I am about to install an electric range/oven and I need help with the wiring requirements. This is for a late 1950's or early 1960's house. The house has a 100 amp service panel that was installed in 2002.
Up until today, the house had an electric wall oven and a separate built-in
4-burner electric countertop cooking range. Both were broken and I removed both of them today along with the cabinets that went with them.My plan is to replace these two appliances with a single electric freestanding range/oven, and I want to install that in the morning. The electric range/oven that I am putting in was given to me, and it is a GE Model JBP23GV1AD that is in excellent condition. It came with a 3-prong,
3-wire (not a 4-wire), power cord already attached to it.Unfortunately, after taking out the original two appliances today, I realized that the existing wiring is probably not going to be re-usable for the new combined electric range/oven. The original electric wall oven and electric countertop range were on two separate circuits. Each circuit is/was on its own separate 30-amp breaker, and the wiring for each appears to be cloth-covered 10/3 wire.
The only link that I could find regarding the manual for the GE Model JBP23GV1AD that I am installing is:
Some of the wiring information is on Page 31 and 31 of that document.
I couldn't find the amperage/current requirements in the manual, so I called GE customer service. They said this range/oven requires a dedicated 40 amp circuit.
So, here are the questions/issues that I would like to figure out:
1) I assume that the two existing 30-amp 10/3-wire dedicated circuits can't be re-used with the new (used) stove that I am now installing. Is that correct?2) I can fairly easily run a new dedicated circuit for the new range/oven. It's fairly easy because the electric service panel is in the full unfinished basement, and I can run the new circuit where either of the old ones are already located -- across the ceiling and up through the floor directly to the new range/oven. The total run is less than 60 feet (probably closer to 50 feet). What size wire should I run and what size breaker should I use?
3) I assume that I can use a 40-amp breaker and use #8 wire for that, since the range/oven I have now is a 40-amp appliance (according to GE). But, if I later replace this electric range/oven with a new one, I am guessing that it may be a 50-amp range/oven since that's what most of them seem to be after a quick check on the Internet. So, would it be smarter to just run a 50-amp circuit now (which I assume means a 50-amp breaker and #6 wire) -- is that correct?4) And, finally, do I need to (or should I) do a 4-wire hook-up with a
4-prong plug, or is the current 3-wire/3-prong plug sufficient? In either case (whether I use the existing 3-prong or a new 4-prong plug), is the new dedicated circuit wire type the same? -- meaning either 8/3 (40-amp) or 6/3 (50-amp) with ground?Thanks.