New homeowner, questions about wiring found in the house


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Old 05-22-16, 08:14 PM
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New homeowner, questions about wiring found in the house

My home was built in 1976. Based on what I'm able to ascertain, the original occupant had an electric range. Somewhere along the line it was changed over to a gas range. I am now in the process of converting back to electric. I have converted everything else in the house over from gas to electric already (clothes dryer, water heater, etc.) The outlet behind the stove is not the correct type and the cable running to it is far too small to be used for an electric range. I assume this smaller outlet was installed in place of the original since the gas range only needed minimal power for things like a clock, timer, etc.

On my electrical panel there is an extremely large gauge cable marked "Range." It is not connected to anything inside the panel (the wire ends are taped off.) I am able to trace it through the basement ceiling and lose sight of it very nearly under the spot where I believe the range is located. I pulled the small outlet that had been used for the gas range off the wall and have not been immediately able to find the heavy cable within a foot or so of the hole.

At this point, I'm debating what to do next. If the old wire was cut short when it was replaced, there will likely not be enough to stretch back out the hole to attach to an outlet. According to a friend's advice, it is unacceptable to simply add a few feet to the end to make it reach if this is in fact true.

There is one additional element to consider in all this. While tracing the wires coming off my panel I found another heavy gauge wire labeled on the panel as "A/C." It is tied in to two 40 amp breakers. The thing is, my house doesn't have central air or any other type of A/C unit at all. I followed the wire through the basement ceiling and it actually came out near my oil tank. It's connected to this box, but I have no idea what it is/was. Whatever it is, if I'm right, the thing sitting on top of it is a fuse that has been pulled out for as long as I've been living here without giving me any grief. It just so happens this large mystery cable is very strategically positioned in fairly immediate proximity to where my electric range outlet needs to go. Is this cable sufficient for an electric range? There are no markings on the sheath. Is there anything I can look at to make that determination? If so, I may be in for an easier job than I expected since it wouldn't take any effort at all to swing this cable up and put an outlet for a range on the end of it.

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Thanks and sorry in advance if I omitted anything important or said anything dumb! This is an entirely new world to me and I'll be the first to admit that I'm largely clueless about it. I've lived in apartments and condos my whole life and this is a whole new journey!
 
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Old 05-22-16, 09:06 PM
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You will need to meet current code to install a range receptacle. Curent code requires four wires, two hot, one neutral, one ground. Older wiring will likely be three wires, hot, hot, neutral, and no ground so can not be used.
 
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Old 05-22-16, 09:36 PM
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That must be a sub panel I am looking at and not the main panel. If your house is very old I suggest an electrician looks everything over and gives you an opinion as to whether you need to upgrade your wiring. Get several opinions and estimates my thinking is that you will need a new electrical panel and probably a heavy up to 200 amps. A heavy up isn't always necessary however if you have too many large items running at once you will want that extra amperage.
 
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Old 05-22-16, 10:23 PM
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Somewhat off topic but why are you going from gas to electric. Is electric cheaper then gas in Rhode Island? In most areas it isn't so when you add in the cost of change over plus perhaps extra cost of monthly operation you need to ask if it is worth it.

You might want to read this before buying a stove: http://peakmtgnw.com/gas-vs-electric...right-for-you/
 
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Old 05-23-16, 02:13 AM
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Your picture is of a more or less "standard" non-fused air conditioner local disconnect. Normally this would be located outside within about 25 feet of the A/C condenser unit. It IS possible it was installed for some other purpose. It has three insulated conductors so if it also has a bare equipment grounding conductor (may be cut off at the point the cable enters the enclosure) it could be used for a range IF the wire size is sufficient, usually a minimum of #8 and for larger ranges #6.

Please post some more pictures of the surrounding area as well as pictures of your main circuit breaker panel. Also, look on the cable jacket to see if there is any writing or embossed lettering denoting the cable size and type. Do this for both the cables under question.
 
 

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