| In
This Article:
The access panel is removed,
a strain relief is installed and the heavy power cord threaded
through the cord opening. Electrical connections are made
after the neutral bonding strap is removed. |
Related
Articles:
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| Skill Level:
2-3 (Basic to Intermediate) |
Time Taken:
About 15 Minutes |
By
Bruce W. Maki,
Editor
Some people are surprised to learn that a new electric range does
not come with a power cord. Until recently there were two
different plug styles: 3-prong and 4-prong. It didn't make sense for
appliance manufacturers to include a power cord if they don't know
what style you'll need.
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After we hauled the appliance into the
house, we parked it on the kitchen floor to work on it.
This is the back side of the range after the box was
removed. |
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| Near the bottom there was a cover panel
held in place by one screw. I removed the screw with a
¼" nut-driver. |
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Behind the cover panel there was a row of
three electrical connector screws, plus a green ground
screw.
The middle connection is neutral, the left and
right connections are hot. This arrangement is
common on 240-volt appliances.
Like many appliances, this stove has a metal
enclosure for the electrical connections. This is like a
built-in "junction box". |
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| I bought a 4-wire range cord at Home Depot
for about $10. |
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This is called a "strain
relief". The purpose of this device is to grab onto
the outer jacket of the cord to prevent the individual
wires from being pulled loose if somebody should yank on
the power cord. |
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| With one screw left out, I placed the
strain relief into the hole for the power cord. |
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I threaded the 4-wire power cord up into
the connection "box". |
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Note that the red and black wires are "hot" wires.
There is 240 volts of electrical potential between the two hot
wires, and 120 volts between either hot wire and the white neutral
wire. Green is ground.
Only For 4-Wire
Cords:
Following the instructions on the back of the stove,
I removed this copper bonding strip that connects
the neutral line to the ground screw. |
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What's Up With
This?
In all houses the neutral wire and the ground wires
are connected together... but ONLY at the main
panel. (There's a long explanation behind this rule
which you can read in our article
about sub-panel installation.)
As recently as 8 or 10 years ago houses were being
built with a 3-prong range receptacle, while mobile
homes were required to have a 4-prong receptacle. The
4-prong receptacle has a separate prong for the ground
wire, the 3-prong receptacle either didn't use the
ground, or the ground was tied together with the
neutral... I'm not entirely sure.
With the 1996 National Electrical Code revision they
stopped allowing this loophole in an otherwise sensible
wiring system. Now all ranges (and electric dryers) must
be wired with a 4-prong outlet.
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Actually, it was kinda difficult to remove
this bonding strip. I had to remove a screw above
the neutral connector screw and fidget with this piece
of metal. |
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| After I connected one of the hot wires (to
hold it in place), I connected the ground wire to the
grounding screw.
The ground wire had to be bent to fit into place,
because it needed to be shorter than the other wires. |
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Then I connected the neutral (white) wire
and the other hot wire (black)
These connector screws need to be tightened firmly. |
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| I installed the other screw in the strain
relief, and tightened it until the cable was held
securely but not crushed. |
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| I installed the cover panel. |
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The completed cord installation.
Note the recessed area at the bottom of the
back of the stove. This recess provides a place for the
range cord to lay when the stove is pushed tight against
the wall. |
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| We plugged the range into the outlet.
Oops... a problem. The outlet should have been
installed so the cord will go sideways, not
upward. |
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|
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So I unscrewed the mud ring that held the
outlet and rotated the whole assembly a quarter-turn,
then re-installed the mud ring.
Of course, I turned off the breaker first. |
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| I plugged in the range. I took quite a
push to get the plug into the receptacle. |
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When I plugged in the range, the cord went
sideways and fit into the recess at the back of the
stove. |
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| Once the stove was pushed back against the
wall, we turned on the breaker and tested the stove. |
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Built-In Ovens, Cooktops, and
Ranges:
These units cannot use a plug and receptacle.
They must be hard-wired using flexible conduit
between the J-box and appliance. The J-box needs to be accessible,
such as in an adjacent cabinet or behind a drawer.
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More Info:
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Tools
Used:
- Nut
Driver, ¼"
- Phillips
Screwdriver
- Pliers
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Materials
Used:
- Range
Cord, 4-Wire
- Strain
Relief
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| Related
Articles:
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Recommended
Reading:
- Wiring
A House by Rex Cauldwell,
published by Taunton Press
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