3 wire 10 gauge with 16 gauge question
#1
06-12-17, 12:58 PM
3 wire 10 gauge with 16 gauge question
Hi,
My house was built in the early 60's and uses the cloth covered NM with the small 16 gauge ground. I would like to have the washer and gas dryer on it's own dedicated circuit (as is code). I have a unused 3 prong style electric dryer outlet, which goes inside the circuit panel, but is capped off. I know it's possible to keep the red wire capped on both ends and just use the black and white for a 20 amp circuit, with a regular outlet, but I'm concerned about the small ground wire and was wondering what the experts have to say. Someone suggested that the red wire could be stripped bare, back to the jacket and used as a ground, but that didn't sound right either.
My house was built in the early 60's and uses the cloth covered NM with the small 16 gauge ground. I would like to have the washer and gas dryer on it's own dedicated circuit (as is code). I have a unused 3 prong style electric dryer outlet, which goes inside the circuit panel, but is capped off. I know it's possible to keep the red wire capped on both ends and just use the black and white for a 20 amp circuit, with a regular outlet, but I'm concerned about the small ground wire and was wondering what the experts have to say. Someone suggested that the red wire could be stripped bare, back to the jacket and used as a ground, but that didn't sound right either.
#2
06-12-17, 01:45 PM
Someone suggested that the red wire could be stripped bare, back to the jacket and used as a ground, but that didn't sound right either.
Since the original ground was for #10/30 amp at time of installation it may be larger than #16 and you will now be using a 20 amp breaker it should be okay given it is not normally a current carrying conductor. Just has to carry fault current long enough to trip the breaker. (Pure speculation: Om #14 it was one size smaller so logic might indicate one size smaller on old #10.)
#4
06-12-17, 09:02 PM
Wait for the pros. This may be a gray area. The cable and the ground are grandfathered but weather repurposing the cable voids the grandfathering I can't say. You could run a new ground wire only. It could be run on what ever path is easiest but it would probably be as easy to run new cable.
