What kind of wire is the manufacturer using? What is the 14 wire going to?

 

The manufacturer uses 14 gauge wire. The wire terminates to a molded plastic connector inside the oven. Their wire is routed through a flex conduit that terminates at the wall at the splice box where the 6-3 wire is from the house.

 

The 30" oven I installed at my house 2 years ago is rated 3.6KW @ 120/240. That works out to 15 amps.

Is the #14 protected by a 15 amp breaker?

 

The 30" oven I installed at my house 2 years ago is rated 3.6KW @ 120/240. That works out to 15 amps.

Is the #14 protected by a 15 amp breaker?

The 14 gauge wire is coming from the oven and terminating in the splice box from the house. The feed from the house is a 50amp service, protected by a 50 2 pole breaker feed over a 6-3 aluminum conductor.

 

when you say the service from the house is 50A
do you mean the circuit leaving the breaker panel and a 50A breaker?

when you say an electric oven
do you mean just an oven, or a complete range with top burners also?

if you are talking about the cord from the oven to the receptacle?
or a hard wired whip?
the mfg built that to handle the load, possibly higher temperature insulation

if you are talking about the wire inside the oven ?
that insulation is a higher temp than 90*C
which makes the ampacity higher than the 90*C rating which is 25A

the reason we put #14 on a 15A breaker has to do with the temperature ratings of the breaker and the terminations
very different animal than inside the oven or range where everything is always hot when in use

 

if you still have the installation instructions
check it to see what amp circuit/breaker the mfg recommends
over size wire is fine, but an over size breaker is not

 

Current rating is linked to insulation temperature. I've seen ovens/ranges with absurdly small factory wiring, but it is rated for higher temperatures and therefore higher current for a given size.

 

I was hoping this was the case. It just seemed so weird to wire nut this tiny 14 gauge to a 6 gauge wire.

 

IBTL

 

The range manufacturers used a very high-temperature wire and they are not in a raceway so they can use pretty small wires. I don't think I have ever seen 14 awg being used but I have seen 12 awg.

 

Than you for the reply. I was shocked too. 14 gauge stranded wire used in the oven all the way to their molded plastic connector.

 

I always wonder how they can make a 12 amp clothes washer or a 1800 watt blow dryer with an 18 or 16 AWG cord. It seems a bit light.

 

Chassis wiring is different, and they follow their own set of rules.
Same as Power Company supplying 200A O/H service on #2 AL. If you look up on Priory Wire, it's rated as high as 180A. It's in free air thou.

See attached, note the max amps for wires used as 'chassis' wiring.

#16 is good for 22A.

 

Why did you take your oven apart?

 

I didn’t take it apart. The oven was removed by an electrician when the cabinet was demolished. I assisted the cabinet maker install the new cabinet

While the oven was out I noticed the small gauge wire hanging out of the back of the oven and the large gauge wire in the wall.

 

All the single ovens I’ve wired the past few yrs have been 20 amp, 240V. I run 12/3 Romex.
Double ovens has been 40 amp. I run 8/3 copper.
The actual amperage is less but the manufacturer recommends the breaker size.

 

Saying 14 gauge without specifying the type of wire is not saying much. One of the types of wire used in cooking and heating equipment is SRML it’s also used for motor leads. A 14 gauge in this type is rated at 40 amps.

14 AWG SRML Wire | UL 3070 High Temperature

SRML-14 is a 14 AWG SRML Wire, High Temperature Wire rated up to 150C. See full 14 AWG High Temperature Wire Tinned Copper pricing and SRML specs.

www.awcwire.com

You would need to consider the wattage of the heating elements and the temperature of the environment that the wire operates in as well as the duty cycle of the appliance. Connection terminations types are just as important. I’m sure that the manufacturer covered the testing and rating of the internal materials on their end. The question then becomes did you follow their guidelines for the connections on your end. Standard splicing materials may not be rated for the temperature or dissimilar metals. Following the instructions is important to prevent failures.

 

Again,

I did not install it. I only worked on the cabinet, hence why I am asking the question because I don’t even know what I don’t know.

An electrician installed the oven. When the oven was sitting out I made the observation that the wires on the oven we considerably smaller then the wires hanging out of the wall. Also the wires on the oven were copper and the wall was aluminum.

I don’t know if this was right or wrong. I work on cabinetry.

 

NEC lists current capacity based on insulation type,conduit fill or free air.
You probably could legally wire a house using 16 g wire with asbestos insulation, but it would be pricey

 

You might be able to in the 'states, but here in Canada they specifically state that 14 gage is the minimum for 'power' wiring, so even though you would be able to safety do it, it wouldn't meet code here (unless you got some kind of allowance to bypass the code).

 

Eventually you would reach the short circuit current rating of the wire.
For example #10 wire will carry 500A for 1 sec.
The chart didn't go any smaller but I would guess #16 would only last a few seconds at 20A no matter what insulation it had.

 

I assumed he was speaking theoretically, rather than meeting code. The code has maximum amperages for 18, 16, 14, 12, & 10 regardless of temperature rating.

(I missed where he used the word LEGALLY.)