Turning a 120v run into 240v

[Ironcrow]

I have a 15A 120 volt receptacle I'd like to turn into a 15A 240 volt plug. The wire is stranded THWN run in EMC. White neutral, black hot, green ground. All kosher.

I have room in the panel for the 240 volt breaker. To avoid removing the neutral wire and re-pulling a red wire, can I tape the white wire red at both ends and re-purpose it? Code compliant?

 

[alfredeneuman]

No
Only in cable can you re-identify wires smaller than #4, not in EMT (EMC)

 

[Ironcrow]

I was afraid of that. I found conflicting claims in my web search (as is typical) but a couple of sources agreed on that "no". I guess it's a "save" for romex since you can't pull the wire and replace it. I can, so I should...

Sorry about fat ********* "EMT". Need to finish my coffee before typing.

Thanks!

 

[Norcal]

Since it is in EMT just pull in a new conductor, but sometimes it's not as easy as it sounds.

 

[davetulk]

As long as your emt fill is ok I would leave the white in the pipe caped at the ends. Just pull the new red. incase you ever need to go back.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Davetulk, good advise. Leave the white wire.

 

[Paperman]

So what is the reasoning behind it? Not being able to recolor a wire. Its not as if its a safety thing as copper is copper.

 

[ard]

It is technically a code violation. Not a safety thing.

Of ZERO consequence if you are doing it on your own home. Your insurance doesnt care. When you sell the home you will need to 'disclose work done without a permit', which will include either 'pulled a new red wire and changed breaker and plug' -or- 'changed breaker and plug'.

IMO

 

[Paperman]

Not being a professional is there allot of things in the NEC that are as arbitrary as this? Seems if safety is not the motivator it must be something else.

 

[Norcal]

Not being a professional is there allot of things in the NEC that are as arbitrary as this? Seems if safety is not the motivator it must be something else.

For smaller conductors it's a good rule, with 8 & 6 AWG I think it needs to go away.

 

[American Locomotive]

I don't get why conductor size matters. As long as the colored tape is on there, what does it matter?

 

[lakeroadster]

Seems there is a lot of this in the NEC

As Grace Slick would say: "When logic and proportion have fallen sloppy dead"

 

[Bert_]

I think the intention of that code section is to prevent someone from pulling and re-identifying white wires in a new installation. It does technically apply to existing installations also, but I see very little safety issues with this as long as the wire is re-identified anywhere it is accessible ( J-boxes/ ect.).

I would not hesitate to re-color the wire you have unless the wire was extremely easy to replace.

 

[Ironcrow]

I started to look at pulling a red wire, removed the cover from a conduit body adjacent to the panel, and discovered I had already pulled and extra red wire coiled it up and nutted it off in the conduit body. Ha! I love it when I think ahead, Even if I forgot I did it.

So, never mind...I just swap the wires and coil the white one up for later.

 

[alfredeneuman]

When you sell the home you will need to 'disclose work done without a permit', which will include either 'pulled a new red wire and changed breaker and plug' -or- 'changed breaker and plug'.

The 'plug' isn't being changed. The 'outlet' or 'receptacle' is.

 

[ard]

The 'plug' isn't being changed. The 'outlet' or 'receptacle' is.

LOL dude!

And I pointed that out myself!!!!

 

[sberry]

Seems there is a lot of this in the NEC

It isn't in there cause they didn't have anything better to do. There are millions of hours of combined forensics, incidents and fires for all that. I had a service call the other day, some little deal that wasn't code compliant caused the problem.