Wiring – Reusing old service wires from electric furnace to mini-split

circuit breakermini-splitsubpanelwiring

EDIT to answer replies:

@3phaseeel 30-amp wires are 6 AWG aluminum, 50-amp wires are 4 AWG aluminum. The sheathed wires run along the garage roof truss overhead (see picture), exposed for about 28 feet in length, then in-between insulated joists and down a wall, then exposed again in the enclosed crawlspace. I added a picture of the panel door, not sure if the sticker from 1982 adds valuable details.

@manassehkatz Subpanel will be used for dedicated circuits to bathroom heaters, not for heavy-duty usage like welding.

Original question:

I have an unused electric furnace that is serviced by one 30-amp double pole breaker and two 50-amp single pole breakers. I'm thinking of:

(1) reusing the existing wires from the 30-amp circuit to service a new heat pump with a dedicated 25-amp replacement double-pole breaker

(2) reusing the wires from the two 50-amp circuit to service a 100-amp subpanel to serve future wiring projects

Does that sound like a reasonable plan? Or is this plan not as simple as it seems?

Background:

We switched to using a mini-split heat pump two years ago, which cut our electric bill in half, even when used in combination with a few space heaters. Having had good experience with the mini-split, I now want to install another unit to completely replace the space heaters and retire the unused, noisy, leaky, 38-year old furnace. I am a DIY homeowner with advanced beginner to intermediate level of know-how and tools.

furnace circuit breakers

wiring along garage overhead

panel door stickers

whole panel covered

panel uncovered

50-amp cable label

left inside panel

right inside panel

right label, inside panel

Best Answer

Those two 50A single breakers need to be handle-tied, or replaced with a 50A 2-pole breaker. You can't have two singles on a 240V load like that.

The empty breaker space at bottom left should be filled with a proper UL-listed thing. They make blank filler plates, but I find them flimsy and expensive. I just use actual breakers, a CH120 is around $5.

(1) reusing the existing (6 AWG aluminum) wires from the 30-amp circuit to service a new heat pump with a dedicated 25-amp replacement double-pole breaker

Yeah, that plan is fine. Use "MAC Block connectors" to splice from the #6 aluminum to whatever other wires (Al or Cu) you'd continue with.

Note that since the #6 aluminum run does not have a neutral, they must be 240V-only heat pumps. Cannot use bare as a neutral.

You may find it challenging to land #6 wire on a 25A breaker.

(2) reusing the wires from the two 50-amp circuit to service a 100-amp subpanel to serve future wiring projects

Waii--what???

OK, you see that dual 30A and you immediately get "This is a 30A 240V circuit".

But then you see those two 50A singles and for some reason you think that isn't the same exact thing. It is the same exact thing, but somebody left off the mandatory handle tie so it looks weird.

So think of it as a 50A 2-pole breaker.

The problem is, the existing #4Al cable has only 3 wires and cannot supply a 120/240V subpanel.

  • You need the bare wire for safety ground. This isn't 1963, you need a ground wire.
  • Because it's #4 or larger, you can get neutral by re-marking one of the black wires white with tape.
  • That leaves you 1 wire left to use for "hot", and that means the far panel can only be 120V.

The good news is, the SE/XHHW cable is allowed 75C temperature, so it can be provisioned to 65A and use a 70A feed breaker. There is no such thing as a 70A/1-pole breaker, so you will need to either re-use a 50A, or obtain a 70A/2-pole and use only one pole of it.