Dryer killing signal

navychop

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Can you change the 240 circuit breaker out for two 120 then use the existing line? Maybe put two regular outlets in?

Not sure if that would be code, but just a thought.

I believe I could not use the current line. Would have to run new coax. If I did that, I might as well run the line from scratch. I do t want to do that. But if there is contention between HT and dehumidifiers, I'll have to do it.
 

sam_gordon

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I believe I could not use the current line. Would have to run new coax. If I did that, I might as well run the line from scratch. I do t want to do that. But if there is contention between HT and dehumidifiers, I'll have to do it.
Does the current line have a black, red, and ground? If you change out to 120 V, recode the red (wrap some white electrical tape around each end) as the neutral. Sorry, just thinking some more on it.
 
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Miner

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Can you change the 240 circuit breaker out for two 120 then use the existing line? Maybe put two regular outlets in?

Not sure if that would be code, but just a thought.
A 240 circuit is usually 2 breakers on the opposite legs of the main buss. At my home, my dishwasher and garbage disposal are on adjacent breakers, and may be on a common neutral (as they are in a single box under the sink). But for sure I get 240 between the 2 line sockets and 120 between each and the neutral.
 
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navychop

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I am very familiar with how it works. Navy and civilian training and experience.

Getting things to work is one thing. Getting them to pass inspection is another. And getting it to work safely is yet another- sadly, not identical to passing inspection.

I feel another breaker and romex run in my future....

Gotta get outside work done first.
 

waylew

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I would not tap the 240 line. Odd you brought that up right now. I need a 120 line in my crawl space. I have an unused 240 I could tap. Pretty sure an inspector would not like that. So I'll tap a line I sent to my AV rig. Have to test it with AV running and humidifiers kicking in (on that 120 crawl space tap).
How does the unused 240 terminate ? Dead end in a box or an outlet ?Is the breaker the type with 2 toggles and a connecting bar?You can usually remove the bar to make 2 separate breakers.It's likely a 30 amp breaker,so you'd likely want to replace it with two 15 or 20 amp singles anyway.As far as the wire goes,use the black and the white for your hot and common and mark the red with tape (both ends) and use it for the ground.Of course remove the red from the breaker and connect to the ground bus.The unused breaker will be there to fill the hole and ready for a future project.
I see nothing for anyone to complain about but of course that's just my opinion,whatever that's worth.;)
 

eddie willers

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brian_tr hope you let us know if you ever pin point the issue. Thanks
I remember a fellow who had a problem where his feed would go bad almost every night around 11:30 PM.
Turned out his next door neighbor was a cop and when he would park, his traffic radar messed with the signal. I was just glad he found out what it was. As (mostly) men like us (nerds and gearheads) go nuts when something doesn't act the way it should. We MUST know why!
 
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navychop

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How does the unused 240 terminate ? Dead end in a box or an outlet ?Is the breaker the type with 2 toggles and a connecting bar?You can usually remove the bar to make 2 separate breakers.It's likely a 30 amp breaker,so you'd likely want to replace it with two 15 or 20 amp singles anyway.As far as the wire goes,use the black and the white for your hot and common and mark the red with tape (both ends) and use it for the ground.Of course remove the red from the breaker and connect to the ground bus.The unused breaker will be there to fill the hole and ready for a future project.
I see nothing for anyone to complain about but of course that's just my opinion,whatever that's worth.;)

Exactly. Connecting bar to an unused box now in a kitchen cabinet. Apparently at some point a prior owner ran a new range line and abandoned the old.

But I suspect your suggestion will not pass some future inspection. DK for sure. Sure would be easy.
 
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TheKrell

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How does the unused 240 terminate ? Dead end in a box or an outlet ?Is the breaker the type with 2 toggles and a connecting bar?You can usually remove the bar to make 2 separate breakers.It's likely a 30 amp breaker,so you'd likely want to replace it with two 15 or 20 amp singles anyway.As far as the wire goes,use the black and the white for your hot and common and mark the red with tape (both ends) and use it for the ground.Of course remove the red from the breaker and connect to the ground bus.The unused breaker will be there to fill the hole and ready for a future project.
I really like your suggestion. Unfortunately for me, I still want to use my A/C and can't do that.
But I suspect your suggestion will not pass some future inspection.
They need never know! As long as it's safe, I would do it. I think it's not safe for me to do this unless I add another breaker inside the compressor housing.
 
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sam_gordon

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A 240 circuit is usually 2 breakers on the opposite legs of the main buss. At my home, my dishwasher and garbage disposal are on adjacent breakers, and may be on a common neutral (as they are in a single box under the sink). But for sure I get 240 between the 2 line sockets and 120 between each and the neutral.
Isn't one bus on the left side of the breaker box and the other bus on the right side? How do you do one leg on each side? All the 240 circuits I've seen are on the same bus, with a "double wide" breaker.
 

TheKrell

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Isn't one bus on the left side of the breaker box and the other bus on the right side? How do you do one leg on each side? All the 240 circuits I've seen are on the same bus, with a "double wide" breaker.
I believe adjacent breakers access opposite legs of the two-phase circuit. If they didn't, then all 240V appliances would need two separate breakers on opposite sides of the box. Forgive me if I'm misinterpreting your comment. :D
 

pattykay

formerly crodrules
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Isn't one bus on the left side of the breaker box and the other bus on the right side? How do you do one leg on each side? All the 240 circuits I've seen are on the same bus, with a "double wide" breaker.
I thought that they alternated, with odd numbered breakers on one bus, and even numbered breakers on the other bus, precisely for the ease of installing those "double wide" breakers on one side, connected to both. I could be completely wrong, though. Electrical wiring is not exactly one of my areas of expertise.
 
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pattykay

formerly crodrules
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I would not tap the 240 line. Odd you brought that up right now. I need a 120 line in my crawl space. I have an unused 240 I could tap. Pretty sure an inspector would not like that. So I'll tap a line I sent to my AV rig. Have to test it with AV running and humidifiers kicking in (on that 120 crawl space tap).

I believe I could not use the current line. Would have to run new coax. If I did that, I might as well run the line from scratch. I do t want to do that. But if there is contention between HT and dehumidifiers, I'll have to do it.
So, just to be clear, you are running both humidifiers and dehumidifiers in the same place? That would be an interesting way of making distilled water.
 

navychop

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Think of interlacing your fingers. Every other "finger" is the other leg.

HVAC humidifier in winter, dehumidifiers in enclosed crawl space in summer. We paid big bucks to clear out mold and mildew, seal walls and vents to outside and French drain the sodden soil next to the house at one end. Also put in covering all over crawl space floor and walls (with foam insulation) and installed two HVAC vents to make it semi habitable. And must keep humidity low to prevent recurrence.
 

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waylew

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I really like your suggestion. Unfortunately for me, I still want to use my A/C and can't do that.
Check the wiring diagram in the AC and see if it has a 120v bus in it.If it does bring a line out to a box on the house and then a line to your light.Use an LED flood light which will use maybe 50 watts max,probably less than that and let there be light.
 
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pattykay

formerly crodrules
Jun 14, 2014
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Check the wiring diagram in the AC and see if it has a 120v bus in it.If it does bring a line out to a box on the house and then a line to your light.Use an LED flood light which will use maybe 50 watts max,probably less than that and let there be light.
Or simply put an extender cable on one of the solar lights I recommended earlier, so the solar panel can be located somewhere that is nice and sunny.
 

waylew

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Okay let's review basic home electrification.From the pole you have a 240v center tapped transformer,takes whatever the primary line voltage and drops it down to 240v.From that you get 3 lines entering the panel,2 "hot" and 1 neutral,aka ground.In the panel you have 2 bus bars,one hot line connects to one bar and the other hot line connects to the other bar through the main breaker.The neutral goes to the ground lug in the panel.For any circuit requiring 240v a double breaker will span both bus bars.For 120v circuits,a single breaker will connect to one bus or the other.Say you have 10 120v circuits,to keep the load "balanced" you place 5 breakers on one bus and 5 on the other bus.
So for 240v you use both hot lines,120v comes from one hot line and the neutral.
 
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waylew

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Isn't one bus on the left side of the breaker box and the other bus on the right side? How do you do one leg on each side? All the 240 circuits I've seen are on the same bus, with a "double wide" breaker.
A typical panel will have 2 separate bus bars running down the center.The main breaker will connect to both bars with one hot leg feeding one bar and the other the other.A 240v breaker will connect to both bars,a 120v breaker connects to one bar or the other.
Different manufacturers may arrange things differently but in the end they all do the same thing.That's why you can't just buy a breaker,you have to know the manufacturer and style of breaker for it to fit and work.
 

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