On Sep 25, 1:39*am, BobK207 wrote:
On Sep 24, 8:45*am, Pat wrote:



On Sep 23, 10:03*pm, wrote:

The situation is: * The house is 100 years old. Has 100 amp breaker
service. Bought a new dryer and after 15 minutes of running, it blows
the circuit breaker. I would just put in a bigger circuit breaker but
me and electricity don't get along very well.

I reset the breaker and turn on the new dryer - the breaker trips
again after a few minutes. *I have now stopped using the new dryer.

The dryer is about 30 feet from the breaker box. * *There used to be a
very old dryer that I assume worked just fine - we just bought the
house. *It has a three prong plug.

My question is: * *Just up the circuit breaker 5 amps and install one
a bit stronger? * Re-run some lower gauge wire and up the circuit
breaker by 5 amps from what it is already?

This is my kids house and is in the middle of nowhere (Ernest) *PA.
He has been trying to get an electrician to come out to the house but
it is like pulling teeth. *I will likely need to do it myself when I
go visit. *I just don't to burn the house down because I overloaded
the wire/circuit.

Suggestions - Hints?

Thought about buying a gas dryer? *You only have 100 amps. *If you run
the dryer while baking something, throw dinner in the microwaver, turn
on the TV and computer and have on a bunch of lights and you'll blow
the main.

The other possibility is, of course, that there's nothing wrong with
anything but that you normally do the wash at the same time you dry
your cloths. *Do one load okay. *Then you throw that load into the
dryer and start the next load of wash. *Everything is okay until the
electric water heater kicks on and blows the circuit. *Are the dryer
and the water heater on the same circuit? *Just a thought.

Pat-

You are totally way off base on your first comment about blowing the
main.

A 100 amp main will provide 22,000 watts....that is *great deal of
power.

My parents house (ca 1960) has a *100 amp service...electric dryer,
electric range, electric oven, pool pump, microwave plus the usual
misc electric stuff.

My mom has tripped individual breakers for kitchen counter top
receptacles but in nearly 50 years of use........never the main.

I cannot even remember being confronted with a situation where a 100
amp main blows due to functional equipment merely demanding a total
current that exceeds the main's capacity. * I've seen 70amp services
over loaded but never a 100 amp. *Not saying it's not possible, just
highly unlikely.

To really solve the OP's problem we need the dryer nameplate info &
the rating of the breaker that is blowing.

Unless I missed something in his posts....the dryer could even be a
gas dryer & he's blowing a 120 circuit.

With a 100 year old house (how many previous owners?) there is a
pretty good chance something's been jury rigged over the years & the
problem is being highlighted by the new dryer.

OP- You've got to determine the cause of the breaker
tripping......just blindly putting in a breaker with a higher rating
is a very bad idea unless you know the wire size & what you're doing.

Bob

Oh, I could easily blow a 100 amp main. That's the reason for a 200
amp.

Turn on washer/dryer/hot water heater at the same time. Throw in the
oven and maybe the AC (I'll leave out the possibility in winter, cuz I
have electric heat) and the swimming pool filter. Then I go to my
office and turn on a photocopier, laser printer and computer. Pop
goes the weasel at 100 amps.