is replacing the main breaker a very
expensive proposition, since I am not very keen on doing it myself ?

Regards
Debjyoti

John's right on the money on this one. I see int't breaker
conn's on a regular basis, most often with dryer and water
heater breakers bc their connections carry so much current.

While you're in the breaker box, you'll want to tighten the
screws on all the breakers andreplace any heat-damaged
wires with new tails. 'Good preventive maintenance.

I wrote an article about this in last April's issue of my
newsletter:

http://www.davesrepair.com/DRSNbackissues/drsn0403.htm

Hope that helps.

God bless,

Dave Harnish
Dave's Repair Service
New Albany, PA
www.DavesRepair.com

570-363-2404

I'm a 32-year pro appliance technician, and love sharing what
I've learned - in a FREE Monthly Appliance Tips Newsletter.
(Back issues now posted here too!) www.DavesRepair.com

John 3:3

"John Grabowski" wrote in message
...
I would try tightening the connections on the circuit breaker. If they
are
loose, the resulting heat could trip the breaker after a while. It could
also be a bad breaker.

John Grabowski
http://www.mrelectrician.tv




"D P" wrote in message
om...
Hi folks

I have a problem with my dryer. Putting the dryer on will
intermittently flip the main circuit breaker. There doesn'tseem to be
a particular pattern - the dryer would run for sometime and then cause
the main circuit breaker to flip. The dryer is a maytag 120V/240V
three prong 5600 watts machine. It is on it's own circuit with a 30+30
amp breaker but this breaker neever flips.

My daignosis till now is that when the dryer is on and any other
appliance switch on (even a light bulb) will cause the main breaker to
flip. That would point to a faulty main breaker. Hoever it can be
something else. Is there a 3 phase thing going on for this 240 V
supply ?

Suggestions are welcome. Is replacing the main breaker a very
expensive proposition, since I am not very keen on doing it myself ?

Regards
Debjyoti

Hi Guys

Thanks for all the responses. This is a great NG.

Tightening the screws for the main breaker fixed the problem ! These
are big lug screws for the cable from the meter. Now I can run both
the washer & dryer together and everything else in the house (like the
1000W area heater). No more blackouts !

Really - thanks a lot. Saved me couple of hundred bucks.. and also
made me realize that I should a better washer which dryies out the
clothes better. THe current one came with the house and leaves the
clothes quite soggy at the end of the wash. That should lead to some
big savings on the electric bill, here in california.

Nive web sites, Dave & John.

Regards
Debjyoti

"Dave Harnish" wrote in message ...
John's right on the money on this one. I see int't breaker
conn's on a regular basis, most often with dryer and water
heater breakers bc their connections carry so much current.

While you're in the breaker box, you'll want to tighten the
screws on all the breakers andreplace any heat-damaged
wires with new tails. 'Good preventive maintenance.

I wrote an article about this in last April's issue of my
newsletter:

http://www.davesrepair.com/DRSNbackissues/drsn0403.htm

Hope that helps.

God bless,

Dave Harnish
Dave's Repair Service
New Albany, PA
www.DavesRepair.com

570-363-2404

I'm a 32-year pro appliance technician, and love sharing what
I've learned - in a FREE Monthly Appliance Tips Newsletter.
(Back issues now posted here too!) www.DavesRepair.com

John 3:3

"John Grabowski" wrote in message
...
I would try tightening the connections on the circuit breaker. If they
are
loose, the resulting heat could trip the breaker after a while. It could
also be a bad breaker.

John Grabowski
http://www.mrelectrician.tv




"D P" wrote in message
om...
Hi folks

I have a problem with my dryer. Putting the dryer on will
intermittently flip the main circuit breaker. There doesn'tseem to be
a particular pattern - the dryer would run for sometime and then cause
the main circuit breaker to flip. The dryer is a maytag 120V/240V
three prong 5600 watts machine. It is on it's own circuit with a 30+30
amp breaker but this breaker neever flips.

My daignosis till now is that when the dryer is on and any other
appliance switch on (even a light bulb) will cause the main breaker to
flip. That would point to a faulty main breaker. Hoever it can be
something else. Is there a 3 phase thing going on for this 240 V
supply ?

Suggestions are welcome. Is replacing the main breaker a very
expensive proposition, since I am not very keen on doing it myself ?

Regards
Debjyoti