240v circuit breaker

Question

I recently had some dryer problems (runs but no heat) and one of the troubleshooting steps is to check the circuit breaker for the dryer (240v). Apparently the dryer can run and the electronics board can work but it requires 240 to heat. When I checked my circuit breaker panel, there is no circuit breaker labeled for the dryer (everything is labeled), and there is no other breaker box except for a separate one for the water heater. The house was built in 2004. Is this normal to not have one for a 240v item? Is there something I'm missing here? There is no overall main house switch in the circuit box either. How would I cut power to the whole house if I needed to?

Answer

hello the dryer runs off 120 and heating elements run off 120 it should be a double breaker. if the home was built in 2004 there should be a main breaker in the panel box to shut the whole house down. what you can do is turn dryer on and go and manually trip each breaker till you find dryer breaker. sounds like the heating element is bad on dryer of the lint trap it clogged. the breaker is called a double throw it is 2 breakers with one handle to turn off.

Question

I recently had some dryer problems (runs but no heat) and one of the troubleshooting steps is to check the circuit breaker for the dryer (240v). Apparently the dryer can run and the electronics board can work but it requires 240 to heat. When I checked my circuit breaker panel, there is no circuit breaker labeled for the dryer (everything is labeled), and there is no other breaker box except for a separate one for the water heater. The house was built in 2004. Is this normal to not have one for a 240v item? Is there something I'm missing here? There is no overall main house switch in the circuit box either. How would I cut power to the whole house if I needed to?

Answer

Are you sure your dryer is not gas? That would require a 120 volt circuit at 20 amps.

If you are sure your dryer is 220 volts then you should be able to find a double pole breaker rated at 30 amps.

If you cannot distinguish which breaker is for your dryer you could simply check all the breakers. But eventually you should get it marked. There are ways this can be done but requires an ohm meter or a signal generator.

An electric dryer uses 120 volts for the motor and controls, and 220 volts for the elements. So it is possible for the motor to run without ever heating.

If you have 220 volts at your dryer then the next step is to make sure the elements are not burnt out. Also, there is a thermal fuse that protects the elements and dryer from overheating. That should be checked.

If your elements are burnt out or the thermal fuse is blown they need to be replaced AND you need to check your vent to make sure it is not even partially blocked. A blocked or partially blocked vent will cause the elements and fuse to burn out prematurely.

Hope that helps.

Question

I recently had some dryer problems (runs but no heat) and one of the troubleshooting steps is to check the circuit breaker for the dryer (240v). Apparently the dryer can run and the electronics board can work but it requires 240 to heat. When I checked my circuit breaker panel, there is no circuit breaker labeled for the dryer (everything is labeled), and there is no other breaker box except for a separate one for the water heater. The house was built in 2004. Is this normal to not have one for a 240v item? Is there something I'm missing here? Also, there is no overall main house switch in the circuit box either. How would I cut power to the whole house if I needed to?

Answer

It does sound like you are missing something. I think you have another circuit box. You may wan to hire an electrician to go over your system and do what we call a panel tune up. This basically means to open up your panel tighten all the connections-Test the breakers0Add anti oxidation jelly. This should be done every few years any when. While this is getting done you can ask your electrician to show you your electrical system. You do need to know how to power it down in case of an emergency.