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johnp · 01-03-2013, 03:00 PM

I'm wanting to run a pump and 5500w element through highgravity's EBC SV box, which will be running through a spa panel. My home's previous owner had a 220 line running to the garage, but there are 3 wires, a black, a white, and a BARE.

Does this mean i have hot, hot, ground, and no neutral? Is there any way this will work? My main panel is in the basement, and I dont wanna think about how much it will cost to run a new wire to the garage!

**BadNewsBrewery** · 01-03-2013, 03:15 PM

Typically, Black is Hot, White is Neutral, and the bare (or green) is ground. If you have a multi-meter, take a reading from the black wire to the white wire. It will say 220 or 110 (or there abouts).

Unfortunately for you, unless your pump is 220, you will not be able to get 110 and 220 out of those wires as you don't have Hot A, Hot B, and Neutral.

proto_moose · 01-03-2013, 03:16 PM

I'd be concerned about amp draw and wire size if you did have 220v.

**redman67** · 01-03-2013, 03:16 PM

are you sure that this is 220 it looks like a 120 volt outlet
check in breaker box

**Bobby_M** · 01-03-2013, 03:28 PM

The only thing that makes it 220 is where those wires terminate on the breaker panel. Find the breaker and I bet it's a two pole 30amp. The wire looks to be 10 gauge. You can likely use it for a 5500 element and then find a separate source for your 120v applications.

johnp · 01-03-2013, 03:28 PM

Wires aren't connected to a breaker, but there's an empty 30 amp breaker, the guy told me he wired it for 220 so he could put an a/c in the garage.

Thanks for the replies guys.

**BadNewsBrewery** · 01-03-2013, 03:35 PM

If it's not connected to anything then it's a 0v outlet...

johnp · 01-03-2013, 03:37 PM

Yes yes I know. I thought it was safe to assume the wires were to be connected to the 30 amp breaker...

**BadNewsBrewery** · 01-03-2013, 04:11 PM

Well, you may have made that assumption, but none of us had any idea you did. So what you have are 3 wires that aren't connected to anything at the outlet box or the breaker box. You can do anything you want with those wires - make them into a 120v circuit, a 220v circuit, pull them out and make a wire-frame unicorn... the limits are endless.

But what I think you're asking is, will it work using the existing wiring and the existing 30A breakers. If the wiring is 10GA, then yes. You would run the black and the white as Hot A and Hot B, and the bare wire as ground. You cannot (safely) derive 120v from Hot A, Hot B, and Ground, so you would not be able to run a 120v pump off that outlet. I would also suggest coloring the white wire with a good section of red electrical tape or paint so future users don't think it's a neutral.

**g-love** · 01-03-2013, 04:17 PM

My vote, not that anyone asked for it, is for the wire framed unicorn. I can just feel a brewery name hidden in there somewhere.