sub panel help

Dougget

Hi,
I have a 220 line from a range that was used prior to us installing a gas range. It's a 50amp line that is now unused. I would like to use that line to feed a sub panel that would allow me to add two circuits for a swimming pool plus a circuit or two for a hobby area in my basement.

The problem... the range line has two hot wires and one neutral, no ground. I can't easily pull another wire because the main panel is in a closet in the finished area of the basement with no easy way to pull new wire. So, how can I get a fourth wire over to where I want to put my new panel?

The previous owner converted the electric water heater from electric to gas, so I also have a 220, 30amp feed left over from that... Can I convert the hot lines from that into grounds and extend them over to the new sub panel?

Any other ideas?

Thanks.

rjniles

You have SE cable - 2 insulated hots and a bare ground. You cannot use to feed a panel. You need 2 hots a neutral and a ground - 4 wire feed.

And a big no to you plans to combine 2 old circuits. You need a new cable back to the panel.

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brric

I would respectfully add, an insulated neutral.

Dougget

Yeah, I kinda knew that wasn't a good way to go.

How about making the sub panel a 110 only panel. Use one of the existing hots as a hot, convert the other to neutral, and use the existing bare neutral as a ground?

I'll replace the duplex 50 amp breaker with a single breaker in the main box.

How would that work?

Doug

Missouri Bound

That can be done. Just be midful of the loads because the neutral will take all the load in a 120 panel, rather than the reduced load a 240 panel has on the neutral.

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