Please check your Dryer plug and outlet

dcjredline

dcjredline

New member
Today I set out to clean out the lint trap and exhaust hose for my dryer. I went into the basement and unhooked the hose from the wall, next I moved the dryer out so I could get the other end of the hose off but there wasn't enough cord to move it far enough. After fighting and wiggling like mad to get the plug out of the wall I was greeted with this nightmare scene.












As you can see something was loose and causing at least alot of heat, if not sparks!! This could have been VERY dangerous as you could imagine. Whats worse is that this dryer is directly under my daughters room. Not cool. I plugged that dryer in about 9 years ago when I moved in and it hasnt been unplugged since. I am so thankful I was too lazy to get behind there without unplugging this.

PLEASE go check yours if you haven't in a long time! It could save your life.

I installed a new outlet on the wall and cord on the dryer, tomorrow I have to replace the outside shutter thing and I will put it all back together and plug it back in.
 
Don,
So glad you found this before it turned into its own little fire in the plastic electrical box..

The thing to remember about any electrical connection - it has to be tight - Not girly-girl-tight either...

Electricity A/C current vibrates all the time, and that can loosen up loose connections enough so that the wire now has to bridge the gap over to the connection, and that spark is what creates more heat, and as you found out, it leads to that and then to smelling something burning but not finding it easily, and then if not found, a fire in the wall..

Bigger connections as the Dryer and Stove if electric have to be really tight.
And if you have to twist any wires that big be sure to use lineman pliers to do the twisting so they are tight before you put the big wire nut on them and then twist that down tight too...

Glad you found this - great job !
Dan F
 
Well said Dan. As an electrician I see this everyday. The leading cause of electrical fires is loose connections like the one pictured above. As a funny aside, it is usually a woman that notices the smell long before men. Even in the "big box stores" I service. I can't tell you how many times I find the issue and a female tells the man "I told you I smelled something a couple of weeks ago!" So fellas if your better half mentions this it would behoove you to do some investigating.
 
Yeah, I freaked when I saw it and got right online. I found that it happens to ALOT of people so I decided to let everyone know that maybe this is something you should check once a year or so. Just unplug it and see if you can see it there, it may be on the other side of the outlet too but ya never know.
 
BSkip333 said:
Well said Dan. As an electrician I see this everyday. The leading cause of electrical fires is loose connections like the one pictured above. As a funny aside, it is usually a woman that notices the smell long before men. Even in the "big box stores" I service. I can't tell you how many times I find the issue and a female tells the man "I told you I smelled something a couple of weeks ago!" So fellas if your better half mentions this it would behoove you to do some investigating.
Click to expand...

The thing about the women is true. Listen to their instincts!
 
I was taught early on to pull the wires of any connection once it was made to ensure it was solid. This will save you a lot of trouble and troubleshooting in the future.
 
So you guys think now that I have installed a new outlet (AND TIGHTENED THE CRAP OUT OF THEM cause I am so nervous now) that it should be better? The screws on all three wires were tight still. I'm thinking inside the outlet where the plug goes into was loose/worn for some reason.
 
My apologies, I overlooked that earlier. Yes sir, you should be good to go. From the looks of your pictures it does appear to have been in the internal connection between cord end and outlet. Strange since it isn't something that is removed often, you usually see that with regular receptacles where things are constantly being inserted and removed. Great job being proactive and preventing further issues
 
Thanks, No problem not seeing that in my OP I was sort of long winded. I appreciate your input and it puts my mind at ease to plug it back in and use it. lol.
 
If the 220Vac outlet was installed by an Electrician, it will probably be good and tight..
If you decide to go in there and check it sometime, you will find that it is side wired to the screws on the side of the outlet.

Do NOT touch those side wired screws for any reason unless you have verified that you have the power off to that outlet.
The circuit breaker will be marked in your power panel usually as Dryer and it will be a 40amp or so sized breaker/s..

Nothing usually goes wrong for decades with plugs, unless as BSkip333 said, the plug is plugged into and out of a zillion times and the contacts are worn thin now and they dont hold the plug tight..

And also glad you took care of the dryer vent as those are known to catch fire and burn houses down too..

Dan F
 
From his pictures the outlet had to be added since 2001 at the earliest as it is the color coded romex. It's odd they used 10/2 and didn't use a separate neutral. The dryer shouldn't be on anything higher than a 30A breaker.
 
This happend a few years back at our old place. Electric dryer. Tripped the house breaker. Turned out to be a loose plug connection into the dryer. Took out the dial control too. Repair tech as seen it before. Lowes/home depot tend to not tighten that plug enough! So in time it gets loose and causes a short. At the time we had some kind of plan. Fix was free.
 
The other problem with the big box stores installing the cord is they don't remove the jumper between the ground and the neutral. If you have a 4 wire system they should be separated. SOME building inspectors check but if it has been replaced chances are they never removed it. When you guys move them to clean the vents it is worth a 5 minute check for certain.
 
Wow, should only be on a 30A breaker? Mine is on a double 30. Sounds like this was a homeowner hack. I have owned the house since 2000 so I know it wasnt done post 2001. But close enough probably. They could have very well done it in 2000 before I bought it from the foreclosure.
 
That's correct, a 2 pole 30A breaker, anytime it is 240V it will require a double pole breaker. Thanks for clarifying. Couldn't have been much earlier than 2000 then, they didn't start using the color coded wiring to "idiot-proof" inspectors rough-in inspections. I would imagine it was the previous homeowner or a "handyman" as no one competent would have installed a 3 wire circuit. Even if the old appliance had the 3 wire cord it would have been easy to just cap off the neutral until they converted.
 
I took the conversion into deep consideration. Do you think I should get a new wire put in? I can do it all except I am going to have an electrician wire it into the panel. Is it much much better/safer?
 
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