When did stoves and dryers “go” per the electrical code from 3 wires to 4?
I am replacing a 1984 electric cooktop and the cooktop is 4 wire but the house wire to it is only 3 wire even tho the house was built in 1984.
I thought the 3 wire to 4 wire change was before 1984?
I guess I need to run a 4 wire from the breaker box.
For a 40 amp circuit how does the wire come – 8 gage blk ,white and red, but what gage is the green?
Replies
thought it was sometime in the 90s, or at least locally it was something like that
I believe your range receptacle is 'grandfathered' in so you don't have to rewire it. For new construction, of course, you'd need a four wire connection. My current code book is at the office, but in the 1999 NEC book I have here at home it's covered in Article 250-140.
I thought it happened in '96.
I installed a big range last week that required a 50 amp circuit, the installation instructions had provisions for 3 wire set up and 4 wire.
No need to run a new feed unless it is undersized.
Yep, it was the 95 ROP when Phil Simmonds finally convinced NFPA that the "war was over" and they should drop the exception for ranges and water heaters, meant to save copper. The change in the 96 code article 250.60 that defines using the neutral for grounding would only apply to "existing installations" from then on.
Bear in mind, if the cooktop does not have any line to neutral loads (120v) you can still have two hots and a ground without a neutral.