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Keep in mind, a 30A 220 breaker is two 15's tied together.


A 30 amp 220v breaker (at least here in the states, probably in the EU as well) is two 30 amp single pole breakers tied together.

While it is true that you can get 30 amps of 120v out of a 2 pole 15 amp breaker, that's at 120v... the two loads will balance each other and become a single 15 amp 220 volt load with no current flow on the neutral. A 220volt load like a drier doesn't use the neutral, so if it's 30 amps on one leg, it's 30 on the other. The breaker must be a double 30 amp.

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If there is only 1 50A, then what you have is 110, not 220.


Probably, you will never find a 50 amp 120v circuit. The largest allowed in the states is 30 amp. Older houses have 15 amp circuits, newer have 20.

My house has one 70 amp circuit to the garage... but that was my doing...

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One other thing to watch out for is that since a 30A won't need the same size wire as a 50A, there's a decent chance the wire won't fit into your breaker without trimming some of the wires off first. (Wire of that gauge is usually stranded so it can be bent without tools.)


Don't do this please... Most breakers up to 50 amps are all made in the same housing with the same terminals, so the 50 amp wire will fit the 30 amp breaker.

Also, don't bend the wire with pliers. The minimum bend radius of any wire is usually 8x the wire diameter. I've seen a lot of places where the wires were bent into pretty 90 degree sharp angles with pliers (I used to do this as a teen wiring things). Especially in solid core wire, this breaks, or nearly breaks, the core.

Also, a 50 amp circuit may be using a #8 wire, depending on the age of the installation. Probably, since this is a house installation, it will be a solid core. This is still easily bent by hand.

Wires are rated for amperage by the temperature that their insulation can withstand. There are new insulation materials constatly coming out, so that years ago you would have had to use a #6 for the 50 amp circuit, but newer wires could be only a #8. Most wire/current selection charts are simple things and use the most conservative figures. In any case, both 6 and 8 are fine for your 30 amps.

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Last but not least, check the voltage on the panel with a meter to make sure it's off before you work in your panel.


Always good advice, tho I replace breakers with the power on...

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We pulled the meter, the assistant starts to pull a breaker. Jim says "Did you check the power to make sure it's off?" The assistant looks at him like he's nuts, but pulls out his meter. Checks the voltage across the panel, and reads 220.


I have seen houses where someone has jumpered one leg of the power meter to same money. It's amazing the stuff that goes on in house wiring...