Thread Number: 7591
converting 220 electric dryer to 110?
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Post# 148322   8/14/2006 at 03:12 (6,437 days old) by appleimacdude ()        

I posted that I wanted a dryer to complement my Frigidiare front-load washer - I don't have the juice going into my condo to power a 220 unit - a kind reader posted I could convert a 220 electric dryer to 110V, and recommended GE, Whirlpool, or Frigidaire units - any thoughs on this matter, as to what units are good to convert? Also, does a 220 converted to 110 simply draw less wattage on the element, extending the drying time somewhat? I was also thinking if I went vintage which electric dryers are likely to have good parts available.




Post# 148399 , Reply# 1   8/14/2006 at 15:40 (6,436 days old) by knitwits1975 ()        

I have no idea! But if you do manage to do this, would you mind telling how you did it? Because I never thought it was do-able.

Post# 148403 , Reply# 2   8/14/2006 at 15:48 (6,436 days old) by launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)        

launderess's profile picture
Do not think just any domestic dryer can be converted from 220v to 110v easily. Even if it were possible, you would be cutting the drying power by half, which means you would have a large amount of air flow/laundry with a very tepid heating. This would lead to long cycle times and probably consume more energy than savings.

You would also have to make sure only the heating element ran on 220v, and nothing else before converting a dryer to 110v only. Finally there is the fact that by modifying a dryer you probably void any warranty and are on your own should any problems occur.


A better option is to purchase a washing machine with high final spin speeds, or a separate spin dryer (Spin-X, or a Hoover TT). High final spin speeds leave many heavy items almost dry, so there is less work for the dryer to do. With this option a 1500 watt dryer would work fine. Lighter items come out either ready for ironing or need to air dry for a short period of time.



Post# 148434 , Reply# 3   8/14/2006 at 19:31 (6,436 days old) by alr2903 (TN)        
Oh Launderess

Your back, where have you been? alr2903

Post# 149185 , Reply# 4   8/19/2006 at 20:47 (6,431 days old) by tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)        

DUH, like we don't know that it takes longer to dry clothes on 115 volts instead of 220 volts in an electric dryer. When I moved into my townhouse in 1981, I did not have a 220 volt outlet for my Maytag 806 dryer. John told me how to change the cord, which I did and when I plugged the dryer in to the regular wall outlet it worked. The only thing that was 220 was the heating element and with HOH dryers it was not as high a wattage as GE, WP etc. dryers, so with the voltage cut in half, the wattage was one fourth of the 220 wattage, but it dried and the electronic control worked just fine since it did not depend on temperature. A dryer rated at 5600 watts total would consume a total of 1400 watts on 110 and a dryer with a rating of 6000 watts total would draw a total of 1500 watts on 110 volt service. Since it was November, I positioned the back of the dryer against the radiator in the room and let it help heat the air for the dryer. Even at 110 volts, shirts washed in the WCI-60 and spun at 850 rpm emerged from the Permanent Press cycle looking just fine.

There was a period in the 60s when mid to top of the line GE dryers had a setting in the heat selector switches labeled ECONOMY. Using this setting dried the load at 110-115 volts.
Not that many people would have considered it then, but if the dryer were vented to the outside and in a place that was heated & cooled, you would have to consider the amount of air you were pumping from the inside to the outside on the 90 to 120 minute dry cycles. However, in this area codes permit a 110 volt dryer to be installed unvented in a condo or apartment. As long as you use an adequate sized sock or pillow case to catch the lint, the cooler air that is exhausted from a 110 volt dryer is much easier to live with than an unvented 220 volt dryer in a small place.

If you do not have someone who is familiar with appliances and knows how to read a wiring diagram to guide you in doing this task, you are better off going with a dryer that is designed to operate on regular household current, but it will need its own separate circuit because it is going to be drawing about 15 amps for an extended period of time when in use.


Post# 149219 , Reply# 5   8/19/2006 at 22:16 (6,431 days old) by launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)        
Duh

launderess's profile picture
Sorry I spoke up, next time will avoid posting a response all together.

L.


Post# 149589 , Reply# 6   8/21/2006 at 01:51 (6,430 days old) by tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)        

Did you have a nice trip to the desert?


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