Dryers have become a go to appliance for most households. A super affordable and highly efficient tool for homes, dryers require a great power supply system.
Dryers usually run on electricity, making it particularly dependent on great connectivity of electrical power. It is quite important to understand the electrical requirement of the machine, so that it can last long.
You can find many directions labeled on the dryer package and body sticker.
Usually dryers of regular sizes come in 30 amp capacity. If you are one of the owners of such a dryer, and looking for the most appropriate wire for your dryer, here we are for you.
We will explore what wire you need, how do we know which wire to look for and what determines the wire size along with many other confusions.
Wire size for 30 amp dryer
A 30 amperes dryer needs wire that is 10 AWG. A 10 AWG cable includes three 10 gauge conducting wires and one 10 gauge ground wire. This wire is capable of conducting 220 volts. Failing to meet the accurate wire may cause fire on wire due to low capacity wire and coil for high capacity wire.
Table of Contents
There are different types of wires available and every wire has different usage. Uses are determined by the conductivity and resistance to the electricity of a particular wire. So, different purposes have different usage of wires.
Ground wire:
Ground wire is a type of wire that is extended into the ground to run the electrical current through it. The major purpose of the ground wire is to keep the electrical lines safe and sound. Since the 1960s, ground wire has been found in most modern houses.
However, there is a crucial concept behind using this wire. Earth is considered to have negative electrical charges. So positive charges of electricity are naturally attracted to it.
To serve this purpose, ground wires give the positive charges access to the ground. They are directed in a controlled way preventing the risk of shock and fire incidents.
We use ground wires to make a path for excess electrical charge. They act as surge protectors for your electrical appliances. The surge may occur from lightning strikes, transformer malfunction, or heavy flow of electricity.
Primarily for a home, 6 gauge wires are used as ground wires for 200 amp electricity flow.
Breaker wire:
Breaker wires are basically used in circuit breakers. Circuit breakers are used for protecting electrical circuits from getting damaged. Such circuit damage is often caused by overcurrent/overload or short circuits.
So, breaker wires interrupt the current flow and save appliances.
Copper wire:
Copper wire is named after the material used in this wire. Such wire is primarily used as an electrical conductor. Power generation, power transmission, and power distribution are the major scope of using copper wire.
Besides, they are used in many electrical appliances. Copper wires have high electrical conductivity. Conductivity means the rate of current flow through a metal. Copper has a long mean free path that creates almost no resistance to electricity flow.
Copper wires are also inexpensive which promotes the wide use of this wire. You can easily use this wire at your home to connect electricity to the appliances. Earthing can also be done by this wire.
Is 10 3 wire heavy enough for a 30 amp dryer?
10 3 is a cable that contains two types of wire; three 10 gauge conducting wires and one 10 gauge ground wire. The diameter of this wire is .66 inches. However, such wires primarily require 220 volts to flow electric current.
Dryers, air conditioners, and small kitchen ranges usually use 10 3 wires.
If your dryer requires 30 amperes or less, a 10 3 cable is sufficient with a 220-volt outlet. Most of the dryers use 10 3 wires for the electrical current flow. A dedicated circuit should be placed carefully so that it can draw 30 amps of power.
Before installing the dryer, always double-check the dryer requirements and the wiring system of your home. If they do not match, overload may occur and an overloaded circuit may result in a tripped circuit breaker or an electrical fire.
What gauge wire do I need for my 30 amp dryer?
First of all, you need to check whether your circuit breaker can support a 30 amperage dryer or not. The next important factor is to determine the wire size (AWG).
Gauge is the diameter measurement of wires. It is demonstrated in numbers. Higher numbers are for smaller wire sizes and lower numbers are for thicker wire sizes.
Usually, copper wires’ are the most commonly used wires, and their sizes are determined by the required amperage. According to the frequent usage, 10 amperage circuits require a wire gauge of 16, 30 amperage circuits require 10 gauge, and circuits with 40 amperage require 8 gauge.
So, with the other things remaining unchanged, you can use a wire of 10 gauge for your 30 amps dryer. Make sure that your home wiring systems and circuit breaker support the flow of electrical current.
What determines wire size for 30 amp dryer?
Wire sizes vary from appliance to appliance. Accurate wire size is crucial as it determines how much electrical current can flow through it. It is measured from a higher number as smaller wire size and smaller number as thicker wire size.
Wire size mostly depends on the amps required for your dryer. With the increasing amps, the wire gauge increases as well. Other factors include wire length and wire materials.
Amps Required:
Most important factor of the wire gauge is the required amperage or strength of the electric current for the dryer machine. Usually, there is a chart based on commonly used wires against the amperage required.
According to that chart, 30 amps appliances require 10 gauge and 40 amps appliances require 8 gauge wire which is thicker than the previous one.
Wire length:
The amperage requirements may not always satisfy the gauge size. Depending on unique characteristics, some appliances may require larger wire sizes. It happens when you run more than 100 feet inside a conduit.
In such a case, you can consult a professional or choose the immediate large size of your wire.
Wire material:
Previously mentioned size chart is applicable for only copper wire. If you want to use wires that are of different materials, you must reconsider the wire size. Usually, aluminum is not used very often.
But they can provide 61% more conductivity than copper with minimal weight.
The wrong size may lead towards overheating and melting.
How to wire a 30 amp dryer?
Wire sizes vary from appliance to appliance. Accurate wire size is crucial as it determines how much electrical current can flow through it. It is measured from a higher number as smaller wire size and smaller number as thicker wire size.
Wire size mostly depends on the amps required for your dryer. With the increasing amps, the wire gauge increases as well. Other factors include wire length and wire materials.
Amps Required:
Most important factor of the wire gauge is the required amperage or strength of the electric current for the dryer machine.
Usually, there is a chart based on commonly used wires against the amperage required. According to that chart, 30 amps appliances require 10 gauge and 40 amps appliances require 8 gauge wire which is thicker than the previous one.
Wire length:
The amperage requirements may not always satisfy the gauge size. Depending on unique characteristics, some appliances may require larger wire sizes. It happens when you run more than 100 feet inside a conduit.
In such a case, you can consult a professional or choose the immediate large size of your wire.
Wire material:
Previously mentioned size chart is applicable for only copper wire. If you want to use wires that are of different materials, you must reconsider the wire size. Usually, aluminum is not used very often.
But they can provide 61% more conductivity than copper with minimal weight.
The wrong size of wires may result in overheating and wire melt, and to a great extent, fire hazard. So make sure what kinds of material you are using.
Final Thoughts
30 amp dryers are very common, and manufacturers often suggest a 10 AWG wire would be the best fit for such a dryer. 10 AWG wires are usually 0.66 centimeters in thickness and include three 10 gauge conducting wires and one 10 gauge ground wire and can conduct 220 volts of electricity.