ktmrfs wrote:
dfoxhoven wrote:
To clarify...it is a double pole 30 amp breaker...and it leads to the outlet in the laundry room and the washer and dryer are both plugged into what appears to be a standard 15-20 amp grounded outlet.
double pole 30A is going to be a 240 circuit. Washer and dryer run off 120V. So, something is at least "strange". It could have been rewired at one time, with the 30A set up for a electric dryer and then either the 30A doesn't go to anything anymore, or someone used 1 leg of the 30A breaker to wire in a 120V 15/20A outlet.
Or the 30A circuit still leads to a 30A 240V dryer outlet somewhere in the laundry room. Even if you have a gas dryer I suspect code still requires the laundry room to have a 30A 240V outlet for the dryer.
The other possibility is that years ago what was occasionally done is to run two circuits (split phase) to each duplex outlet. at the outlet they would break out the tab between top and bottom and wire one leg to the top circuit, one to the bottom. that made the "duplex" outlet into two single circuit outlets, still only needed one ground and one neutral. worst case neutral current would be the breaker rating for the circuit, best case neutral had no current flowing. However if that was done the breaker should have been either a 15A or 20A, not 30A
Someone may have replaced the dryer with gas, looked at a way to get another 120V outlet, left the 30A breaker in place and replaced the 30A 240V dryer circuit with a split circuit 120, one circuit for the dryer, one for the washer. In that case the wire to the outlet should be #10. But it may not have a seperate ground and neutral, which is a no-no.
Every gas dryer we have ever had runs on 120V, needing no more than a 15A circuit. In fact, in our house the washer and gas dryer have run on a single 20A circuit for decades and decades, most often running both at the same time.
Unless you are very familiar with electric codes and wiring I'd have a qualified electrician take a look at the what you really have going on. You REALLY need to know EXACTLY what the current wiring situation is BEFORE proceeding.
There has never been a requirement for a dryer circuit in a laundry room. Only a Dedicated 20 amp 120 outlet in the laundry,
To the OP, Chances are it was wired for a Dryer and someone rewired it for 2 separate circuits and it may be code if originally wired with 4 wire romex. Best to have an electrician look at it. I would just use a dog bone and plug into a 20 amp circuit. Manage your usage.
