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Not an electrician, but dumb enough to do this kind of stuff myself...
It does not appear that Lowes carries 4-gauge Romex wire. However, they do carry 4-gauge THHN (stranded) wire. You would have to purchase it by the foot (unless you want to spend $800+ for 1,000-foot spool), and you'd also need to install a new conduit for the THHN wire to run inside. That could be as simple as a flexible ("greenfield") conduit with a connector on each end. (See the image below - you can also purchase this from Lowe's.)
I'm guessing your furnace runs off a double-pole breaker, so you will most likely need enough THHN cable to run 4 conductors (2 hots, a neutral, and a ground). I'd figure out your pathway, measure it, add a couple of feet to be safe, and then multiply that by 4. I'd probably purchase the green wire for the ground, and the black for the hots/neutral, and then use electrical tape on both ends of one hot conductor and a different color electrical tape on both ends of the neutral conductor so you can keep track of which one is which.
Good luck...as BG said - don't work in your panel hot! Turn off the main breaker, but beware that even with that off, the feeders from the utility are always hot. Watch where your hands, screwdrivers, etc. are at all times!
** Edited by MP4VT2004 at 1/21/2026, 9:58:02 AM
** Edited by MP4VT2004 at 1/21/2026, 10:19:32 AM
Thread Replies (20)
Electricians, please explain #4 gauge wire to me like I'm a big dumb idiot.
-- Hurley09
Jan 21, 2026 at 09:15 AM ET
Hurley09
•
01/21/26 09:15 AM ET
Make sure you get it all on video**
-- Brown Water
Jan 21, 2026 at 11:34 AM ET
Brown Water
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01/21/26 11:34 AM ET
as a kid he always dreamed of being a conductor **
-- bigbadbird
Jan 21, 2026 at 02:23 PM ET
bigbadbird
•
01/21/26 02:23 PM ET
He was a lightning rod for attention.**
-- Spud
Jan 21, 2026 at 02:42 PM ET
Spud
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01/21/26 02:42 PM ET
120 will shock you, 240 will kill you. Hire an electrician.**
-- Galenahokie
Jan 21, 2026 at 11:21 AM ET
Galenahokie
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01/21/26 11:21 AM ET
Recommend checking out McMaster-Car
-- EDGEMAN
Jan 21, 2026 at 09:58 AM ET
EDGEMAN
•
01/21/26 09:58 AM ET
Yeah, 4ga romex is probably something you'll need to get from an electrical
-- Tafkam Hokie
Jan 21, 2026 at 11:48 AM ET
Tafkam Hokie
•
01/21/26 11:48 AM ET
Not an electrician, but dumb enough to do this kind of stuff myself...
◄
-- MP4VT2004
Jan 21, 2026 at 09:57 AM ET
MP4VT2004
•
01/21/26 09:57 AM ET
Late to your post, but I'm thinking he needs one red and one black for the
-- PWR2LZ
Jan 21, 2026 at 10:33 PM ET
PWR2LZ
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01/21/26 10:33 PM ET
In a perfect world, absolutely. My suggestion was based on the fact that...
-- MP4VT2004
Jan 22, 2026 at 08:26 AM ET
MP4VT2004
•
01/22/26 08:26 AM ET
Cool, thx for the link! I need to buy some of that tape. I have an account
-- PWR2LZ
Jan 22, 2026 at 10:18 PM ET
PWR2LZ
•
01/22/26 10:18 PM ET
Also, according to this conduit fill table, you will need a 1" flex conduit**
-- MP4VT2004
Jan 21, 2026 at 10:02 AM ET
MP4VT2004
•
01/21/26 10:02 AM ET
How about a 4" conduit, to allow for expansion?
-- EDGEMAN
Jan 21, 2026 at 10:06 AM ET
EDGEMAN
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01/21/26 10:06 AM ET
4" would be excessive, ha. I agree in principle, but...
-- MP4VT2004
Jan 21, 2026 at 10:16 AM ET
MP4VT2004
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01/21/26 10:16 AM ET
Would have suggested 5" conduit, but it wasn't listed...lol**
-- EDGEMAN
Jan 21, 2026 at 10:27 AM ET
EDGEMAN
•
01/21/26 10:27 AM ET
i would say acquiring the right wire being the big hurdle might indicate
-- bigbadbird
Jan 21, 2026 at 09:52 AM ET
bigbadbird
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01/21/26 09:52 AM ET
The lower the number the bigger the diameter of the wire. 0.204307 in.
-- jdkhokie
Jan 21, 2026 at 09:47 AM ET
jdkhokie
•
01/21/26 09:47 AM ET
Both self deprecating but with a good DIY ability and attitude. I'm rooting
-- BG Hokie
Jan 21, 2026 at 09:34 AM ET
BG Hokie
•
01/21/26 09:34 AM ET
Hurley was fun until he crossed the wires. Pooooor Hurley...**
-- Beerman
Jan 21, 2026 at 09:37 AM ET
Beerman
•
01/21/26 09:37 AM ET