Thread Number: 42684
Coverting a Maytag model de308 220V dryer to 110V
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Post# 628095   9/28/2012 at 13:53 (4,198 days old) by keegan ()        

Hi, everyone. i'm trying to convert my Maytag model De308 that I got for free to a 110v, because I dont have 220 in my apartment. I saw some of your older posts and If i understand I can-
"convert most any 220v dryer simply by moving the heater wire over to the neutral terminal and attaching your 120v cord to the L1 & neutral (center post) of the terminal block."-Gansky1

Is this right for this make and model? I know it will take way longer to dry my cloths, but is better then going to the laundry mate were the bums hangout all day and put who knows want in the machines...





Post# 628336 , Reply# 1   9/29/2012 at 15:36 (4,197 days old) by keegan ()        

anyone?

Post# 628341 , Reply# 2   9/29/2012 at 16:25 (4,197 days old) by Kenmore71 (Minneapolis, MN)        

kenmore71's profile picture
I don't have the schematic for that dryer in my possession so I don't want to venture a guess. There SHOULD be a wiring schematic either on the back of the console or pasted inside the console cover. It should show the wiring plan for both 220 & 110. Also, I can't remember if that dryer offers an "Auto Dry" function or not. IF it does, it will not function properly on 110. You will have to use only the timed cycles.

Post# 628354 , Reply# 3   9/29/2012 at 17:52 (4,197 days old) by arbilab (Ft Worth TX (Ridglea))        

arbilab's profile picture
simply by moving the heater wire
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

There are 2 heater wires. Which one you move is somewhat critical and depends on the exact configuration of that model. I don't have that diagram either. I'm sure someone here does.

Until you get exact instructions, don't "simply move" anything. Misoperation or hazard may result.

If the diagram shows the 120V config and you can interpret the drawing correctly, the diagram can be trusted. If you have any doubt of what you're looking at, do not proceed. You probably know, it's a safety issue.


Post# 628368 , Reply# 4   9/29/2012 at 19:40 (4,197 days old) by keegan ()        

ok, here is some pics of the wire diagram on the back.
s753.photobucket.com/albums/xx177...


CLICK HERE TO GO TO keegan's LINK


Post# 628369 , Reply# 5   9/29/2012 at 19:43 (4,197 days old) by keegan ()        

oh, and there is no auto dry.

Post# 628379 , Reply# 6   9/29/2012 at 20:54 (4,197 days old) by tecnopolis (Ocala/Dunnellon, Florida 34481)        

tecnopolis's profile picture
Not wanting to wash or dry my clothes with other people's schmutz was a prime motivator for me to get laundry in-house ASAP.

Post# 628384 , Reply# 7   9/29/2012 at 21:22 (4,197 days old) by Kenmore71 (Minneapolis, MN)        

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OK, here's what you do...

Using a HEAVY DUTY (14 gauge minimum, 12 gauge would be safer) cord that is no longer than 8 - 10 feet, connect the black wire to the L1 terminal, making sure that it is wire 7 (the Yellow with black stipe) is also attached to that terminal.

REMOVE THE GROUND STRAP from the N terminal completely if it is still there. THIS IS IMPORTANT! (There is a remote possibility that this could have been removed if this dryer was wired with a 4-wire cord in recent years.)

Then, move wire 5 (the blue one) over to the N terminal along with the two white wires that are already there.
Attach the white wire from the cord to the N terminal as well. There will be nothing attached the L2 terminal

Then attach the bare (or green, depending) ground wire from the cord to a convenient cabinet screw near the terminal block.

Now, here's what will happen, the motor and timer which were always running on 110 volts anyways will continue to do so and consume something in the area of 300 watts. This dryer is specced to have a 5300 watt element at 220 volts. On 110 that is divided by 4 = 1325 watts. The total will then be in the 1625-1650 watt range. This will MAX OUT a 15 amp branch circuit and stretch a 20 amp one.

The 110 volt cord MUST plug into a grounded wall outlet that is not more than 5 - 8 feet from the dryer. Using an extension cord is a bad idea and definitely a fire hazard.

I have hooked up dryers on 110 just for the fun of it and you can expect things to take 2 - 3 times longer to dry than at 220.

Hope this is helpful.


Post# 628395 , Reply# 8   9/29/2012 at 21:50 (4,197 days old) by arbilab (Ft Worth TX (Ridglea))        

arbilab's profile picture
It LOOKS LIKE moving the blue motor wire from L2 to the terminal block white wire performs the conversion.

Now there's the matter of the 120V power cord. I don't see a "ground" provision, and there isn't one built into 240V 3-prong. But you want one. That would be the cord GREEN connected to an unpainted portion of the frame.

To be consistent with the original 240V design, the NEUTRAL of the new cord must go to the N/White terminal, and the HOT of the cord must go to L1. I can't see the whole diagram to know if there are any paths from N to frame. There shouldn't be but in old appliances you can't count on ANYthing. Cord WHITE should be neutral and BLACK should be hot, but that depends whether the socket has been wired correctly and you can't count on that either.

If all that makes perfect sense and you are able to confirm the socket wiring, proceed. If it doesn't make sense at all, I'd encourage you to have it done professionally.


Post# 628396 , Reply# 9   9/29/2012 at 21:54 (4,197 days old) by arbilab (Ft Worth TX (Ridglea))        

arbilab's profile picture
Co-posted above with Kenmore71. His instructions fundamentally concur and are clearer. Just be safe. If any of this is the least bit foggy, don't do it yourself.

Post# 628430 , Reply# 10   9/29/2012 at 23:46 (4,197 days old) by FEster (Lafayette La USA)        
What type of stove do you have?

If you have an electric stove or HVAC you have 230V available. Getting juice to the Dryer should be no trick. Hang a plug and fab up a super duty cord at home depot. Drag it out when you dry and stash it when not in use. Your already looking at amperage issues. A 230V machine running on one leg sucks juice like it's going out of style. When you split, disconnect the plug and spackle up where the wire passed. That's the way I'd go. YMMV.

FEster


Post# 628438 , Reply# 11   9/30/2012 at 00:48 (4,197 days old) by arbilab (Ft Worth TX (Ridglea))        

arbilab's profile picture
230V machine running on one leg sucks juice
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Misconception. First, we're tossing around 220/230/240 as if they're all the same thing. They're not. Present standards are 120/240. In a very old house/neighborhood or overloaded feeder, could be less. Could be 125/250. The differences are not insignificant. Measure if uncertain and adjust accordingly. But for purposes of comparison let's use the standards.

Second, through an apparent mathematical quirk, half the Volts uses 1/4 the Watts as above. 5300W/240V = 22A. But at half the voltage, current is also halved as resistance is constant, = 11A. 11A x 120V = 1320W. Watts is what you pay for. If the machine takes (only) twice as long, you actually pay LESS.

How can that be? Tumbling and exhausting water vapor account for half of drying and THOSE VALUES DON'T CHANGE because they ran on 120V all along.


Post# 628441 , Reply# 12   9/30/2012 at 01:08 (4,197 days old) by FEster (Lafayette La USA)        
one legging

I had a heating unit drop a leg one winter and the bill more than doubled with no other changes. With the problem fixed, the bill returned to normal. What gives? Is this a number thing like the way torque and horsepower curves always cross at 5252 RPM regardless of the engine or power output? Why do we run anything on 220 if 110 is cheaper?

Curious.....

FEster


Post# 628453 , Reply# 13   9/30/2012 at 02:50 (4,197 days old) by arbilab (Ft Worth TX (Ridglea))        

arbilab's profile picture
A dryer is a known load. Your home heater is not unless you tell us its exact configuration and that of your house.

If my home heater lost one leg, the fan might run but the heat would not work at all.

We run things on 240 when the necessary wire gauge would be impractical at 120.

100-120 is closest to Edison's original intent for DC. 100V DC isn't comfortable to touch but it won't kill you. 100V AC is actually 140V peak and CAN kill you.

I have no idea what Euros were thinking making everything run on 200-250V. Copper wasn't THAT expensive when they decided on that. Word is that they chose 50Hz so the generator bearings would last 16% longer. But for every generator bearing there are 10,000 transformers which have to be 20% larger at 50Hz.

Math's a bitch. Little wonder the US is 50% behind the rest of the western world in math comprehension.



Post# 628473 , Reply# 14   9/30/2012 at 06:23 (4,197 days old) by tolivac (greenville nc)        

Safety note----100VDC WILL KILL you under the right conditions.Take care!!!!

Post# 628478 , Reply# 15   9/30/2012 at 07:28 (4,197 days old) by Kenmore71 (Minneapolis, MN)        

kenmore71's profile picture
FEster, actually running an electric dryer on 110 is probably a wash electrically.
The heater will be using 1/4 the amount of power as it would on 220, but it likely never cycles off during the entire drying time. During the double to triple time that the dryer is running you actually move more air through the clothes, albeit cooler air. Now, that also means that the blower/tumbler motor which always was (and always will be on THIS dryer) a 110 volt motor will be running 2 - 3 times longer it will obviously use more electricity because it is running longer.

Drying a load of clothes is a relatively fixed thermodynamic equation which is a factor of really only two things: 1. time and 2. rate of moisture evaporation. The second part of that equation is a factor of; 1. air movement & 2. relative humidity.

This whole situation intrigues the physicist in me. I think a round of experiments with the electric meter are in order....


Post# 628533 , Reply# 16   9/30/2012 at 12:06 (4,196 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)        

This post has been removed by the member who posted it.



Post# 628534 , Reply# 17   9/30/2012 at 12:08 (4,196 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)        
Running a 240 volt dryer on 120 volts

combo52's profile picture

First and foremost as arbilab very correctly points out there is a big difference between 110-115-120-125, 220-230-240-250 volts, and in this country almost without exception we have 120-240 volts in our homes, some folks in mostly multifamily homes have 120-208 voltage. This is not only important when figuring out amperage loads but it makes you look a fool that doesn't know what you are talking about if you cannot even get the basic facts correct.

 

Mark your instructions for conning the MT dryer to 120 were very good.

 

It will always consume less power and of coerce cost less to run a dryer on 120 volts vs 240 volts if you count only the cost of running the dryer, this is why GE actually had a button labeled economy on some their dryers back in the early 1960s. The 300-500 watts used to run the motor for three times as long is not wasted power as the waste heat from the motor is drawn into the airstream and helps to dry the load of clothing. There are a few disadvantages in using 120 volt drying and a few advantages.

 

First the disadvantages

 

1st longer drying time, 2nd possibly more clothing wear, 3rd the dryers mechanical parts will likely wear out much sooner and lastly and maybe most importantly if the dryer is vented outside your home the amount of makeup air that will have to be reheated or cooled will likely easily wipe out any savings of using 120 volt for drying clothing.

 

The possible advantages are.

 

1st more gentle heat for certain clothing items and 2nd cooler safer operation of the dryer itself.


Post# 628560 , Reply# 18   9/30/2012 at 14:25 (4,196 days old) by FEster (Lafayette La USA)        
sorry if I sounded like a fool to some.

I don't know the electrical theory and slide rule stuff. I don't claim to. Everything I know comes from running 480v 3 phase shore power in the ship yard. Hook it up and check rotation on a pump. If it turns backwards, swap 2 legs. Shipboard transformers knocked it down to 110 - 220 v single phase. We had charts as to amp load, length of run and wire gauge. At home,I always compensate for variables by going up to a larger wire size. Too big a wire never burned a house down. Just my piss ignorant, down the bayou may of staying out of trouble.

I surely won't argue electrical theory or practice with electricians, engineers or omnipotents. My intent was to imply that it might be easier or even safer to grab some 220v than to put a heavy load on wires and breakers of unknown capacity and condition.

I'll stand down and leave this subject to those much wiser than I.


FEster


Post# 628567 , Reply# 19   9/30/2012 at 14:51 (4,196 days old) by arbilab (Ft Worth TX (Ridglea))        

arbilab's profile picture
Not at all Fes. It's only as complicated as it is because safety is involved. NObody knows EVERYthing. I won't get within 6 feet of 480V. That peak is 672V to ground.

True, just plugging the thing the way it was intended is most straightforward where practicable. But I was in similar situation, rented house with no 240V anywhere near the garage. I bought a 120V dryer, completely satisfied with it almost 30 years later.



Post# 776330 , Reply# 20   8/8/2014 at 20:07 (3,519 days old) by Dorishaktiblue ()        
converting 220 dryer to 110

Hi Guys,

I have a Frigidairre Gallery Commercial Heavy Duty Super Capacity Sound Silencer.

I bought it on Craiglist for $160 months ago. When I tried to get someone to install it in my apartment, I was given quotes of 500 and 600 dollars.

I decided to move it into my kitchen close to the sink and convert it to 110 so I wont have to do any fancy or expensive electrical work in this apartment, which I don't own.

Like the guy posting above, I am so tired of hauling my undies up and down 2 flights of stairs, into a car, and back, just to wash them. Currently I have a load of laundry soaking in my bathtub, which is working quite well for the summer.

But come the long cold dark winter, I want to vent this thing (its a stackable set) into the kitchen/living area and heat my apartment while Im drying clothes.

I also have a box of solar panels I plan to set up to generate some or all of the electricity I use. I will eventually need guidance on how to hook up some kind of outlet to the battery pack to access the solar power.

But right now I just want confirmation of the best way to have my guy Wil convert this thing. He is all gung ho (just had his first child and needs odd jobs) but I don't want him to fry himself for the sake of my undie washing.

If you foresee any big difference between the instructions posted above and what Wil would have to do in my situation, let me know.

Also I would like the experts's advice on whether im better off just buying a converter that will up the voltage from the outlet to 220 in order to run the dryer. They are for sale on Amazon for about 25 bucks.


Post# 776335 , Reply# 21   8/8/2014 at 20:26 (3,519 days old) by Kenmore71 (Minneapolis, MN)        

kenmore71's profile picture

I can't speak to the specifics of this particular dryer until I see a wiring diagram. Theoretically you should be able to convert the dryer to 120 if you are willing to triple the drying times.

 

What you need to do is figure out which leg of the 240 volt service is running to the controls, motor and heater and which leg is running ONLY to the other end of the heating element. I do this all of the time when I need to troubleshoot a 240 volts dryer that is not conveniently located to a 240 volt power source (my workspace). All that needs to be done is to connect the 240 terminal that is connected ONLY to the other end of the heating element to the neutral. 

 

Depending on your auto dry system it MAY not work in this configuration. Electronic systems work fine, temperature dependent ones will not.


Post# 776336 , Reply# 22   8/8/2014 at 20:30 (3,519 days old) by floyde (Los Angeles, CA)        
Would this work



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Post# 776337 , Reply# 23   8/8/2014 at 20:34 (3,519 days old) by Kenmore71 (Minneapolis, MN)        

kenmore71's profile picture

No, it won't.

 

It's rated at 1000 watts. Most electric dryers are rated between 5200 and 5500 watts these days.

 

Now if you had a 60 AMP 120 volt circuit handy AND could find a 6000 watt step-up converter then you would be in business!

 

The only place that I know these to exist are on theatre stages and movie sets where you have 5000 watt 120 volt lighting fixtures.


Post# 776341 , Reply# 24   8/8/2014 at 21:05 (3,519 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)        
You Can Find 10K Step Up Converters

launderess's profile picture
But the best will require hardwiring into the building's electrical supply.

As one understands such things such converters should have a margin of at least 2x the power draw and or not run at more than 1/3 of total power if one expects the thing to survive. So for a 5Kw dryer you are looking at what? A converter with a continuous rating of 15Kw?


Post# 776342 , Reply# 25   8/8/2014 at 21:12 (3,519 days old) by Kenmore71 (Minneapolis, MN)        

kenmore71's profile picture

Laundress, it all depends on the actual power supply, wiring and the continuous duty rating of the converter. Some converters are rated for continuous duty at 80%, some at 50%.

 

The bigger issue here is going to be a 60 amp 120 volt power supply. It would be FAR cheaper at that point to run the actual 30 AMP 240 volt feed.


Post# 776346 , Reply# 26   8/8/2014 at 21:32 (3,519 days old) by mathewhebailey0 (port arthur tx)        

I think using something that's for 220-240V,50hz/cycles on 110-120V,60 hz
would require ideally a voltage/frequency converter with selectable 220-240/50 hz &
110-120/60 hz inputs & selectable outputs the same as the inputs.
I know that some ships like the Titanic had a 100V DC system throughout but required a DC to AC rotary converter for radiotelegraph use. Don't know when ships began using AC systems other than DC.


Post# 776347 , Reply# 27   8/8/2014 at 21:39 (3,519 days old) by Kenmore71 (Minneapolis, MN)        

kenmore71's profile picture

The Frigidaire in question here is for 220-240 volts, 60 Hz AC current, North American standard.

 

No frequency converter is required.

All of the control components and the motors are designed (and do) run on 120 volt, 60Hz current (one leg to neutral.)

It is ONLY the heating element that operates on 240 volts.

 

Let's not confuse this issue with a bunch of irrelevant historical anecdotes.



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