Change it to a sub panel

[twohawktate]

In my main panel, there are (2) 50 amp breakers used to feed an electric furnace. There are 4 wires; blk,red,white and bare copper.
Blk and red are connected to the 2 50 amp breakers, the white is NOT connected(scotch locked) and the bare copper to the main panel body. Why isn't the white connected?

This 4-wire connection terminates in a box with (2) 50 amp fuses. From there, the electric furnace was hard wired. The fuses would constantly break and plastic parts in the box would melt.

I want to turn this into a subpanel and then hard wire a gas furnace to it.

 

[Jim Johnstone]

The white isn't connected because that is the neutral, and many 240 volt appliances don't require a neutral, just the two hots and a ground.

seeing as all 4 wires are there, it would be extremely easy to change that to a sub panel, using the white wire as well, that you could then pop in whatever size breaker to power your furnace.