Stacked Washer and Dryer Power Source

[Skip Erwin]

I inspected this condo today that only a 220 Volt power source in the laundry closest. It didn't have a 110 Volt outlet. The closet was for one of those stacked washer/dryer combos. Can those operate off 220 only?

[brian winkle]

The electric ones use 240 only. The ones with gas dryers need 120. This is for one piece combo units. You can also stack individual units, you would need the 120 for those.

[Skip Erwin]

Thanks Brian.

[Speedy Petey]

This is kind of a grey area. I know H-I's are not supposed to quote code, but a 120v "laundry" receptacle is still required for the laundry.

If the unit is installed and in a dedicated closet that nothing else will fit in IMO it is not really a defect, but a "technical" code violation.

If it is a new (or selling) home it actually is an issue because you never know if the new owners will have two units stacked or a one-piece.

[Marc D. Shunk]

There are two types of stack lanudry equipment. There is "stacked" and there are "stackable". The "stacked" all electric units run off the single 120/240, 30 amp receptacle. The "stackable" all electric units plug into the 120/240, 30 amp receptacle for the dryer portion and plug into the 120V receptacle for the washer portion. As Speedy rightly points out, the laundry requires at least one 120V circuit to meet code, and really ought to have it anyhow since you don't know what sort of stack unit the homeowner will have. It could sorely limit the options for the future.

[Joe Funderburk, CMI]

The washing machine runs off 110, right?

[Speedy Petey]

Originally Posted by jfunderburk

The washing machine runs off 110, right?

Not necessarily. Most one piece stacked units use the 30a-120/240v circuit for both as Marc explained.

[Marc D. Shunk]

Originally Posted by jfunderburk

The washing machine runs off 110, right?

Yes, in the stackable units. There's seperate cords for the dryer and washer portions. In the stacked units (all built together), the washer grabs it's power from the big single 120/240 plug that serves the entire unit.

Bear in mind that they dryer outlet isn't straight 240 (or "220" as some still say). It's actually 120/240. The old three wire flavor is ungrounded, and the newer 4-wire flavor has a ground wire. Same goes for range receptacles.

[Paul W. Abernathy]

The most important thing here is what I believe someone already said...the laundary circuit is required and it has to be (1) 20A circuit...if this is considered the laundry area their has to be this 120V circuit in there....now maybe it is not in the cubby so to speak that the stacked unit is going but it would be in my opinion ignorant of the electrician not to run both 240 and 120 circuits to this location.

[Bob Elliott]

Interesting as I never considered that a closet built only for a double stack electric combo unit would be required to include 110 other than for lighting.
I mean many Condos have no gas lines at all.
Either way it would be easy to rectify.

[Barry Adair]

Originally Posted by relliott

Either way it would be easy to rectify.

At who's expense?
The inspector's possibly if not noted in the report, I'd imagine.

[Speedy Petey]

Originally Posted by badair

At who's expense?
The inspector's possibly if not noted in the report, I'd imagine.

HUH? If not noted on a report, you think you'd be responsible to put it in????
How is at ALL possible?

[Barry Adair]

Originally Posted by Speedy Petey

HUH? If not noted on a report, you think you'd be responsible to put it in????
How is at ALL possible?

Nope, I'm not responsible to do anything except report what is there or not there that is supposed to be there.

Yeah, Bubba and Betty Sue buy their dream home bring in the laundry equipment and no where to plug it in.

You bet their attorney "would be a callin" or sending one of those
Demand Letters

They've contacted me about this or no gas supply for that $XXXX.XX gas dryer he bought her to make-up for the last time he came home with lipstick on his drawers.

I remind them to once again read their report thoroughly.

[Paul W. Abernathy]

Ironically enough a Gas Line is not required, an outlet for a dryer is not required.....and ironically again an outlet for a washer machine is not required.....BUT a laundry circuit is required and if it by chance happens to run a Washer Machine....then so be it....

But closet or not...if that is the designated place for the water connections and so on to be considered a laundary area...in my ALWAYS JADED opinion it is considered the laundry area and a 120V 20A circuit is required.....

[Marc D. Shunk]

A laundry area can also be in the bathroom in some floor plans. This means that you need the bath circuit and the laundry circuit in that same room. The laundry area isn't necessarily a room or space of its own.