Can I combine a neutral white wire from a 110v wire or receptacle with a 220v 3 wire to create a 4 wire oven range outlet? I want to install a powder coating oven in my shop. I got an oven for free and I've noticed that it has 4 wires. After much researching it appears to basically be a 220v 3 wire with an added neutral. My shop has 110v and 220v ... but of course the 220v is only three wire. It makes sense to me that I could use the neutral from the 110 to create a 4 wire 220v range outlet. But I hate electrons so someone please confirm or deny this. THANKS!

Daniel

On Thursday, October 15, 2020 at 2:12:42 AM UTC-4, Daniel Wright wrote:
Can I combine a neutral white wire from a 110v wire or receptacle with a 220v 3 wire to create a 4 wire oven range outlet? I want to install a powder coating oven in my shop. I got an oven for free and I've noticed that it has 4 wires. After much researching it appears to basically be a 220v 3 wire with an added neutral. My shop has 110v and 220v ... but of course the 220v is only three wire. It makes sense to me that I could use the neutral from the 110 to create a 4 wire 220v range outlet. But I hate electrons so someone please confirm or deny this. THANKS!

Daniel

Would the physics work? Yes. Is it code compliant and safe? No. It's not
permissible under code to use any conductor from one circuit on another.
Besides creating weird wiring that would be hard to follow and debug, it's
a safety issue. You prepare to work on one circuit, turn off the breaker
for that circuit, verifie that it appears off and proceed to work on it.
Later some appliance goes on automatically or someone closes a switch to
turn on a light and suddenly the neutral on the circuit that's supposed
to be off and that you're working on is energized. Even if you were to do
it, the neutral would have to be of the same or greater ampacity as the
240V circuit and I'd bet you don't have that available.

I would find the install manual for this oven. Many 240V appliances, eg
dryers, are designed so that they can use either a 4 wire or 3 wire cord.
The older 3 wire receptacles are no longer permitted for new installs,
but existing ones are grandfathered and widely used. Converting your
receptacle to that, while not code compliant either, would at least be
logical and conform to older wiring that's still out there. That would
work if the oven supports using either a 4 wire or 3 wire cord.

On 10/15/20 1:12 AM, Daniel Wright wrote:
Can I combine a neutral white wire from a 110v wire or receptacle with a 220v 3 wire to create a 4 wire oven range outlet? I want to install a powder coating oven in my shop. I got an oven for free and I've noticed that it has 4 wires. After much researching it appears to basically be a 220v 3 wire with an added neutral. My shop has 110v and 220v ... but of course the 220v is only three wire. It makes sense to me that I could use the neutral from the 110 to create a 4 wire 220v range outlet. But I hate electrons so someone please confirm or deny this. THANKS!

Daniel

I'd say no. You need four wires running back to the breaker box.
Two hot, a neutral, and an equipment ground. The other issue might
be wire sizing. How many amps does that oven draw?
Can you change the range to a three wire? That would depend on
whether the neutral on the range does something now. Is there a timer,
light or something else that depends on 115 instead of 240? I don't
know if it violates code to do the conversion. There might be a
provision specifically saying not to alter things.

In article ,
says...

Can I combine a neutral white wire from a 110v wire or receptacle with a 220v 3 wire to create a 4 wire oven range outlet? I want to install a powder coating oven in my shop. I got an oven for free and I've noticed that it has 4 wires. After much researching it appears to basically be a 220v 3 wire with an added neutral. My
shop has 110v and 220v ... but of course the 220v is only three wire. It makes sense to me that I could use the neutral from the 110 to create a 4 wire 220v range outlet. But I hate electrons so someone please confirm or deny this. THANKS!

Daniel



Short answer HELL NO.

When you have to ask a simple thing like this you need to get an
electrician involved.

Now for the explination. Years ago most 220/240 volt items would have 3
wires. The two hot wires and a neutral. Usually the neutral was bonded
to the frame of the device and used with one leg of the 220 volts to
supply 110 v such as a timer on an oven or the light.

Modern wiring code requires 4 wires. The neutral is not connected to
the frame of the device, but the 4th wire is the safety ground and is
connected to the frame.

So for your oven you look at the wiring , find the neutral and connect
it to the frame. Then you have the 3 wires to match your receptical.

On Wed, 14 Oct 2020 23:12:35 -0700 (PDT), Daniel Wright
wrote:

Can I combine a neutral white wire from a 110v wire or receptacle with a 220v 3 wire to create a 4 wire oven range outlet? I want to install a powder coating oven in my shop. I got an oven for free and I've noticed that it has 4 wires. After much researching it appears to basically be a 220v 3 wire with an added neutral. My shop has 110v and 220v ... but of course the 220v is only three wire. It makes sense to me that I could use the neutral from the 110 to create a 4 wire 220v range outlet. But I hate electrons so someone please confirm or deny this. THANKS!

Daniel

What does the oven do with the neutral? If it is just a timer or a
light and you can live without it (mechanical controls, not touch pad)
, don't connect the neutral. That is the safest thing. You can even
get 240v lamps if it is just a light and you want it. (minor rewire in
the oven). The problem with setting the way back machine to the early
90s and using the WWII era 3 wire 120/240 circuit is you were required
to use an insulated neutral and most 3 wire 240v circuits use a bare
ground wire.

On Wed, 14 Oct 2020 23:12:35 -0700 (PDT), Daniel Wright
wrote:

Can I combine a neutral white wire from a 110v wire or receptacle with a 220v 3 wire to create a 4 wire oven range outlet? I want to install a powder coating oven in my shop. I got an oven for free and I've noticed that it has 4 wires. After much researching it appears to basically be a 220v 3 wire with an added neutral. My shop has 110v and 220v ... but of course the 220v is only three wire. It makes sense to me that I could use the neutral from the 110 to create a 4 wire 220v range outlet. But I hate electrons so someone please confirm or deny this. THANKS!

Daniel
Might ber POSSIBLE but not legal - and dubious safety