Electrician recommends combining washer/dryer 110v into 220v ??

[Runt8]

I’d still like to know exactly what he is proposing?

Are the two outlets on opposite phases, and he is going to wire them together and add a new outlet?

Are the two outlets the only outlets on the circuit, and he is going to repurpose the wire and make one (or two) 240 outlets?

I'm guessing that since these outlets were meant for a washer and dryer, they are close together (or even in the same box) and have no other outlets on the circuit. So in that case you have 4 wires going from the breaker box to the outlet. You just need to remove the two 120V breakers from the panel and stick in a 240V one instead (amperage based on wire gauge).

 

[bottomsup]

I’d still like to know exactly what he is proposing?

Are the two outlets on opposite phases, and he is going to wire them together and add a new outlet?

Are the two outlets the only outlets on the circuit, and he is going to repurpose the wire and make one (or two) 240 outlets?

I will ask him and report back

 

[mknox]

This is not a very common wiring setup as far as I know (dual 120v circuits for washer and dryer).

Seems to be common in Illinois. I was planning on co-opting my daughter's dryer outlet (adjacent to the garage) when I went to visit, but with a gas dryer, all they had was 2 - 120 volt outlets in the laundry room. They moved to a new house (still in Illinois) and it has the same setup. Come to think of it, the laundry area in my brother's garage in California was the same. For some reason, he bought an electric clothes dryer and ended up paying an electrician to bring a 240 volt circuit in for it. Not sure if I'll ever drive from Toronto to LA, but at least I know I'll have a place to plug in.

 

[chilman408]

Seems to be common in Illinois. I was planning on co-opting my daughter's dryer outlet (adjacent to the garage) when I went to visit, but with a gas dryer, all they had was 2 - 120 volt outlets in the laundry room. They moved to a new house (still in Illinois) and it has the same setup. Come to think of it, the laundry area in my brother's garage in California was the same. For some reason, he bought an electric clothes dryer and ended up paying an electrician to bring a 240 volt circuit in for it. Not sure if I'll ever drive from Toronto to LA, but at least I know I'll have a place to plug in.

Agreed... At this point in time, it is probably worth the upgrade to 120V for the washer and dryer to be more efficient.

 

[bottomsup]

If you have two 20a outlets on opposite phases... there is this... 220 and 240 Voltage Converters for Everyday Use

I don't know much about them. There is a circuit in it (apparently) to keep the second plug from energizing until they are both plugged in and verified to be on opposite phases.

I probably wouldn't do this long term.

I'd have to understand more about exactly what the electrician is proposing. If there is already a dedicated 20a / 120v circuit that itself may be converted.

Wouldn’t this lack the efficiency gains of 240v since it’s still 2 120v?

 

[chilman408]

Wouldn’t this lack the efficiency gains of 240v since it’s still 2 120v?

Only if the 240v equipment can wash a load 4x faster or vice-versa.

 

[NewTMSMan]

I would keep it simple, move one of the breakers, if needed to have each outlet on a separate leg of your service and then use a Quick 220 to charge. No electrician needed and no need to undo the electrical work if you move.

110-120 and 220-240 Voltage Converters & Accessories

 

[brkaus]

Wouldn’t this lack the efficiency gains of 240v since it’s still 2 120v?

240 in a house is two 120v circuits out of phase.

 

[Nocturnal]

I was more wondering if there are any problems with potentially having the wires running different routes to the outlet, although I would assume they were run the same way.

I'm not an electrician, but I don't see how that would impact anything. As long as they are on different phases from the breaker it doesn't matter how the wires managed to get there.

 

[brkaus]

I’d w

I'm not an electrician, but I don't see how that would impact anything. As long as they are on different phases from the breaker it doesn't matter how the wires managed to get there.

I’d want a code expert to say combining two seperate wires to get 240 is legal. Code is based on safety.

 

[Nocturnal]

I’d w

I’d want a code expert to say combining two seperate wires to get 240 is legal. Code is based on safety.

My worry would be that they wouldn't be coming from adjacent breakers/tied to a single breaker that trips both circuits. Presumably his electrician is on top of that though.

 

[FourOhFour]

The existing pair of outlets are likely two runs with three conductors each (hot, neutral, ground) or a single run with four conductors (hot, hot, neutral, ground) and the outlets share the neutral.

In the first case: you can take the first run and leave it as-is for a single 15-20R. Take the second run, use tape or a sharpie to mark the neutral wire as a second hot on both ends, swap out the breaker, and you got a 6-20R.

In the second case: you can swap out the breaker and you get a 14-20R, which'll need an adapter to 6-20R for the charger. Or cap the neutral and you get a 6-20R. I'd probably go for the 6-20R and avoid the adapter, but if there's no other outlets in the area a 14-20R can also be adapted to a 5-20R if you need it.

Both cases may require moving circuits around in the panel.

 

[FourOhFour]

In the first case: you can take the first run and leave it as-is for a single 15-20R.

*sigh* Proofreading works best before clicking post. 5-20R not 15-20R.

 

[brkaus]

*sigh* Proofreading works best before clicking post. 5-20R not 15-20R.

I find posts magically look different once I click post.

 

[GWord]

There is no such thing as 220V service,

To be fair, you don't know if he is a time traveler from the late 1800s. Maybe the next Model X has BTTF mode in it and he's trying to figure out how to charge it with his dynamo.

 

[bottomsup]

I'm guessing that since these outlets were meant for a washer and dryer, they are close together (or even in the same box) and have no other outlets on the circuit. So in that case you have 4 wires going from the breaker box to the outlet. You just need to remove the two 120V breakers from the panel and stick in a 240V one instead (amperage based on wire gauge).

Here's what he said.

Yes, and yes. The two circuits are specific for your washer and dryer separately, I will of course make sure they are different phases. As I said, you can't use them while charging.
I could also, install a switch that will control which outlet will work so you can ONLY use either the charger, OR the washer/dryer.

 

[eprosenx]

Here's what he said.

Yes, and yes. The two circuits are specific for your washer and dryer separately, I will of course make sure they are different phases. As I said, you can't use them while charging.
I could also, install a switch that will control which outlet will work so you can ONLY use either the charger, OR the washer/dryer.

So if there are two circuits and they don’t share a neutral and if your washer and dryer can fit on a single 120v circuit then you can take the other circuit and convert it to a 240v circuit.

You would not have to avoid charging the car at the same time as running the washer or dryer in this case as they would be on different circuits altogether. Also no need for any external box to merge two 120v circuits.

 

[davewill]

Here's what he said.

Yes, and yes. The two circuits are specific for your washer and dryer separately, I will of course make sure they are different phases. As I said, you can't use them while charging.
I could also, install a switch that will control which outlet will work so you can ONLY use either the charger, OR the washer/dryer.

OK, that sounds like a bad idea. You're going to have a weird lashup with a 240v outlet and two 120v outlets that almost certainly won't pass inspection. If that's the best he can do, just bite the bullet and run a new circuit.