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I'm hoping someone can help me out. I'm connecting a 240 volt receptacle for my electric range. There was an older, but identicle receptacle already in place but it was removed by our former handy man (long story). I have found that the wiring doesn't have a dedicated set of neutral wires. There's a set of copper in the black casing and a set in red casing, but the ground wires seem to just wrap around the inner insulation. They are not bunched so that I can connect to the ground in the receptacle. This is an old house (1947) and I'm not sure how old the electrical work is. Should I just leave these wires and connect the to-be live wires to receptacle?
Unwrap the loose copper strands and then twist them together to form your ground wire and connect to the center lug on your outlet. You HAVE to have this or your range is not bonded and your clock, timer, and light will not work.
And use a voltmeter to verify that you have everything connected correctly. I recently ran across an artist who had mistakenly wired one of the legs to what was supposed to be the neutral in his home made extension cord. He then couldn't figure out why his kiln wasn't working right. He wiring had the potential of killing him or his wife.
Unwrap the loose copper strands and then twist them together to form your ground wire and connect to the center lug on your outlet. You HAVE to have this or your range is not bonded and your clock, timer, and light will not work.
Do you think it will matter that only the end portion of these copper wires will be bound together? When I started stipping the casing back is when I noticed that these copper wires travel around the red and black casing and insulation.
And use a voltmeter to verify that you have everything connected correctly. I recently ran across an artist who had mistakenly wired one of the legs to what was supposed to be the neutral in his home made extension cord. He then couldn't figure out why his kiln wasn't working right. He wiring had the potential of killing him or his wife.
I'm going to pick up a multi meter. While this wiring is old, there is black casing around one set, which is to be connected to the left terminal, and red casing that is to be connected to the right terminal. The neutral wires are supposed to be connetced to the bottom terminal, but that's where I'm having the problem. This picture below is what it's supposed to look like.
Unfortunately, I'm lacking the white cased copper wires as shown above and just have loose wires coming out of the main cable. And they aren't bunched together, rather they're coming out on top, bottom, the sides, etc.
On further consideration, since the neutral was not a regular wire, I'd rip out the wiring and bring it up to code. In the past, you could run the two hots and not have a ground - not real smart in a kitchen, but that is the way it was done - my father used to get shocked regularly as a camp counselor where an oven was set up this way. The idea at that point was that you ran a strap ground. Most didn't work that well in wet conditions. Then came the stoves with clocks and stuff that required a neutral, and the plugs became 3 prong. IF the requirement for the neutral was minimal, like an old clock mechanism, folks got away with the type of wire you are using. Today, a stove may have electronics and other components that would need that neutral and be beyond any safe capacity of that stranded sheath wire, so now is the time to rip out the wire, put in four wire and have a properly grounded stove. I wasn't firing on all cylinders when I made the previous post.
On further consideration, since the neutral was not a regular wire, I'd rip out the wiring and bring it up to code. In the past, you could run the two hots and not have a ground - not real smart in a kitchen, but that is the way it was done - my father used to get shocked regularly as a camp counselor where an oven was set up this way. The idea at that point was that you ran a strap ground. Most didn't work that well in wet conditions. Then came the stoves with clocks and stuff that required a neutral, and the plugs became 3 prong. IF the requirement for the neutral was minimal, like an old clock mechanism, folks got away with the type of wire you are using. Today, a stove may have electronics and other components that would need that neutral and be beyond any safe capacity of that stranded sheath wire, so now is the time to rip out the wire, put in four wire and have a properly grounded stove. I wasn't firing on all cylinders when I made the previous post.
Thanks. I just bought a used stove that is 2-3 years old. It currently has a 3-prong. I guess I could just get a 4-prong for it. I realize it would be ideal to just run a new wire but I know the costs will be harsh. I'm thinking of just fishing it myself and then have an electrician hook it up to the box and deal with the receptacle due potential insurance problems if anything goes wrong.
Fishing the wire looks like another pain in the rump. The control box is in a room in my basement that has a suspended ceiling, so that's easy enough. Unfortunately, the other half would have to go through sheet rock ceiling in the basement but maybe I'd be ablet to do it. Ahh! such a pain.
I guess I could just get a 4-prong for it. I realize it would be ideal to just run a new wire but I know the costs will be harsh. I'm thinking of just fishing it myself and then have an electrician hook it up to the box and deal with the receptacle due potential insurance problems if anything goes wrong.
Do not use a 4-prong grounding receptacle on a 3-wire branch circuit for the range.
the code allows an exception to keep the existing 3-prong receptacle on a new appliance; just make sure the casing is bonded to the grounded conductor.
if you're getting shocked as someone else mentioned above, there is something wrong with the appliance and it should be inspected and serviced, or replaced.
Do not use a 4-prong grounding receptacle on a 3-wire branch circuit for the range.
I was thinking I could switch the range to a 4-prong if I ran a new wire to the box. Is that possible? This range is 2-3 years old.
Quote:
the code allows an exception to keep the existing 3-prong receptacle on a new appliance; just make sure the casing is bonded to the grounded conductor.
What do you mean the casing? I haven't opened control panel so I'm not sure (providing I understand you here).
Quote:
if you're getting shocked as someone else mentioned above, there is something wrong with the appliance and it should be inspected and serviced, or replaced.
I have never used this appliance. It's sitting in my den right now.
Speaking of getting shocked. My 2007 Versa shocks me on the drivers side door. What's up with that?
I was thinking I could switch the range to a 4-prong if I ran a new wire to the box. Is that possible? This range is 2-3 years old.
You would need a 4-wire circuit from the panelboard to the range recep, and a 4-prong cord from the recep to the range.
Its not required to do this if your existing installation is a 3-wire circuit (3-prong cord).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Braunwyn
What do you mean the casing? I haven't opened control panel so I'm not sure (providing I understand you here).
Someone said earlier in the thread you should switch to a 4-wire because of the potential for shock. I was stating if that is happening, something is most likely wrong with the appliance.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Braunwyn
Speaking of getting shocked. My 2007 Versa shocks me on the drivers side door. What's up with that?
that's the ghost of uncle sam, telling you to buy american.
oh just kidding.
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