Maytag 110 Us dryer hookup in China

[Chad Doering]

Hi all. Need advice e on a Maytag Legacy series electric dryer 2007 vintage.

We moved to Shanghai with out Maytag washer and dryer purchased from the U.S (2007 models) both electric, not gas).

I am having a difficult time getting the Maytag dryer to work off of a 220v line here. The plug was wired for 110 v in the U.S. and worked there just fine (manual says capable of 110 to 220v) input.

In our apartment here in Shanghai, we had a 30 amp line put in. When we plug it in we do get 220 volts running through it tested with a meter tester on the plug pins and the pin breakouts in the dryer where the leads hookup from the plug. When I hit the start button the circuit breaker on the wall clicks off. The dryer does not even attempt to turn on... just a click from the breaker on the wall.

I am assuming there is a wiring problem. The manual states that anything over 208 v must use a 4 wire hookup (hot, neg., ground and neutral). However, nothing here has a 4 wire hookup to the circuit panel. Any work arounds for this? Am i on the right track?

A label in the door of the dryer states...

120-208 volts: 24 amps 60 hz- 3 wire hookup
120-240 volts: 26 amps 60 hz- 4 wire hookup

Everything in china runs on 50 hz.

thanks
Chad

[Warren J. Porter]

Chad,
Maybe you should convert it back to 110 and wire the plug that just uses one leg and the neutral. Is it possible that to go from 110 to 220 that there is some wire switching inside the dryer that needs to be done?

[Speedy Petey]

Originally Posted by Chad Doering

Am i on the right track?

Sorry but there are not even any tracks in sight.

You CANNOT use this washer or (especially) dryer there. China is 220v, 50hz. They DO NOT use a neutral. At least not anyone that would give you 120v.

The washer will not work. Not unless it can be converted to 220v. Even then it will not work correctly at 50hz.
The dryer will NOT work at all. The dryer MUST have 120v to work. You do not have this over there. You need a 120/240v circuit, NOT just a "220v" circuit.
Also, you did not have it wired for 120v over here. This is impossible for an electric dryer.

Why would you go through such trouble and expense shipping these things without knowing for sure you could use them???

[Marc Benz]

Speedy Pete is right on track on this matter and in China the normal power system is 220-230 volts line to netural compared what we have 120v Line to Netural which is normal in North Americain system is and 240 volt Line to Line.

The China system line to line is 400-415 volts LINE TO LINE and everything in there is 50 HZ no doubt about that.

[ I am oringally from France so i know how it goes we have 230 volts Line to Netural system there ]

and what more most North American dryers the motor useally are 120 volt verison ditto with the timer motor and the washer motor is 120 volt and the timer is 120 volts and it alomost impossible to changeover to 240 volts without replacing just about every electric motor or switches [ to safity the 240 volt rating ]

Merci, Marc

[Chad Doering]

Thanks for the advice.

We got our washing machine working with a power converter (easy here to find a step down power converter with 60 hz.). Problem is finding an 8000 watt power converter is not so easy so bringing it back down to 120 volt was not even considered. I figured since the manual stated it could run between 110 to 220 volt, then we could wire it for 220 but it makes sense that we cannot do it since China does not have a 4 wire neutral.

I guess the only way is if I can find a step down converter that will handle 8000 watts and that will be a little monster converter.

Why I brought it over? Just bought both units one week before I was offered the job here. Company paid to ship everything we owned. No time to sell them off before we moved. Now just trying to get some use out of them instead of using them as book shelves in the garage.

Thanks for the advice.

Chad

[Speedy Petey]

Originally Posted by Chad Doering

Why I brought it over? Just bought both units one week before I was offered the job here.

That MUST have been one HELL of an offer!

Sorry, you couldn't give me $1m a year to uproot and move half way around the world.

[ldapkus]

My brother works for Caterpillar and has been to China twice on company business. He says the traffic is horrific, chaotic at best. Little cars mowing down little people everywhere.

[Richard A. Moran, 2nd]

Hey Chad, if you get a chance take a picture of the power lines running around your area and post it. When I was in Thailand is was fasinating and scarey to see all the Rube Goldberg stuff people do to get power. I saw a lot of step up/down transformers.

Dick
PS Dont drink the water....

[Ian Gills]

Having come the other way (well, not from China), I can tell you all that nowhere is more difficult for moving to than the US, although it is quite nice once you are here.

110 volts is just the starter (give me 240 volts which runs cooler and ring mains which mean thinner gauge cable to handle higher currents anyday....did I mention buried transmission lines?).

Try getting a driving license.

China will be a breeze.

With the washer dryer, I would suggest you stop now at the electrical. You would find the plumbing quite interesting as well. Most of the world has moved over to metric!

[Richard A. Moran, 2nd]

I have seen first hand in third world countries how greasing the hand of officials gets your paperwork approved faster.
Sad but true. I still like our system better even if it seems harder.

Dick

[Ian Gills]

I wish greasing the hand of a contractor would work as efficiently here. But sadly no. That glazier never did come back.

Even so the US is a great place to live.

On the issue of a ring main, and as a side, theoretically with my Square D breakers (which allow for two hots to be connected) I could a run a hot wire from the breaker to a fixture(s) on a circuit and then back to the breaker, having two neutrals, grounds and hots - on the same phase - per circuit (and hence the term ring). Then I would only need a thinner gauge wire, since current could go in both directions around the ring.

Is this code compliant in the US?

[Marc Benz]

Originally Posted by Ian Gills

I wish greasing the hand of a contractor would work as efficiently here. But sadly no. That glazier never did come back.

Even so the US is a great place to live.

On the issue of a ring main, and as a side, theoretically with my Square D breakers (which allow for two hots to be connected) I could a run a hot wire from the breaker to a fixture(s) on a circuit and then back to the breaker, having two neutrals, grounds and hots - on the same phase - per circuit (and hence the term ring). Then I would only need a thinner gauge wire, since current could go in both directions around the ring.

Is this code compliant in the US?

Ian ,.. No it is not allowed in North America codes I know the UK do allowed but where i came from [ Paris France ] we dont use the ring as well either but just don't go with colour codes between the two lol.,,

the other reason why we don't use the rings you may noted the North american plugs are not fused like you see in UK verison that the reason exect the hoildays light or decteration they will install fused plug to prevent overloading it

but other hand i did see few DIY's done that and it was not very safe at all myself i don't know how long it was banned in the NEC but i am sure it was way back in 1920's era [ if someone have correct info please stepup ]

Merci, Marc

[Ian Gills]

Thanks Marc. Very interesting.