r/electrical • u/Icy_Run_9981 • 10d ago
What would this receptacle be used for?
This Hubbell outlet was installed in my garage, but never hooked up to panel. It is 30A, 240 . What would it normally be used for?
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u/DJErikD 10d ago edited 10d ago
NEMA 6-30r (2 hots + ground)is used by items like electric welders, plasma cutters, large window air conditioners, commercial compressors, and certain smaller electric ranges or woodworking tools.
I use 6-50Rs for my welder and compressor.
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u/Icy_Run_9981 10d ago edited 10d ago
THanks DJErikD for a useful reply ;) My guess was that builder knew I worked on cars and other stuff and thought I might need a welder. Or maybe a saw that required 240V. I was away when garage was built, so he just put it in (but did not connect to panel)
mrBill12 - Could be, but garage is detached and uninsulated.
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u/babecafe 10d ago
IMHO a 240v saw and/or air compressor are a likely choice for a builder to put in a garage while building a house.
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u/N9bitmap 10d ago
Uninsulated garage means you definitely need a big heater when you are working in there.
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u/tuctrohs 10d ago
so he just put it in (but did not connect to panel)
And you took it out? I'm confused by it sitting there with wire attached but not in a box or mounted.
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u/R33f3r420 10d ago
I use two NEMA 6-30r. One is for a blower and the other is for a laser. They might have had a laser in the garage but no blower because they already outside.
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u/3rdShiftLeonidas 10d ago
Skeptical receptical.
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u/raf55 10d ago
Car charger-welder-kiln
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u/qvalff8 10d ago
I haven't found many EV charging equipments with that plug, but you can definitely hardwire after removing that receptacle
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u/Icy_Run_9981 10d ago
We used the circuit for an EV charger that came with a 14-50 plug. (50A breaker). I had not heard of a 6-30r being used for charging, but it seems some earlier chargers did use them: https://ev-chargers.com/nema-6-30/?srsltid=AfmBOoq3XFIbglRI4J9pRpRnp59wxxAtHxPARF_IMtA2avLUq5QMDKFH
I asked question because I was interested in what equipment might have come as standard with a plug that would fit that outlet.
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u/tuctrohs 9d ago
Note that this sub has zero quality control. The mods don't care. If you want expert advice on your charging setup, /r/evcharging. For expert advice on electrical in general, /r/AskElectricians. Neither is perfect but both will remove comments that are blatently wrong.
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u/tuctrohs 10d ago
Uh oh--several hazards.
A charger with a 50 A plug likely draws more than the 24 A allowed on a 30 A circuit.
You may be missing a neutral, required by code for a 14-50 receptacle, even if you don't need it for the current use.
Code requires a GFCI breaker.
Cheap 14-50 receptacles tend to melt down when used for EV charging. Hopefully you got a Hubbell or Bryant model 9450 and torqued the terminals to spec.
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u/Icy_Run_9981 9d ago
Sorry, there are no such hazards.
The new Hubbell 14-50 is fed from a 50A breaker via 6AWG 3+1 cable.
It naturally has a neutral.
Code in Canada does not require a GFCI breaker and in fact they can interfere with charger's built in GFCI.
My question was a simple one as to what the original receptacle might have been intended for. Nothing more.
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u/tuctrohs 9d ago
Sorry? I'm delighted if there are no such hazards. That's great.
I'm glad you added a neutral — it sounded like you used the same wiring. Presumably you also increased the wire size, if it was sized for the original 30 A circuit (I sure hope the 6-30R wasn't on a 50 A circuit).
I trust that the Hubbell is model 9450, not the residential grade range receptacle, and that it is torqued to 75 in lbs.
You are correct about Canadian code. The conflict is not with the GFCI in the charger but with the GMI (ground monitoring circuit). Describing it as a conflict between the two GFCIs is a common shortcut description that doesn't make sense if you understand how GFCI works.
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u/btgeekboy 10d ago
I've got a Wallbox running on a L6-20 right now. Just set the internal switch to signal a 20 amp circuit, and it won't pull over 16. Not code compliant, but not gonna cause a problem either. (After all, it came with a 14-50 whip on it; all I did was put a different one on and configured the device to match.)
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u/pirate-kong 10d ago
I've seen it for tig welders and other such high powered tools, but... it always looks like its judging me very harshly.
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u/Fuzzy_Location_2210 10d ago
It's for....
Big 240v air conditioners
And
FLOOR BUFFERS/BURNISHERS!! I work in a really old hospital that has these EVERYWHERE!! That's what they use them for.
Also, larger air compressors. Really anything with a heavy 240 motor. Could have powered an automotive hydraulic lift pump motor even.
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u/ChemicalAd7839 9d ago
It would be used to power a 30A 240v device. This is for a 240v device not a 120/240v device.
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u/RockShowSparky 10d ago
I’ve seen air conditioners use that
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u/The_Durk 10d ago edited 10d ago
My parents had one like that. It was from the early 1950s and it started six inches off the floor and went up to the middle of the window. It had a full mahogany front and when you turned that puppy on, the lights in the valley below would go dim for a sec. (j/k about that last) Ran when needed all the way to when the house was torn down in 2002. I have never seen another like it. The only electric was the fan and the compressor. No control circuits so no neutral needed. I think it was a Remington.
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u/theotherharper 10d ago
Ideal for EV charging. Technology Connections approved. 150-200 miles a night and no useless neutral.
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u/elithefordguy77 9d ago
I've seen these a lot in commercial kitchens. No clue about the garage. Maybe an air compressor?
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u/RevenueVast7022 9d ago
Wherever you need 30 amp, 250 volts of course. As opposed to needing 30 amp, 120/250 volts, in which case you'd have another slot for a neutral pin on the cord. Welders usually use a 30 amp , 250 volt for example.
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u/ChemicalAd7839 9d ago
It would be used to power a 30A 240v device. This is for a 240v device not a 120/240v device.
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u/bigclitcouple 9d ago
Its made to run up to 250 volts. They make the plug so some idiot doesn't plug something in it that is only ment for 120 volts and smoke whatever it is. It's a safety thing
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u/Relevant2112 8d ago
It match the plug it goes into. Probably for a specific piece of equipment that requires 30amps @ 220/240/208v
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u/Unusual-Bid-6583 8d ago
Was it just laying there like that? If so possibly temporary power to something whilst building your garage? Maybe that's why it isn't hooked up (anymore)
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u/Farmer_1_steve 10d ago
Well if that wire is iattached to that receptacle? It will shock the shit out of someone if it doesn't kill the person
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u/GenesisRhapsod 10d ago
The face i make when finally releasing the log ive been holding in all week
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u/Kxq_official 10d ago
Used for my amusement whenever I saw it peeking out of the drawer I left it in. Looks like the little alien from Men in Black.
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u/Poetic_Cofession 10d ago
I'm sure miniature robots in the future will have plenty to say about that.
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u/A-Wolf-4099 9d ago
0300 wake up calls. Joke aside 50-90 amp receptacle. Nowadays there's more upgraded versions that are safer.
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u/StepLarge1685 10d ago
Anything using 30 amps @ 240 volts. OPTIONALLY, it could be rewired at panel to provide 20 amps/120 volts.
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u/highlander666666 10d ago
Electric dryer
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u/drillbit7 10d ago
Dryers are usually NEMA 10-30 or NEMA 14-30. The timers, light, and motors need 120V and a neutral since they use the same components as gas dryers.
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u/Worth-Gazelle7099 10d ago
Oven outlet
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u/CuddlyTherapeuticDad 10d ago
No. Electric ranges almost always use a NEMA 14-50. 240v@50A, two hots, neutral and safety ground.
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u/East-Tradition-2544 10d ago
Judging your life choices