3 way to 4 way wiring for stove

[flir67]

ok, just got a new stove, pulled old stove out to find a direct wire stove. house was built in 1980. ok cut the power and opend the junction box at the stove . this is where it gets interesting.

house has 3 way but the stove was 4 way and is wired like the following

house

black black-with red strip (hot) and stranded alumium ground I guess

so on stove hooked up to house

black to black red to red white to aluminum ground to aluminum.

so what options do I have for installing it. I read the other forum topic on this but I'm confused on the multistranded aluminum.

rewiring it is impossible as we have very low roof line and getting to the wires out of the fuse box in attic is zero unless your a 5 year old in size.

do I uncoonnect the 4 way wiring from the old stove and hook it up as

4 way on the new stove or go get a 3way wall socket for range and 3 way plug.

the stove has a 50amp fuse breaker.

thanks in advance.

[RBM]

It's three wire and four wire. What you do is buy a three wire range outlet and connect it to the three wires you have. Hot, Hot, and neutral-ground , which are the bare wire. You get a three wire range cord set and connect it to the range, Hot, Hot, and neutral-ground should be the center terminal. The center terminal should have a jumper, either installed or in a parts bag, that connects the center terminal to the frame of the range, bonding the neutral and ground together. This method is NEC approved for existing installations, which is what you have. If it were a new installation, you would need a four wire cable and the neutral and ground would be separated at the receptacle and the range

[Toller]

The stove should have installation instructions; follow them. The ones I have seen have a jumper for connecting the ground to the neutral internally. You leave it on for 3 wire and remove it for 4 wire. However, I don't see anything wrong with the way the old one was installed; except it might be difficult to get all the wires connected adequately. It is tough enough to twist two big wires together; 3 is awful. Be sure to clean the aluminum wires and use antioxidant.

Or use the plug and outlet if you are more comfortable with it. It might be considered a code violation, since you are installing a new 3wire outlet and they are now forbidden.

[flir67]

thanks for the reply ,

but my whirlpool instructions state line 1 and line 2 ? how do you which line is which, is line 1 always hot or red for that matter? they are not listed by color

and the neutral bare ware is completely bare with no insulation on it any where in the length.

so I think going to use the current 4way hook up as the new way to hook up. there was no oxidation on any of the aluminum/copper mix with the alumium crimper ring. so thats good for being 27 years old.

will add the anti-oxidation stuff if I can find it.

[Eric]

No, you MUST add the anti-oxidant for aluminum, go to home Depot or some such place and get a small tube of it. first clean up the wire end with light sand paper (make it shiny and clean) then coat it with the anti-oxidant and then assemble it into the new terminal connector. Its not so bad on large wire but AL is notorious for loosening up and corroding over time and that leads to a poor connection and possibly a fire. Copper is much more forgiving. Seriously, dont half-ass aluminum connections. Eric

[Toller]

I agree that, considering how cheap it is, anti-oxidant is prudent; but is it only absolutely necessary on small aluminum wires.

[flir67]

ok will do for the anti-oxidant, but how do you know which is line 1 and line 2 for hooking up to the new stove or does it not matter? confused on this last part before starting on this project.

thanks again for the warning on the aluminum connections.

[Toller]

The stove can't tell either. They are equivalent.

[flir67]

oops, well I was looking at the instruction and thinking the diagrams were the back of the stove actually. I decided to actually go and look and the back of the new stove. problem solved, red,black,white ground all right their.

thanks again for all the input

[RBM]

If you read the instructions carefully, it will probably say NOT to connect to aluminum wire. If you use the range receptacle and range cord, you will overcome this obstacle

[Doug Miller]

It doesn't matter. In a 240V circuit, L1 and L2 are interchangeable.

That's not the neutral -- it's the ground.

FIND IT. That's NOT optional for aluminum connections. Any hardware store or home center should have it, in the electrical department. One common brand name is Ox-Gard. A small tube should be all you need, and costs just a couple of bucks.

[curmudgeon]

[Dave Martindale]

Better yet, put the anti-oxidant on the wire *first*, then clean it with the sandpaper. (Or apply a blob of anti-oxidant to the sandpaper first). If you sand the aluminum dry, it starts developing a new oxide coating instantly wherever it is in contact with oxygen. If you put the anti-oxidant on first, enough to keep the aluminum surface wet, then oxygen is excluded and the aluminum surface doesn't develop an oxide layer.

Yes, the sandpaper will get covered with anti-oxidant. Yes, it's messy. But it's the right way to do it.

Dave