Question about conduit and wire for new circuit in unfinished room

pete6032 · Monday at 11:33 AM

I am installing a washing machine and dryer in an unfinished basement with cement block walls. I want to run a dedicated circuit to these appliances. I want to put the outlet in the middle of the wall behind the machines, then run conduit up the wall to the ceiling joists, then run the wire through the joists back to the electrical box. I understand that typically you would run thhn wire through the conduit. The run of conduit between outlet and ceiling joists is about 5 ft. Do I need to go out and buy 5 feet of thhn wire to go in the conduit and then transition to romex to run it through the joists? Or can I just put the romex in the conduit? If I need to transition from thhn to romex, would I need to affix a junction box to the joist to transition?

sdifox · Monday at 7:44 PM

You run two Romex runs from two breakers to junction box. The dryer needs 220VAC while the washer just needs 110VAC. So you would have one dryer NEMA 14-30 socket, then besides it you can have a standard dual NEMA 5-15 socket.

All enclosed in conduits and boxes

Greenman · Monday at 7:52 PM

sdifox said:
You run two Romex runs from two breakers to junction box. The dryer needs 220VAC while the washer just needs 110VAC. So you would have one dryer NEMA 14-30 socket, then besides it you can have a standard dual NEMA 5-15 socket.

Don't need 220V if it's a gas dryer.

sdifox · Monday at 7:57 PM

Greenman said:
Don't need 220V if it's a gas dryer.

He didn't mention it's a gas dryer. And if it is gas it requires a plumber to run gas line.

Ken g6 · Monday at 9:04 PM

It is possible to get a 110V electric clothes dryer! They use a heat pump so they're more efficient, but they're still small and expensive compared to a 220V dryer. Random example:

Amazon.com

herm0016 · Monday at 9:42 PM

no. you don't. I am an electrician. You are allowed to run the Romex in the EMT as long as you have a go from fitting and the EMT is there for "mechanical protection" which is exactly your situation. run 10-3 for the dryer and 12-2 for the washer. always run a neutral and use a 4 wire plug. it is safer than a 3 wire and code requires the neutral in the outlet now. in a basement you will need a 2 pole 30 amp GFCI breaker for the dryer and a 1 pole 20 amp gfci breaker for the washer. match the brand and type of breaker to you panel. use metal boxes with the emt, proper connectors, and make sure to ground the boxes and outlets properly. my other advise is to never buy the cheapest option for outlets, always get a step or 2 up at least and always use the screws, not the push in connections. use wire nuts, not push ins unless its just lighting or some other low current situation.

go from fitting:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Halex-1...sORjDo3l74h67I8CTLEaAlMzEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

pete6032 · Monday at 9:43 PM

It a gas dryer I should have mentioned.

herm0016 · Monday at 9:51 PM

with gas, run 2 20 amp 110 circuits.

Greenman · 2025-04-29T10:12:18-0400

herm0016 said:
no. you don't. I am an electrician. You are allowed to run the Romex in the EMT as long as you have a go from fitting and the EMT is there for "mechanical protection" which is exactly your situation. run 10-3 for the dryer and 12-2 for the washer. always run a neutral and use a 4 wire plug. it is safer than a 3 wire and code requires the neutral in the outlet now. in a basement you will need a 2 pole 30 amp GFCI breaker for the dryer and a 1 pole 20 amp gfci breaker for the washer. match the brand and type of breaker to you panel. use metal boxes with the emt, proper connectors, and make sure to ground the boxes and outlets properly. my other advise is to never buy the cheapest option for outlets, always get a step or 2 up at least and always use the screws, not the push in connections. use wire nuts, not push ins unless its just lighting or some other low current situation.

go from fitting:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Halex-1...sORjDo3l74h67I8CTLEaAlMzEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Is there a length limit on the mechanical protection rule?

Question about conduit and wire for new circuit in unfinished room

pete6032

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Ken g6

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