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Electrical Wiring

Electrical Wiring for new Double Oven

12 years ago

We just bought a new wall oven from Sears (Kenmore). The house has 8-3 wiring (it's a new addition and not previously used).

The oven tag states 120/240V 6.8Kw and in the manual this calls out 30 amps. However when I look at the wires for the pigtail coming from the oven, it clearly says 12 AWG on the wire.

I thought 12 AWG is a 20 amp wire. What am I missing and can I connect this to the 8-3 wiring already set up in the house? Breaker size?

Also the 8-3 was boxed in the wall with about 6 inches of wire. The oven is a corner unit and I will need to make the last connection to the oven to install or at a minimum and extention from the 6 inces at the wall 2-3 feet to the back of the cabinet.

Any ideas my expert friends out there?

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Comments (2)

Ron Natalie
12 years ago
Do not fret over the size of the fixture wires. Make sure the 8-3 is fed with a 30A breaker (it probably is currently at 40, but the instructions rule here).
If I understand you, the 8-3 comes out of a box somewhere that's not possible to connect the pigtail, you'll have to leave the first box accessible and run more 8-3 (or possibly 10-3 but I wouldn't recommend that) wire to a box (probably behind where the oven goes).
brickeyee
12 years ago
"However when I look at the wires for the pigtail coming from the oven, it clearly says 12 AWG on the wire."

The wire sizes you are citing are for general purpose branch circuits, and are held low to provide extra margin in those circuits.
The wires you are seeing may well be a higher temperature conductor insulation, and do not follow the same rules as general purpose branch circuits.

There actual load is tightly controlled to just the oven itself.
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Ovens use special high temperature wire such that 12 AWG is capable of the rated current of the oven. I believe this is for cost purposes. However, unless you have access to cable rated at the temperature rating of that wire (perhaps 120C), you have to use a lower AWG number conductor to keep its temperature within the wire insulation's temperature rating (90C, I think for NM-B). If the oven pigtail won't reach the box, then you need to wire the oven to a box and run a suitable cable (presumably 8/3 w/G) between the new box and the existing box. The new box needs to be mounted to something (either the house or the oven) and the cable must be suitable for whatever exposure it will have to damage, wetting, etc. Some jurisdictions require metallic conduit. Others may prefer flex. Proper connectors are needed. If you haven't familiarized yourself with the National Electrical Code (NFPA 70), code compliance will generally require the services of a licensed electrician. kas
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Thanks for the response 'brickeyee'. If your calculations are right, then the manufacturer's power rating for the range of 7.3kW to 9kW @ 240 requires a 40 amp circuit would not work for an oven that was rated @ 8kW. A 40 amp 240V circuit would be limited to 40A*240V*80%=7680 watts. That would be under the 8kW that is in the range 7.3kW to 9kW. Besides, why would the oven have 10 AWG wire coming off it if it were required to be on a 40 amp circuit?
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Mike, Thanks so much for the quick reply. I was talking to the "technical support" person at Wolf and described my panel to them. That's where I got the information that my two 30-amp breakers were like a 60-amp one and would be ok. I guess I thought this made sense since my existing oven called for 40 amps. (House and oven are seven years old.) Maybe if you would be kind enough to elaborate on why the oven was done this way - two breakers attached to one another - I would be better able to explain this to the oven installers to see if I need to have an electrician here first to switch the two 30s for a 50. Thank you. Amy
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