Just for the sake of accuracy, although some of the
following advice it right, it's mostly not right for the
right reasons. Please see inline comments if trying to use
this info:

"xrongor" wrote in message
...

"Dave Solly" wrote in message
...
(James Kilton) wrote in
news:212002a7.0407151351.14eb5ec4
@posting.google.com:

Hi,

I'm clueless about this stuff, so forgive me.
=== That's part of the reason for the existance of these
groups.

We're replacing a dryer
that seems to use a 50A cord which goes into a 40A
breaker. The new
dryer is 30A, which had me thinking that we'd need to
get an
electrician out here. But the landlord talked to an
electrician
friend of his who says that the 40A breaker is fine,
and won't cause a
problem.

Is this accurate?
=== Yes, the statement is accurate. Whether it's allowed
or not is another question, one which can best be answered
by a call to your local Code Enforcement Officer. ONLY that
office can give you a definitive, OK to the insurance
industry, etc. type of answer as they call the shots.
Please read on and then contact them. With an electrician
friend or friend of a friend, you have ready access to the
number if you can't find it in the phone book under Building
Codes, Residential or something similar.

I thought Amps were always supposed to be matched
up.
=== The amperage of the ckt breaker can NEVER be less than
the amperage required by the equipment. Equipment
requirements will be indicated in tis documentation and on a
nameplate ON the equipment.

Can the dryer regulate a 40A circuit down to 30A or should I
have
a 30A circuit installed?
=== Doesn 't work this way. 40 amps would be the MOST your
breakerwould allow to flow. More than 40 amps and the
breaker would open up, turning off the circtuit. So, 40 is
greater than 30, and it'll work fine. Since the cable is
rated 50A, even if over 40 amps are drawn, the cable will
not be a problem. So, in this sense it's quite adequate.
Only your code officer would know if YOUR codes will allow
you to use it though.



Thanks,
James


Since your dryer draws less (30 amps) than your breaker
(40 amps), you are
fine.
The dryer does NOT "draw" 30 amps constantly. 30A will be
the maximum it will EVER draw, and probabloy will only come
close to anything like 30Afor the few seconds it takes the
heating elements to get up to temperature, after which the
total current will drop way down below 30A, maybe 20 or 25
amps, maybe lots less, depending on the design.



Dave

i believe some local codes, if not the nec,
Local codes ARE the NEC, with their own added increased
requirements. You must meet LOCAL codes. Only when local
codes are not in place can you rely on the NEC. Local codes
are usualloy more stringent than the NEC. NEC is the
MINIMUM requirements, and locals often up the minimums.

require that if you have a 30
amp dryer, you use a 30 amp breaker.
=== AND the correct cable, plug, and receptacle for a dryer
rated at 30amps! There are MANY 30A plug/receptacles, and
only one of them fits this application.

Question: Didn't the dryer come with a cord attached? It
had to have had one if it was bought legally. In such case,
the receptacle MUST accept the supplied plug on the dryer.
IF it came without a plug, and you are in North America,
then the UL/CSA integrity has been broken and this is not a
legal device. Your home or renter's insurance would look
down on such a thing if it caused a fire; as in, not
covered.

as was explained to me once, there
exists a mostly hypothetical situation where the dryer
element could be
damaged but not break (i.e. not an open circuit), lowering
its resistance
and raising the current above 30A but below 40A.
=== Flawed analogy. You cannot damage an element toward an
open ckt condition and cause it's resistance to go UP. But,
that;s irrelevant because it's the PLUG, CABLE and
RECEPTACLE which must carry the current here, and accordign
to the OP descrip, all would be fine (assuming wiring back
to the box was properly sized). I don't know what you
meant, but this is off target and incorrect.

thus the breaker wont trip
and your dryer could be drawing too much current and
overheating. while i
agree it 'could' happen, im not sure i believe it or that
its really much of
a worry.
=== This could be relevent if the analogy were correctly
posed.



that said, i would just replace the breaker with a 30A
yourself.
=== But, use the CORRECT plug and receptacle! Changing a
breaker is relatively easy, BUT STILL VERY DANGEROUS
since even with the Mains pulled (turned off) there is STILL
220 live inside that breaker box!

if you cut
power to the panel (not at the breaker in the panel, but
the breaker where
the power comes into the building before it gets to the
panel)
=== In most cases, there is no such thing. The main panel
is wired directly to the meter and you cannot pull the meter
yourself.

you cant get
hurt, once you get the cover off its basically undoing two
screws that hold
two wires which dont matter if they get reconnected
'backwards', pulling out
the old one, putting in the new one (they just snap in),
and retightening
two screws with the wires back in them. any decent book
on home fix it
electricity will explain the procedure very clearly.
there isnt really
anything you can screw up if you turn the power off and
dont do something
completely insane.
=== Not ture, and a VERY dangerous thing to be telling an
admitted newbie! It would be true for anyone with
electrical background, but NOT a complete newbie who doesn't
know the mains wire from the buss wire.



if it comes down to calling an electrician or leaving it,
i would leave it.
=== I don't think that can be stated when the type of
plug/receptacle has been completely omitted from any of the
discussion to date, NOR the electrical codes having been
checked.

IFF the dryer came with an attached plug, and IF it plugged
into the present receptacle OK, then yes, you likely could
leave it. But using the "old" cable, plug and receptacle?
NO, not necessarily allowable, and your home insurance could
depend on this being right! If it's not to code, it may not
be insurable!! Don't take chances.


the breaker itself is like 20 bucks tops (probably more
like 10) and if you
do it makes some sense. an electritian will ream you.
=== And that's total bullfeces. You cannot possibly know
that he would not get an hones electrician. You don't reall
know what you're talking about in this posting; you should
not have posted it.


randy


Maybe you are randy, but who are you, and you sure can't
find the CAPs key, can you? You write like a third grader.

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