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Thread Number: 37505
converting 220 dryer to 110 |
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| Post# 557650 11/18/2011 at 19:32 (4,536 days old) by queeny77 (BERWYN, ILLINOIS) | ||
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Post# 557696 , Reply# 2 11/18/2011 at 22:45 (4,536 days old) by combo52  (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md) |
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CONVERTING A KM PORTABLE DRYER TO 120 V. Check the name plate on the dryer for voltage and heater wattage. KM never sold a 110 or 220 volt portable dryer. Tom brings up a good point about converting a 240 portable dryer to 120 volts. The compact dryers had either a 3200 or 3600 watt heater at 240 volts so if you run it on 120 volts you will only get 800 or 900 watts of heat, which will make for pretty slow drying, as the 120 volt versions came with a 1400 watt heater. | ||
| Post# 557705 , Reply# 3 11/18/2011 at 23:30 (4,536 days old) by coldspot () | ||
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I had a 110 volt kenmore also sold as 240 volts. Units were the same but the element is different so if you can find the model # there is a big chance there was a 110 of the same unit. | ||
| Post# 557716 , Reply# 6 11/19/2011 at 00:09 (4,536 days old) by arbilab (Ft Worth TX (Ridglea)) | ||
Let's just look at one example, dryer heater plated at 3600W @ 240V or 15A. (240V x 15A = 3600W)
Back-substituting into R=E/I, R = 240/15 = 16 Ohms. I = E/R. If E now = 120V and R is still 16, I = 120/16 = 7.5A. 7.5A x 120V = 900W, insufficient. However, if we consider a heatbox using all 3 240V wires center tapped to neutral, leave the neutral where it is (center) and jumper both the 240V hots to 120V hot (elements in parallel): I = 120/8 = 15A, x120V = 1800W (heater only). The motor on my 120V portable is plated at 4A. 120V X 4A = 480W. 1800W + 480W = 2280W. 2280W/120V = 19A, the limit for a 20A standard branch. Whereas, my portable (designed for 120V), heater is 1450W + motor 480W = 16A, a much more suitable load for a 20A branch and I believe the max a single 120V plugin appliance is allowed to draw. So if the dryer has a 3-wire heatbox and you jumper the hots to parallel, you cannot have ANYthing else plugged into that branch. Worse, if it sets fire to your house and your insurance adjuster discovers the modification, he can nullify your coverage. Now then, few heatboxes anymore have 3 wires. They're either designed for one standard or the other. They were 'compatible' in the 50s, where either connection would not overload. But that would have to compromise both connections. As above, the thing to do is buy the heatbox for the voltage you are using. | ||
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Post# 564618 , Reply# 8 12/22/2011 at 07:36 (4,502 days old) by Toggleswitch (New York City, NY) |
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Actually the auto-dry will work.
Mine is of the time-temperature variety (timer advances while heat is off). I just have to use the "minimum" amount of "time" setting on the timer of the "AUTO" cycle and "LOW" heat setting on the dial. Make sure the ground-strap attaching the frame of the machine to the neutral terminal of the power-in posts is disconnected for 110v operation. | ||
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Post# 719942 , Reply# 10 12/8/2013 at 13:42 (3,785 days old) by Kenmore71 (Minneapolis, MN) |
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 You're going to need a wiring diagram to know for certain, however since you have, by process of elimination, tried every combination but one that will actually most likely work here is what I suggest:
Try this: Black on the cord to the red terminal. White on the cord to the white terminal. And the green to green. This is going to be a test. IF the motor, lights and timer work but it does't heat using this configuration you are are now 3/4 of the way there.
Next, jumper the BLACK terminal to the white terminal and now you SHOULD have heat.
I do this with some regularity when I need am testing or trouble-shooting an electric dryer and am an inconvenient distance from 220 volt power. Now, I just did this earlier this week with a new-ish whirlpool dryer and on that one I needed to jumper the red wire to the neutral. But since you tried that and got nothing, I would do what I suggested above.
On these dryers all of the control circuitry, and electric motor are connected to one of the "Hot" wires (either red or black). The OTHER hot wire is connected only to the other end of the heater coil (usually through the centrifugal safety switch.)
You certainly are aware that it will take about 3 times longer to dry on 110 than at 220 and that SOME auto-dry systems are not very accurate on 110 volts. | ||
| Post# 719963 , Reply# 11 12/8/2013 at 15:54 (3,785 days old) by mrx () | ||
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That's really not a lot of heat input! My dryer gets it down to well under 1kW but that's using a recirculating closed system with a heat pump. | ||
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Post# 719990 , Reply# 12 12/8/2013 at 18:37 (3,785 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage) |
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American Electirc Dryers 
Aside from the small portables American consumers expect the same "flash bake" drying from electric dryers as those using gas. Add to this the historical use of top loading washers with poor final spin extraction and you need all that heat to blast the water out of laundry in any reasonable amount of time.
That old Peanuts comic strip with Lucy reaching into a dryer with a stick to retrieve her brother's favourite blanket; then handing the hot thing to him causing the kid to leap as if scalded is not far off the mark. *LOL* Today of course dryers have that cool down period, which helps. | ||
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Post# 719998 , Reply# 14 12/8/2013 at 19:07 (3,785 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage) |
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Methinks Older Dryers Without Moisture Sensors
Got things so hot because until the timer switched off the heat and or other systems came into play they would continue "drying" long after whatever was in there was dry. Even our little portable Whirlpool will give "hot" garments if things are left in too long, that is the cycle was set too long and things are dry and now into the baking stage. *LOL*
Still rather the WP over my AEG condenser dryer for speed. | ||
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Post# 720009 , Reply# 15 12/8/2013 at 19:55 (3,785 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md) |
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Proper Way To Connect Most 240 American Dryers To 120 Volts
Connect the Black hot wire from the 120 cord to the terminal with the black wire, connect the white neutral wire to the center terminal that has the white wire attached to it. Then either move the red wire to the neutral terminal or add a jumper from the center white terminal to the red terminal.
Now you have to change the grounding, normally on full size US dryers the center terminal in linked to the cabinet, you must disconnect this connection. Then take the green ground wire from the new 120 volt cord and connect this wire to the cabinet. This will make the dryer run fine, it will only put out 1/4 the heat on 120 volts, but the good news is it will only take about 3 times as long to dry a full load and you will actually use about 15% less total power. The only real problem with many dryers is the automatic dry cycle will never shut off because it is temperature dependent [ unless the dryer you are converting has an electronic sensor system ] The other possible problems are the timed cycles are not long enough in maximum timing to get the dryer to finish drying without having return and reset the dryers timer. The other possible problem is on many sophisticated dryers with fully electronic control systems the system will shut down the dryer if it does not scene dryness in about two hours. John L. | ||
| Post# 720066 , Reply# 16 12/9/2013 at 07:21 (3,784 days old) by mrx () | ||
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Traditional non heat pump condensers are often quite slow! | ||
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