Electrical – My dryer has a issue after switching the breaker

circuit breakerelectrical

I sold my old dryer because my neighbor gave me a new dryer
And her new dryer had a 4 prong plug compared to my old dryer which had a 3 prong plug…

I changed the 3 prong wire plug to the 4 prong dryer so it would plug into my outlet for the dryer… the dryer is on a 60 amp breaker by the way… and everything was fine the first couple of months then my breaker started getting hot, like too hot to touch kind of hot…

I switched off the breaker and switched it back on later and now the dryer won't work at all… my question is, would changing the wires on dryers cause a electrical malfunction in time and ruin something in the dryer by pulling to much current when the dryer had a 4 prong to start… ???

I found the 60 amp breaker odd for a dryer also, but no I can't post pictures… the dryer is too heavy for me to move and it's just a regular 3 prong dryer outlet , the wires were just changed from the dryer to the outlet…so it would work, and I didn't have to change the outlet.

Best Answer

I would say the main suspect is your breaker.

If it was heating up and not tripping it is probably faulty.

The normal breaker for a dryer circuit is 30 amp and #10 wire.

To use a 60 amp breaker for a dryer circuit you would need a minimum of #6 wire (smaller numbered wire is larger). I would suspect your wire is not that big.

If a voltage test at the outlet does not show voltage then you should try replacing the breaker with a 30 amp for a fairly inexpensive fix. If that doesn't work. It's possible the dryer needs repair.

Good luck and stay safe!