Junction box identification

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

bleme

Supporting Member
HBT Supporter
Joined
Jan 24, 2012
Messages
5,045
Reaction score
3,520
Location
Visalia
I was hoping this box behind my oven would be a 240v outlet. What’s the easiest way to know for sure?
 

Attachments

  • 35F8980B-87D9-4245-97C3-13E3BF604D54.jpeg
    35F8980B-87D9-4245-97C3-13E3BF604D54.jpeg
    1.1 MB · Views: 44
It's a mess!
It looks to be 120V otherwise the white wires would be marked black (with tape). Put a voltmeter between the black and white nut that are sticking out.

That looks like either 10 (30A) or 12 (20A) gauge wiring in the front, not a high amperage circuit/wiring as would be used for an oven/range (50A) typically.

It also looks like there are some thinner white wires in there... or is that due to perspective?

What is the story with the white/gray nut in the background? Where are those wires coming from?

Also, are there another 2 black wires behind the black nut? Pull things out a bit more to see what's in that box.
 
There's a small (like $5) tester you can buy at home depot...mine is Dark green, I think it is "commercial electric brand".
You touch it between a couple of the leads and it'll tell you if it's 120 or 240.
Also useful to get a pen tester that'll tell u if a line is "hot" while ur at the big box store.
 
I'd probably start with a vacuum hose or compressed air, so you can better see the colors of the wires :)
Is there a fourth wirenut in the back? If there is no other wire colors other than Black, Green/Bare, or White, then it's probably at best a 20amp circuit.

Else, what others have said; check the voltage (carefully) across the black and white wires and see if you get 120 or 240.
 
My bet is a 20 amp 120v circuit. See if you can read any writing on the wire: 12 awg = 20 amp 14 awg = 15 amp. It could possibly be 10 awg 30 AMP 240 if the Gray wire nuts are large. Gray come in small and Large. Small is for 22 to 16awg Large is from 18 awg to 6. Those are not 6. You can also go to the Breaker Box and see if one is labeled Oven. That would tell you for sure.
 
Back
Top