4 Wire Outlet
The wire.
If you were installing a four-wire 220 outlet chances are it’s for a stove/oven. Now, this could be either 40 or 50 amp. So either #6 or # 8 wire. These wires are a lot harder to handle and thread through the walls and ceilings and generally cost a lot more than your normal 12 and 14 wires. So make sure you have enough to work with because making the bends and turns you making more to make those turns. You won’t be able to bend it into a 90 degree like you would the thinner wires so the result is using more of it to go the same distance. I can’t tell you how many times I ran only inches short.
They do make a small hand tool to help make the bends for thick wires. Since I can never find it when I need it I sometimes use a short 2″ pipe over the wire to help with the bending process.
The Breaker.
You will be using a two-pole 40 or 50-amp breaker. Just to be clear. I don’t mean two separate breakers next to each other but one complete breaker where the trip lever on it is one. So it looks like two breakers glued to each other. So each side of the breaker is actually getting power from the two very separate bus bars. Each one of those is 110 volts. Resulting in simple math 110 + 110 = 220 volts.
The Neutral Wire.
Sure you can run a 220 line without the neutral, but not for this type of setup. Many new appliances require a neutral wire. Most believe the neutral is the ground. However not true at all. The neutral would be used as a return path for the 110 volts needed by things like the clock in your stove, timers, and, of course, the computers/controllers in most newer appliances sold today. So, in short, your new stove uses 110 and 220 volts. 110 for the smaller stuff and 220 for the cooking elements. Or dryer whatever it is that you may be hooking up.
See the video on how to wire 220 using 4 wire VIDEO
Please refer to my other pages on how to wire a dryer for a way better detail on how this is all done… Dryer Plug
the drawing on that photo of the panel and receptacle is wrong. you can’t have both power phase. leads on the same phase…. one will have to move to a breaker on the other bus
Who said they are on the same phase? Of course, they have to be using the TWO SEPERATE HOT LEGS. Not phases.
I am disconnecting an electric line, so I can install a gas stove (using the same hole in the wall for a gas line instead of the electrical wires). The question I have is whether to pull the electrical lines and curl them up inside an ugly box just outside the hole –so the next owner of the house can easily reinstall them, or to cut the wires short and put them in a box up by the roof line, which I’d prefer. If a future homeowner wanted to, could he/she splice new wire onto the old ones to install a stove? Or would that be unsafe?
Yeah sure, why not. Sounds good to me.
My husband just purchased a new electric glass top double oven for me in time for the holidays. The trouble is that after having it delivered and returned twice, they finally decided to check power, because burners heat, nothing else (lights, oven and clock panel) works. They told me that my neutral is not working. How do I remedy this?
Yes it could be that. You need to use a voltage tester. Watch my video on how to check for power. Also what make and model oven do you have?
I have a 220 outlet already for my stove. Ideally, we would like to have a separate stove top range and a separate installed oven. Both need 220 outlets, is it possible to add another 220 outlet to the one I have probably using a series connection…any ideas? I live in a condo where running new wires is either impossible or very expensive.. Your thoughts?
When it comes to 220 you can not. You’ll have to run a whole new line.
Why not use a number 12 gauge wire for the black neutral wire if it is only used for the 110 things on the stove, like the clock, fan or a light?
The amperage is divided once in the stove / oven. Until then it’s still going to draw what unit needs.
So from the looks of it both ground and neutral are connected to the ground bar to the sides of the breaker box. Am I seeing that correctly?
Yes on a main panel. Very different than a sub panel
I had to replace my counter top cooktop which needs a 220 I have 220 # 8 blak and white wire with a ground coming into the house from a 40 amp 2 pole breaker which I think is ok but then the under counter oven heating element broke so I have fixed that and have new cooktop in problem is the cooktop is 220 and the oven is 110 it was hooked up like this already before and everything worked but my last cooktop never got very hot. Do I have to run new wires to a new breaker in order to be safe. Note it was all pigtailed together and worked before but I don’t want to hook something up wrong and risk a fire after I touched it.
Please help new born baby and 5 kids no stove or oven for 3 days ahhhh. Thank you
I need to know about the cook top. Is it gas or electric? Any stove cook top would have to be 220 as well.