# Double tapping into dryer breaker to get 240.



## FlynHawaiian (Sep 14, 2016)

Hey everyone,

I am new here and to woodworking. I have built a few tables and other small projects. I have had many people ordering tables from me recently so I am able to upgrade my tools. I am purchasing a jointer that runs on 240. Unfortunately my breaker is out of space for any additional breakers. 

So with that being said I have had two electricians out to give me a quote. First electrician said my 150 amp breaker box would have to be upgraded and it would cost $1,000 after permit, parts, and labor. Second electrician said he could run the power from my existing breaker for my dryer and run a 240v plug in my garage and it would cost $175. The negative that came with that cost was that I would not be able to run the jointer and the dryer at the same time.

I know there are some breakers that are made to be able to be double tapped and up to code but I do not know if that also goes with 240 breakers. Side note I do not plan to live in this house for more than 2-3 more years and do not want to spend an arm and a leg to upgrade all the electrical in the house.

My questions:

1. Is electrician #2's method safe? 
2. Is electrician #2's method up to code?
3. Is there a third option that neither of them have mentioned?

Thanks in advance for all your advice! 

Blake


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*it's 2 outlets in parallel*

It's not all that different than 120 V circuit with 2 outlets or in my shop I have both a ceiling and a wall 220 V outlet on the same breaker. If you exceed the current draw of the breaker by running both devices, which is properly sized for the wire run to it, then all that will happen is the breaker will trip. If you proceed with this approach, I would just caution you to NOT run them both simultaneously just for peace of mind. If the electrician has approved this approach, and will stand behind it, I see no issues.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

How far is the dryer and your shop from the main breaker? You could do away with the breaker and line to your dryer and put in a heavier breaker and run another line to your shop and put in a sub-panel. From there the dryer could be wired off the sub-panel and give you more spaces for your shop. The big question is can a homeowner in your area do electrical work or if it has to be done by a licensed electrician. 

About the double taping, you would have to use the same gauge wire going to your shop that is rated for the breaker. A smaller wire could melt in two before tripping the breaker.


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## FlynHawaiian (Sep 14, 2016)

Thanks for the advice. I would make sure not to run them at the same time. I just didn't want to burn the house down. 

As for running a sub panel the dryer is less than 50 feet away from the existing panel and the 240 plug can be close to either. The first electrician said the panel was not large enough to support a sub panel though. He could have been saying that just to get me to go the other route. Where I live I cannot install a new panel or sub panel without a permit and electrician. I can wire my own plugs though.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

The electrician may have been referring to the amount of power passing through the box to run a sub-panel. Everything has it's limits. 

If you didn't run both at once and used the same size or larger wire there wouldn't be a problem taping into the dryer wiring. 

The thousand dollars sounds about right to change out the breaker box. I watched two electricians replace a meter base and breaker box at a house I'm working on and it took them all day and part of the next to do the job.


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## MajorAssman (Jul 13, 2016)

A sub panel in the shop, and the world's your oyster. The new owner would appreciate it too.


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## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

Electrician #2's way isn't technically unsafe or against code, but personally I wouldn't go for it. I can't find any literature to back this up, but I believe the reason that high amp breakers are only connected to one receptical, I.e dryer or range outlets, is because the device intended for use on that receptical maxes out said breaker, and adding the possibility of a second device increases the risk of something going wrong.

Personally, I wouldn't want to tap I to the dryer outlet. If you can't add a dedicated breaker, the next best thing would be adding a sub-par for your shop, instead of fully replacing the main panel. That would be the 'correct' way to do it, in my opinion.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

The dryer outlet doesn't have to be dedicated to be up to code. It's like your living room you have several outlets wired to one breaker. If you ran too many things on the outlets it might trip the beaker but would be up to code. As long as all the wire to that breaker was sized for that breaker it would be up to code. The only reason you may not be able run your jointer at the same time as the dryer is you might exceed the amperage for that line and trip the breaker. Add up the amperage of both. Perhaps it would work. Anyway the breaker would limit amount of power drawn on that line and keep it safe.


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## Brian(J) (Feb 22, 2016)

Blake,
your questions,
My questions:

1. Is electrician #2's method safe? 
2. Is electrician #2's method up to code?
3. Is there a third option that neither of them have mentioned?

1. Yes, quite safe.
2. Unknown, the NEC has some catch-all wording that will allow inspectors to object to wiring methods they don't like, and this path is a bit lacking in elegance, some inspectors would object to it.
3. Without knowing a lot more can't say.

Your use of the term double tapping isn't a factor, you are talking about one set of #10 wire to the dryer and another to the Joiner, you could wire nut them together in the panel. 

Good luck.


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## TimPa (Jan 27, 2010)

an option I would highly consider is this. you say you panel does not have any available spaces for a 2 pole circuit breaker. most panels allow the use of tandem breakers (maybe in specific slots). this can be determined from the panel mfrs data.


tandem cb's mean that two- 120 volt circuits can be placed onto a cb that only consumes one slot. if you do this twice, you free up 2 slots which can now be used for you new 240 volt run. you may have to move some breakers to make the 2 slots adjacent.


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