I am renovating my kitchen and I have to wire up a double oven. I need to know what amperage the circuit will be, what size wire I'll need to run to the panel and what would be the best method of connection at the oven. I'd like for it to be a 30 amp circuit because I have a 30 amp breaker and I have both the right length of 10/3 or 8/3 copper wire w/ground (whichever would apply to a 30 amp circuit). The cable length from the panel to the oven is around 35ft. I have the manufacture's (Whirlpool) installation instructions and there is a bit of confusion.

The model I have is for use on a 3 wire 120/240 system. The phrase: '3 wire-1 phase-60 HZ-A.C. only' & '120/240V 7.2 kW' can be found on the UL sticker on the oven. Problem is, the instruction manual mentions 'models rated from 7.3 to 9 kW @ 240 volts requiring a separate 40-amp circuit and models rated from 4.8 kW & below @ 240 volts requiring a separate 20-amp circuit'. There is no mention of a model rated @ 7.2 kW or below other than for 4.8 kW! There was also a table that referenced the following power requirements for my model as follows: Voltage-240 VAC, 7400 W, 30.8 A. My model is rated at 7.2 kW @ 240 volts. The oven has an armored cable with a red, black, white and bare ground wire. Insulated wire size is 10 AWG stranded copper.

I called the manufacturer and after two calls, two customer service reps and one supervisor, they could not help me with an answer! They told me that they don't deal to much with the electrical installation aspect of it and for me to contact an electrician.

With the information given, can I wire it up to a 30 amp circuit with the 10/3 wire and use a plug and outlet connection at the oven? Any and all help is welcome.

This post was edited by MickeyJohn on Thu, Jan 24, 13 at 16:57