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Electrical Wiring

Wiring two ovens on one 50 amp circuit

17 years ago

I am working on installing two ovens - GE Monogram beneath a GE Advantium. According to the installation instructions for the Advantium, these two ovens may be installed on one 50 AMP circuit, which I happen to have available where I am installing. However, due to the length of the existing wire and the need to have access to the wiring box(es) that need to be installed, I have some questions.

My plan is to have one junction box sitting low to the floor that will be accessible behind the drawer below the ovens in the cabinet. This box will have three cables spliced together - the 6 gauge power line, the lead from the lower oven, and a 6 gauge cable leading up to a second junction box.

The second junction box will be installed in the cabinet above the upper oven. This box will contain the splice from the connection to the first box with the upper oven lead.

My questions -

1. Do these hard-wired junction boxes need to be secured in any way? My cabinet maker told me not to secure them, instead leave the cable long so that I can pull the box within reach so that I can wire up the ovens easily. He said if I secure the boxes, it is virtually impossible to reach to the back of the cabinet to do the wiring.

2. How should I connect the wiring in the boxes, especially the first one with three cables, two of which are 6 gauge wire? I am really only familiar with wiring 10 and 12 gauge wires.

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Comments (6)

doc8404
17 years ago
Gene - j-boxes sure do need secured - 2005 NEC Art. 314.23 (a) - "an enclosure mounted on a building or other surface shall be rigidly and securely fastened in place. If the surface does not provide rigid and secure support, additional support in accordance with othe provisions of this section shall be provided. or 314.23(b) - An enclosure supported from a structural member of a building. . .shall be rigidly supported. . . "

Your cabinetmaker is not an electrician. Don't trust him for electrical advice. He may be right and it may be very difficult to wire up the box. I'm sure you'll figure out something.

Don't know about wire nuts or lugs listed for 3 #6's. Some of the real sparkys will chime in on this - the big box stores probably will not have them. You may have to go to an electrical supply house.
normel
17 years ago
Are you running new 6/3 cable from the panel to the ovens? If so, run to one junction box in the upper cabinet and supply both ovens from there. You will not be able to access a juction box behind a drawer at floor level. And yes, the junction box must be secured to the structure.
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gene_2007
Original Author
17 years ago
Thanks for the responses.

doc8404 - You are right, I tried Home Depot and they immediately told me that I'd need to go to an electrical supply store.

normel - Here's the thing - if I was running new wire, I'd run it up the wall and install the box behind one of the ovens then connect both ovens to this box. The problem is that I'm trying to use existing cable (6/3) that is not long enough to run up the wall.

I'm wondering if another option would be to replace the 3 foot lead from the upper oven with a longer piece of armoured cable? I haven't looked at the oven to see if it is even possible to replace the existing cable, but it's just a thought that I had. I also don't want to void the warranty - those Advantium ovens ain't cheap!
normel
17 years ago
I would still try to set the junction box for the ovens in the upper cabinet. Can you make a junction box for the existing 6/3 in the basement/crawlspace or some other accessible location?
You can connect 2-#6 wires and 1-#12 using a large wirenut such as the Ideal Blue. Use a deep 4"sq box to have enough room.
gene_2007
Original Author
17 years ago
Normel - Yes, I can put a junction box in the basement below the kitchen. That definately seems to make the most sense. So then I should be able to connect both ovens to a single j-box located in the top cabinet. This is assuming that the lead from the lower oven will reach the top cabinet.

One other thought - Couldn't I just install the j-box that the two ovens will tap into in the space behind the lower oven? In other words, why do I need to route the conduit from each oven to another area such as the cabinet above? Is this strictly to make it easier to wire the connections?
normel
17 years ago
The whip from the lower oven should be long enough. It always has been when I have wired the same setup you are doing.

It is much easier to wire the ovens in an accessible cabinet than trying to wire while balancing an oven partially in the opening. While technically both are accessible locations, the one in the cabinet is much more so.

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