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Electric to gas range conversion


randynavarro

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If a guy converts from an electric range to a gas unit and uses one leg of the existing 240 circuit to supply the new gas range (120v), is it acceptable?

I see this from time to time but today's conversion struck me as strange for some reason.

Something about a large #8 feeder supplying a 15 or 20 amp outlet and only one leg of teh circuit being hot and the other leg being dead.

Maybe I'm just confused altogether. . . !

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If a guy converts from an electric range to a gas unit and uses one leg of the existing 240 circuit to supply the new gas range (120v), is it acceptable?

I see this from time to time but today's conversion struck me as strange for some reason.

Something about a large #8 feeder supplying a 15 or 20 amp outlet and only one leg of teh circuit being hot and the other leg being dead.

Maybe I'm just confused altogether. . . !

Perhaps you're bothered by the fact that a 50-amp breaker is protected a single 15-amp receptacle?

Where does the other hot wire from that cable go? What happens if someone flips on the lower 50-amp breaker?

- Jim Katen, Oregon

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If a guy converts from an electric range to a gas unit and uses one leg of the existing 240 circuit to supply the new gas range (120v), is it acceptable?

I see this from time to time but today's conversion struck me as strange for some reason.

Something about a large #8 feeder supplying a 15 or 20 amp outlet and only one leg of teh circuit being hot and the other leg being dead.

Maybe I'm just confused altogether. . . !

Perhaps you're bothered by the fact that a 50-amp breaker is protected a single 15-amp receptacle?

Yup.

Where does the other hot wire from that cable go? What happens if someone flips on the lower 50-amp breaker?

Yup again.

So a solution would be to install a 15 or 20 amp breaker? But then the trouble is the breake terminal probably won't accept that large of cable. . . .

Any other ideas on how to upgrade without running a whole new cable?

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That isn't that hard. Leave the 220 circuit alone (though it couldn't hurt to turn the breaker off) and run a new 15 amp branch circuit, or tap one that's close by since your just running a timer and a lamp. Someone had to run the gas line right? Besides, the missus might want a dual fuel range someday.

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It would be a waste of money/ materials, and not be any safer ( as far as I know), to run a new circuit. I would just disconnect the extra wire, install a properly sized breaker, and be done with it.

I am fairly positive that 15 and 20 amp breakers are rated down to 6 or 8 gauge wire (would have to look), but if not, a pigtail is allowed.

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Hi,

I see these all the time. The electrician pulls the 2-pole breaker, installs a 15-amp breaker, runs a 6-inch hot lead from the 15-amp breaker, splices it to one leg of that heavy cable, wraps the other cable with white tape, splices a while conductor onto the end and connects it to the neutral bus, and then at the other end pulls off the 240 volt plug, splices 14-gauge conductors onto the conductors and installs the receptacle. I'm weak in electrical, but it doesn't seem to me like it would actually harm anything and only becomes a pain-in-the-ass when/if they want to replace the gas stove with an electric stove; at which point they have to reverse the whole mess.

By the way, Randy, what would happen if you throw that other breaker? Where does the end of that other cable terminate?

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

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By the way, Randy, what would happen if you throw that other breaker? Where does the end of that other cable terminate?

Somewhere behind the commercial gas range. . . I have no clue what would happen if one were to throw the breaker.

And by the way, the solutions for using the existing circuit make perfect sense. And I've seen it many times before.

I hope others have experienced the mental relapse I've exhibited in this thread. Every once in a while you come across something that you've seen countless times, but for whatever reason, just can't pull the right files in the brain to process it.

Am I alone?

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By the way, Randy, what would happen if you throw that other breaker? Where does the end of that other cable terminate?

Somewhere behind the commercial gas range. . . I have no clue what would happen if one were to throw the breaker.

And by the way, the solutions for using the existing circuit make perfect sense. And I've seen it many times before.

I hope others have experienced the mental relapse I've exhibited in this thread. Every once in a while you come across something that you've seen countless times, but for whatever reason, just can't pull the right files in the brain to process it.

Am I alone?

Welcome to the club. [;)]

Marc

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I hope others have experienced the mental relapse I've exhibited in this thread. Every once in a while you come across something that you've seen countless times, but for whatever reason, just can't pull the right files in the brain to process it.

Am I alone?

Nope, not alone. It happens to me more often than I would like to admit.

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