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Dryer flips main circuit breaker occasionally
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 |
Dryer flips main circuit breaker occasionally
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 |
Dryer flips main circuit breaker occasionally
"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. |
Dryer flips main circuit breaker occasionally
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. |
Dryer flips main circuit breaker occasionally
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. |
Dryer flips main circuit breaker occasionally
|
Dryer flips main circuit breaker occasionally
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 |
Dryer flips main circuit breaker occasionally
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 |
Dryer flips main circuit breaker occasionally
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 |
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