My wife’s hair dryer went up in smoke yesterday. Went to buy a new one and it seems as if the most common ones are 1875 watts. Is this a realistic rating or is it like the magic 3hp handheld grinders that really put out about 1/2hp. If my calculations are correct this is 15amps. How can you plug in a 15amp device unless you have a dedicated 15amp circuit or a 20amp circuit serving the bathroom. In recent construction I did install 2 – 20amp circuits in the girl’s (3 of them) bathroom, but the downstairs bathroom (50 years old) is served by a 15amp circuit along with most of the main floor. I don’t want to keep tripping the breaker.
Thanks for the help.
Replies
My guess is that the thing actually draws somewhere around 1850 watts continuous. This is a resistance heat device, so that number is probably meaningful.
A motorized electric power tool rated at 15 amps is a different matter. If, say, the peak load is 15 amps, the realistic continuous load is going to be much less.
I had to install a wiring upgrade for my wife's hair dryer...
If I remember right aren't you only supposed to pull 80% of the rated load through a receptacle? If so how can the UL allow them to sell a device that will knowingly be used to overload a circuit? Since I don't require a hair dryer anymore I guess I don't realize the advantage of 1875 watts versus 1500 watts. Should I look for a lower wattage unit or hope that my 15amp circuit can handle the 1875 watts.
Thanks.
"If I remember right aren't you only supposed to pull 80% of the rated load through a receptacle? If so how can the UL allow them to sell a device that will knowingly be used to overload a circuit? "
I think the idea with '%80' is that one should design circuits such that known or estimated loads amount to %80 of ampacity. This allows for some cushion. In usage, you can pull the full ampacity safely. The UL folks cannot know whether you have a 10 amp circuit or a 20amp circuit. 20amp circuits have become very common, and from what I have read, are often the minimum for bathrooms now.
That explains why every time my wife and stepdaughters dried their hair and I tried to make toast or coffee in the kitchen (same circuit) it tripped the breaker.