I only have a 110 volt plug how can i make it a 220 volt to hook up a dryer?

Question

Someone told me i can go to the hardware store and buy an adapter but will make me blow a fuse or cause my electric bill to be high?

Answer 1

This involves running new 10-3 wire with ground. Installing a new 220 volt breaker in your breaker box, and wiring a 220 volt dryer recepticle. Unless you are skilled in working with electricity, I suggest you call an electrician.

Answer 2

You really have three questions here so let's take one at a time.

You say, "cause my electric bill to be high?"

Too high is a subjective term, it will raise your electric bill. The total wattage of an electric dryer is substantial. The actual value should be on the dryer tag as well as in the paperwork that came with it. If you call your power company with that number they should be able to tell what one cycle of the dryer will cost. It is time dependant so they will need to know how long it will run as well as the wattage. When you get the cost for one load it is simple arithmetic from there.

You say. "buy an adapter but will make me blow a fuse"

Absolutely not! If someone tries to sell you some kind of adapter from 110 to 220 you should run away fast. A fire could be the result, only blowing a fuse is a small worry on this point.

You say, "I only have a 110 volt plug how can i make it a 220 volt to hook up a dryer?"

I mean no offense but if you have to ask this question you shouldn't do it. Your house probably has two 110 volt lines. If you have an electric stove it is almost certain. If your power panel two rows of circuit breakers that is another indication that you probably do. Neither is iron clad but both are good starting places. Again if you call the power company they should be able to tell you if you are being supplied 220 volts or not.

I'm going to give you a little free education. A house supplied with 220 volts (and not all are) has two 110 volt lines and a neutral supplied. Ground is also used but normally that is from a cold water pipe or a grounding rod driven deep into the ground near the panel. 110 volt appliances use one of the 110 volt lines and neutral to deliver the necessary power. A 220 volt appliance uses the two 110 lines to deliver the 220. Normally 220 volt appliances also have 110 volt features so they simply use either 110 line and a neutral to operate those functions.

Now what that means to you is that the 110 socket probably only has one 110 volt supply and a second one (assuming your house has 220 available) will have to be made available at that receptacle in order to plug the dryer in and make it work. You really need a licensed and insured electrician. A real good handyman might be able to help but an electrician would be the better bet. So give one a call and ask for them to come out and give you an estimate on what it would take to make your dryer work.

This has been a long answer to your questions but you need to understand that is not just a matter of changing plugs or receptacles. It is a bit more complex than that.

Good luck. And I hope this helps at least a little bit.

Answer 3

Normally a branch circuit for an electric clothes dryer is wired for 220 volts at 30 amps. If you only have 110 volts available, you could use a transformer to boost the voltage up to 220 volts, but the current required in the circuit would now be 110 volts at 60 amps. Almost without exception, 110 volt circuits are wired for either 15 or 20 amps, so you would trip the breaker or blow the fuse.

Your only solution is to either wire a new 220 volt 30 amp circuit to your clothes dryer, or to get a gas clothes dryer which will run on your existing 110 volts. Your breaker panel may not have any unused positions, in which case you'd need a new panel that would be quite expensive to have installed. A gas clothes dryer may be your better bet.

Answer 4

You cannot get 240 volts from that outlet and there is no adaptor to do so. You will need to run a new line from your breaker box and install a 240 volt outlet. The adaptor some one may have referred to is to accept the plug from the dryer. They are normally a Y shaped plug and fit only into that type of receptacle. You may want to look at your electric range as that will be a similar plug and installation.

If you attempt to tap into an existing 240 volt circuit, you will run the risk of blowing fuses when the dryer and other appliance are running t the same time.

I suggest going to Home Depot, ACE or a similar place and get a small book on household wiring. You need to be cautious when working near your electric main and panel. If you do not have experience in wiring or electricity, I would suggest an electrician for about $150 in labor and about $150 materials, unless you already have an unoccupied 240 Volt breaker. Good luck!

Answer 5

This is not an easy, inexpensive, or a quick fix thing. You have to go into the main electric panel and add a 220 volt breaker and this is a job for an electrician, not a homeowner. Then you have to have a new electric line run from that box through the walls or floor or ceiling to the place you want the dryer to be. Then you put a box in that wall and install the plug for the dryer. This is dangerous for the novice do it yourselfer and not recommended as it is very dangerous. And if you don't electrocute yourself, you may make a mistake that burns down the house. You also have to run a 4 inch pipe out of the house to vent the dryer outside, It really won't hurt your electric bill much if you don't wash too many clean clothes just because you tried them on for work and changed you mind.

Answer 6

The reason you cannot do this has nothing to do with volts. Voltage is not the issue ; amperage is.
Electric dryers use resistance heating to get hot and that requires amps.
You or better yet the electrician you hire needs to run a seperate circuit for the dryer. It should be( 4 ) 10 gauge wires- 2 hots, a neutral and a ground and connected to a double pole single throw 30 A breaker.
There are no magic potions or devices to get around that eventuality.

Answer 7

No, You would have to run a new cable back to your electrical panel, hooked up two a 220 volt circuit breaker and you would also need the proper receptacle for a dryer ( usually a 30 amp 220volt dryer receptacle) 10/3 cable and a 30amp 2 pole circuit breaker, would also be needed.

Answer 8

If you want your homeowner's fire insurance to pay off when you have a fire, then the dryer hookup has to meet your local building codes. That means you need a new 220 Volt AC circuit breaker in the service entrance electric box and at least a #10 or larger electric cable run to a new dryer plug near the dryer.

Answer 9

My God...all the answers..Transformers??
It is standard electrical practice to provide a 30 amp/240V. AC circuit for dryers. A cable assembly containing 4 # 10 ga. wires is the norm.

A 2-pole 30 amp circuit breaker or combination of 2 fuses ( 30 amp each) is allowed. anything else will never be approved by an electrical inspector.

Answer 10

go to your local electronics or hardware store such as Ace, Sears, or the hardware dept of walmart. look there for a 220 plug- take the power cord from the dryer with you if you can that way you can match up the prongs. then you can switch the 110 volt with the 220 volt. ALSO SAFETY FIRST ALWAYS COMPLETELY TURN OFF ALL ELECTRICITY IN THE HOUSE BY TURNING OFF ALL CURCUITS AT THE BREAKER BOX. USE A FLASH LIGHT TO SEE. BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY