Electrical Outlet Issue, what should I expect LL to do (inspection, period)

[pvande55]

If the dryer is electric it won't run off a standard 120 volt 20 amp circuit anyway. It would require a 240 volt 30 A receptacle. At one time these were 3 prong crows foot type but since the 1996 National Electric Code are required to be the 4 prong type. In an older building the receptacle may be obsolete and need to be replaced.

[Ultrarunner]

Originally Posted by pvande55

If the dryer is electric it won't run off a standard 120 volt 20 amp circuit anyway. It would require a 240 volt 30 A receptacle. At one time these were 3 prong crows foot type but since the 1996 National Electric Code are required to be the 4 prong type. In an older building the receptacle may be obsolete and need to be replaced.

I managed a building where all the dryers... (6 of them) were apartment size 120 volt units.

Most work is grandfathered by code as long as it has not been altered or damaged.

The local appliance store does not sell any electric dryers with cords... the cords are extra and the purchaser simply buys the one appropriate.

[pvande55]

Originally Posted by Ultrarunner

I managed a building where all the dryers... (6 of them) were apartment size 120 volt units.

Most work is grandfathered by code as long as it has not been altered or damaged.

The local appliance store does not sell any electric dryers with cords... the cords are extra and the purchaser simply buys the one appropriate.

Really, 120 volt dryers? Existing work may be grandfathered in but if new appliances won't plug into it, it is still deficient.

[Ultrarunner]

Originally Posted by pvande55

Really, 120 volt dryers? Existing work may be grandfathered in but if new appliances won't plug into it, it is still deficient.

The building was built to Condo standards and didn't sell during the last Real Estate reversal prior to the current one.

The owner decided to make them rentals... one of the features advertised was individual unit washer and dryer... they were 120 volt stack models and required a 24 x 24 footprint... actually worked well and they were convenient for an individual or couple..

I deal with a lot of obsolete systems... my first car was a 1929 Model A.

Too many times I seen people have the fear of God put into them because someone wants to make a sale...

One elderly couple had a fuse blow due to Christmas lights...never happened before. Their daughter told them to get an electrician out and $4500 later they had a new service and a couple of extra kitchen outlets... the electrician told them their service was antiquated... funny thing is he utilized all the old circuits and just added a few new ones. They went from 60 amp to 200 amp for a 1200 square foot SF Bay Area bungalow... gas heat, hot water, cooking and dryer.

My aunt was ready to sign for a $3000 furnace replacement... I said I remember her seldom using the furnace... she lives in California... she said a couple of weeks a year was all.

I then asked why would she want to spend a chunk of her savings when her furnace has never given her trouble and she almost never uses it....

She said a contractor came to the door and offered her a free inspection and then told her it was best to get rid of old equipment before it becomes a problem and promised savings averaging $60 a month on her gas bill... her total gas bill for heat and hot water was less than $600 a year!

To ease her mind... I suggested the local utility come out for a safety check... the technician commented her furnace looked like new and it was installed in 1980...

Remember when new homes had an option to pre-wire for phone and Internet for a price? I know some of those that paid extra for it and now don't use it at all... they have cell phones and wireless routers...

Lastly... I had a tenant that bought a commercial type gas range from a friend going through foreclosure... she had bought it and never had it installed... it was a nice one... she asks if it is ok to install it after buying it.

The store that sold it new came out to install and said the 1/2 " gas line would have to be upgraded to 3/4" and she wanted the owner to pay for it since it would be an upgrade... in other words her new appliance wouldn't hook-up... oh... it also required a range hood upgrade too! Needless to say it wasn't happening.

[mathjak107]

electric dryers are very small if they are to stay at 115v 15 amp max.

usually around 3.6 4 cubic ft in size... your really limited to 1500w which isnt a whole lot of heat so they have to be small.

regular dryers run 30 amp 240v allowing them to throw off huge amounts of heat. up to 7,000 watt .

if everything went perfect you can get 3.4 btu's per watt so you do the math heat wise ,its a huge difference .

[mathjak107]

as a side note. harmonics and noise tend to like to hang out in the ground system. thats because if you were to measure the resistance at various points in your house or building you would find it changes from room to room or floor to floor.

this difference lets current actually flow in the ground itself storing noise and harmonics that really suck for electronics.

the best thing to do for your high def tv and computers is buy whats called isolated ground receptacles and run a seperate ground wire back to the panel .

this keeps the noise off the ground loop and cleans things up.

when you ground to the armor of the bx and the metal box or the little ground wire on romex you are picking up every piece of noise in the system.

running an isolated ground is the best way to keep it clean but remember you need to use isolated ground receptacles .

the part number usually has IG in it somewhere live levion 5262ig

[Fontucky]

The IG receps are orange, right? At least mine are. And they're plated with an orange plate that says ISOLATED GROUND.

Does each IG receptacle have its own ground home run back to the panel?

[mathjak107]

Yes ,orange......

They need their own green ground wire run back to the panel. Otherwise you dont have an isolated ground.
Mc cable has the green ground built right into the cable for this.

[pvande55]

Originally Posted by mathjak107

as a side note. harmonics and noise tend to like to hang out in the ground system. thats because if you were to measure the resistance at various points in your house or building you would find it changes from room to room or floor to floor.

this difference lets current actually flow in the ground itself storing noise and harmonics that really suck for electronics.

the best thing to do for your high def tv and computers is buy whats called isolated ground receptacles and run a seperate ground wire back to the panel .

this keeps the noise off the ground loop and cleans things up.

when you ground to the armor of the bx and the metal box or the little ground wire on romex you are picking up every piece of noise in the system.

running an isolated ground is the best way to keep it clean but remember you need to use isolated ground receptacles .

the part number usually has IG in it somewhere live levion 5262ig

IG In addition to safety ground is very common in computer facilities, but I've never heard of it for HDTV. Maybe justified if there are interference issues. Don't forget Surge Protectors to protect against that hazard.

[new jersey mike]

If the apartment was advertises as with washer dryer hookup then ask him to pay.

Option is to offer to buy the new outlet for him and ask if you can replace it.

If he lets you do the work make sure the power is turned off at the breaker. Also check what the breaker is rated and then what the dryer and washer require.