I have a 40-amp circuit that previously was used for the oven/range in my house, though I switched to gas so the circuit is no longer in use. If I wanted to install an L6-30r (30-amp receptacle) on this circuit is it sufficient to simply swap the breaker for a 30-amp and use the existing (appears to be 8AWG) wire? Second part of question, most L6-30r's that I'm finding note that they accept 14-10AWG wire, is this the norm and if so what other options would I have if I want to connect a device to this circuit with an L6-30p?
**Edit – I should have noted this would be a dedicated circuit, no other receptacles would be installed on it. The existing receptacle for the range/oven would be removed.
Best Answer
Going down to #14 is not a surprise. That is the smallest wire legal for use in any in-wall mains wiring. This would normally be 10 AWG, but there are rare edge conditions where a smaller wire circuit is permitted to be up-breakered, and the only example I can come up with is welders with a short duty cycle.
Not being able to go to #8 is also not a surprise; the terminations are not rated for aluminum wire, and the right aluminum wire for 30A is #8.
Anyway, here the answer is you get about 6 inches of #10 wire and pigtail. A red wire nut, cranked down hard, should suffice for a #8 to #10 join.