Hooking up old 240 for Stove

[jack0fall]

I've been reading through here and a lot of information I found here has been helpful. Although I have a few questions. So I'll start from the beginning.

A house I am renting and moved into was converted into a hair salon with an apartment upstairs from the shop. This is how everything was laid off before moving in. Now I'm trying to get it back to a single family home.

For what ever reason the 240 line to the downstairs kitchen was disconnected and breaker removed. There was an existing 240 upstairs in the kitchen (which was installed recently). The upstairs and downstairs are both on their own individual breaker boxes. There has been some new wiring that was done to accommodate the hair salon.

Anyway, I have already Hooked up the stove.

This is how I did it, I am hoping if anyone sees a flaw in this they will let me know as soon as possible (I'm not an electrician).

I first uninstalled the 50 amp breaker that was being used upstairs for the stove and totally removed the wiring from the breaker box in the attic. As I said, there was an existing wire (not sure what gauge, but its as big as the wire that was used upstairs for the stove) already ran from the basement breaker box to the old kitchen (only wire in the basement that was unhooked from the breaker box, very thick old braided casing with 2 hot 1 ground) so I'm assuming that was the original stove wiring.

I installed the 3 prong receptacle where I wanted the stove and reused the 50 amp breaker (from the attic) to tie in to the breaker box using the old original wiring thats probably as old as the house. 1920's - 30's?

These are the specs I can give you:
50 amp breaker
big old original wire (dont know what gauge, looks like a 6, but not sure)
GE Stove model# JBP26G*N1AD
100 amp Main Breaker

I have counted up all the amps in this breaker box now and it comes to a total of 360 on a 100amp main. Could that be a problem?

I hooked everything up yesterday and haven't been able to sleep to well being unsure everything is done right. So my questions are:

With the GE stove I have is the 50amp breaker what I want to use?
(hoping the old wiring is in good shape, from what I cant see everything looks ok)

Am I going to overload the main breaker? If so what would happen?

and anything else that could be a concern, please let me know.

Do I have anything to worry about when the stove is not in use? Like when I'm sleeping?

Thanks in advance and either way whether it be reasurance or saying not a good idea with explanation would be helpful.


GE Stove - model# JBP26G*N1AD - The * is a 0, says use on 3 wire 60hz ac only - also says "12.1 - 120/240v" - "9.2 - 120/208v"

[HayZee518]

since you removed all the old wiring you should have treated the install as a NEW install, that is using a four wire NOT the three wire as you did. You shiuld have pulled in a 6/4 romex to the location. The fifty amp breaker was OK. The receptacle should have been a four wire receptacle as well as the pigtail to the range. My guess is that if you had the install inspected, the inspector would have shot it down. Call your local inspector and see what he says. He may let it slip. Besides a wiring permit and inspection are normally necessary for your peace of mind and insurance.

[jack0fall]

Thanks for you quick response HayZee


I didnt remove any old wiring or install any wiring at all (old or new). I just used the existing wire that was originally used for the stove that ran from the main panel box to the kitchen where i attached the receptacle. This wire had already been run (don't know if it was when the house was built or later) all I had to do was add a receptacle and connect it to the panel box via a 50amp breaker.

As for adding a 4 wire (3 wire with ground), The stove only has a three prong plug coming out of it.

[596]

There are just enough uncertainties here that I would not be comfortable without having an electrician check it out. You say it is existing work. An inspector might rule that the old circuit was abandoned, and this use constitutes new work.

Certainly, without seeing it, we can't tell about the load situation.

If your stove had a cord already on it, especially a 3 prong, I assume it is old. Electric stoves don't come with cords, precisely for the reason that new homes have four wire, new installs require 4 wire, but if you have an existing 3 prong outlet you are allowed to continue to use that.

[HayZee518]

596 - unless you are an inspector I wouldn't assume ANYTHING! Show me where it says in the code old use of wires is permitted.

[jack0fall]

Ok, so far I'm am convinced from this forum and other forums that the best way to go about this is to rewire using 6 gauge 3wire w/ground (so 4 wire) but the stove only has a 3 prong power cord coming from the back of the stove.

Does that mean I would also have to change the plug from the back of the stove to a 4 prong plug? (2 hot, 1 neutral, 1 ground)?

Like I said on the stove itself it says: "Use on 3 wire 60hz A.C. Only". Considering this is an older stove (before the 4 wire was used), does this mean 3 wire with ground (4 wires), or 2 wire with ground (3 wires)?


*OR* I may just stick with the old cable and install a 40 amp breaker in the box.

although running new 6/3 wire isnt a problem, I'm just unsure on how to hook up a 3 wire with ground power cord to the stove itself if its suppose to have 2 wire with ground on it. Or maybe I should get new 6/2 and rerun that so I'm sure of the integrity of the wire and leave the plug wire coming out of the stove original (if that is really what came on it)


I've looked online to see if I can find any info on this stove and i have only found parts, but nothing mentioning anything as to being 3 prong or 4 prong.
Model# JBP26G*N1AD = * is a 0 on the stove and all I have found is JBP26G*N1 online for parts.

[HayZee518]

All electric ranges don't come with a pigtail. This is left to the discretion of the user. All ranges DO come with a grounding strap off the center [neutral] terminal. If the range is used as a replacement of the existing, then a three wire 50 amp pigtail is used. If it is for a new installation then the four wire pigtail is used. The user however is to be reminded that the ground strap on the neutral terminal is removed completely and the green ground be connected to the chassis ground. The white goes to the center terminal and the two hots on the outer terminals. The receptacle of the four wire is wired similarly. the bare ground goes to the ground terminal the white on the rearest terminal which is white or neutral and the two hots on the outer two terminals.

[normel]

596 - unless you are an inspector I wouldn't assume ANYTHING! Show me where it says in the code old use of wires is permitted.

See 250.140 "Frames of Ranges and Clothes Dryers"

[596]

I don't think I said anything about reusing old wires, one way or the other. I said I assumed the STOVE was old, because it had a 3 wire cord already on it. And I said that an inspector might rule that this job is new work, because a circuit which once was in use, had been apparently disconnected and abandoned. I believe it is true that if he had an existing 3 wire range outlet, he could plug into it, but not that he could MOVE that. Finally, I did recommend that he have the whole thing checked out by an electrician, because there were too many details which he was not clear on, and we cannot see the situation in person. Jus trying to help the guy do the right thing.