New stove requires 40 or 50 amp breaker

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Erico

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Still trying to get specs

This receptacle says it's rated 50amp

Can't make out the wire size. Looks like number 8.

Breaker is 30 amp. Wondering if I need to pull new wire or just upgrade the breaker?
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hj

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Get the EXACT wire gauge, (not looks like 8), and then we can advise you. It looks like a 60 amp receptacle, but 30 amp breaker would normally only have #10 wires.
 

Stuff

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Also looks like it was wired incorrectly. The green or bare ground appears to have been cut off. Should have been a 4 prong receptacle with ground.
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Erico

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Get the EXACT wire gauge, (not looks like 8), and then we can advise you. It looks like a 60 amp receptacle, but 30 amp breaker would normally only have #10 wires.

Is the cable coating marked or the wire marked? I don't see anything topside but can get in the crawl
 

Erico

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Is the cable coating marked or the wire marked? I don't see anything topside but can get in the crawl

The wire is the same gauge as the 50 amp for the rv line.

But this line has no ground.

I think the best way to proceed and be sure is pull a new #8 cable with a ground. New receptacle and new breaket
 

Jadnashua

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They allow a 50A receptacle on either 40 or 50A wiring and breaker, but, I didn't think they allowed it to be put on a 30A circuit. You do want the ground connected, but again, they do allow a 3-wire connection on retrofit (i.e., put a new stove on an old circuit), but not new. You can use larger wire on a 30A circuit than required, but not the other way.

If the cable had a ground, the receptacle had it, and they didn't use it, I don't think they did it to code.
 

WorthFlorida

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Almost certain that it is 10 gauge wire. You can go to the hardware store and buy a cut one foot length of 10 and 8 gauge wire. Bring it home and compare.

The NEC code now requires four wires to an electric range and dryers. Nowadays the appliance stores sells you the power cord (for liability issues they do not want to use the old cord from the old appliance), otherwise you usually have to sign a disclosure and the cord they will ship with the appliance is a four wire that matches the receptacle as pictured above by Stuff.

Please note that the picture above is for an electric range, all four blades are flat. The plug for an electric dryer will have an L shape blade for the neutral.
 
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By the way, most electrical strip&crimp pliers have a built in wire gauge you can use to figure out what you have. Usually the jacket of the wire is marked too, but it may be behind the wall so you can't see it. If you do uprate the breaker, make sure you have #8 all the way there. I had a dryer outlet in my house that was wired to a jbox in a closet. It was fed with #8 from the panel but #10 from the Jbox.
 
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