How Many Amps Does a Hair Dryer Use? Detailed Answer

Hair dryer image: Pixabay

Are you planning to buy a hair dryer? Whether it is for personal use or business, you will definitely want to know its amperes. The amps will tell you the performance expectation from the dryer, and also help you know the safety levels of the dryer.

In this guide, we are going to reveal the amperes for the hair dryers. In addition to that, we will also give you tips on how to get the best performance from your hair dryer with regards to its amperes.

Lastly, you will learn how to choose the best hair dryers from reputable suppliers and manufacturers in China.

Table of Contents

How many amps for a hair dryer?

Most hair dryers in the market are designed to use 15 amps. This is an ideal amperage of the dryer and it will run the device smoothly and effectively.

15 amps is also deemed to be the safest amperes for most devices and appliances in a typical household, so the hair dryer is not an exception.

But do not be fixated on the 15 amps. Some hair dryers may come with different amperage. Some have higher while others have lower.

The specifications of the dryer may be the key determining factor for these figures. The same applies to the model of the dryer that you are using. It is not strange to find a dryer that has more ampacity.

So, it will be prudent to ask about these specifications when buying a hair dryer for sale.

How many watts in a 15 amps circuit?

Now that you know that a hair dryer is designed to use 15 amps, it will be prudent to know its wattage.

To find this, we have to do some simple calculation.

First, let’s assume that the dryer is connected to a 120 volts line. To get its watts, we simply need to multiply the volts by the amps.

15 amps × 120 volts = 1800 watts.

Take note that the 1800W is the maximum power capacity of the circuit. If the appliances in that circuit consume more than this, the circuit is likely to overheat and even trip. In fact, it is a potential fire hazard.

This is why it is always recommended that the appliances should not exceed 80% of the circuit’s capacity.

How many watts does an air dryer use?

At this point, you know the two key parameters for the hair dryer. These are the amps, the voltage and even the wattage of a 15 amps circuit.

A hair dryer will consume between 800 and 1800 watts.

As we have stated, it is unsafe for the dryer to exceed 1800 watts as this will lead to the tripping of the circuit. It can also be a safety hazard and this is why hair dryer manufacturers usually give warnings on the usage.

But, again, the watts will depend on the model of the hair dryer and how you are using.

Unheated hair dryer can consume less than 100 watts while a heated one will be clocking almost 1700 watts.

Most modern hair dryers come with control settings that allow users to control the levels of heat. So, you can control it to use more wattage or less wattage depending on your needs.

How many amps does a hair dryer draw from a 240 volts?

In our previous examples, we have assumed that the hair dryer is connected to a 120V power source. So what will be the case if you connect the dryer to a a 240V source?

Here, the amps will depend on the rated wattage of the dryer.

Since we haves stated that the maximum wattage of a dryer is 1800 watts, we can use 1500W to be the rated wattage.

The supply voltage is 240V

Amps (I) = P/V

Where I= amperes, P= wattage of the dryer and V is the voltage supply

So, it will be 1500/240 which gives approximately 6 amps

As you can see, this is different from the 15 amps that we have previously assumed.

How do I stop the hair dryer from tripping the circuit breaker?

It is a problem that might have started long time ago or it started recently. The hair dryer keeps tripping the breaker.

The most probable cause of this problem is the current overload. The hair dryer could be drawing more current beyond the breaker’s capacity.

Damaged circuit breaker and faulty wiring can also be culprits.

One way of preventing this problem is reducing the heat setting on the hair dryer. Most of these devices have a knob that allows you to increase or reduce the heat level.

You should also check out the wiring of the circuit to ensure that it is in proper working condition.

If the wiring is good and the hair dryer is new, the issue could be with its wattage. Probably the rated wattage is too high for the circuit.

Otherwise, ensure that every electronic component on the circuit is in a perfect working condition. For example, you can get circuit breakers that are rated for the circuit. If it is a 15 amps circuit, the breaker should match this current being drawn by the hair dryer.

If you are not sure about the source of the problem and how to solve it, consider calling an electrician for help. They will find out why your hair dryer keeps tripping the circuit breaker.

Why does my hair dryer use a lot of power?

From this discussion, it is clear that hair dryers are heavy consumers of power. Why is it so?

The most obvious reason is hair dryers are designed to generate heat. Any device that is built to generate heat from electricity must consume a lot of current.

In addition to that, the dryers have motors that spin to generate pressure. This action also tends to consume a significant amount of current.

Conclusion

At this point, you know that hair dryers use 15 amps. When it comes to getting wiring and circuit breaker for the dryer, ensure that they fall within the right range of this current capacity.

For any other hair dryer-related electronic component, ensure that you get from reputable suppliers in China.