After many pitfalls, I have gotten my new dryer working. It's a Kenmore 81182 electric dryer. (Manual from sears; Sears website). Very long story short, the neutral wire at the breaker box wasn't tight, at all, not in the least (how my previous dryer ran 10 years is a mystery).
Got that squared away, but I am wondering if the 30amp dryer should be on a dedicated 50amp breaker. I had it off for two days and noticed all other appliances working in the house (fridge, washer, dishwasher, oven, stove, central heat/air). The panel at the box is not labelled, but a nice little piece of cardboard inside the box labels the slot "dryer".
Shouldn't this appliance be a 30amp breaker? Or am I misreading "minimum circuit rating = 30amp"? Hope this question falls to DIY.SE.
Best Answer
Your question is a bit convoluted, but the answer is very simple. The breaker size must match or be lower than the wire amp rating feeding the circuit, and appliances on that circuit should not exceed the max rating of the wire or breaker. In a dedicated circuit for a dryer, for example, the normal size of the circuit would be 30 amps. 30 amps requires a minimum of #10 copper or #8 alu. With this wire size, the breaker must not be larger than 30 amps. Do not use a larger breaker then what the current rating of the wire is rated for.