got a new range for the kitchen...house was built in the 60's, so the line is 3-wire, not 4...it was also connected to my old range via caps, not a plug...i put in a new box and plug, got a 3-wire plug for the range...flipped the switch and everything's a go (no sparks or fires so far)...so how likely is it that i'm going to come home a week from now and find a smoldering pile where my house used to be?

seriously, i worry about this

3/5/2010 3:23:05 PM

I have no idea, but that's the kind of thing I would really not want to chance ...

3/5/2010 3:25:56 PM

I have no idea, but that's the kind of thing I would really not want to chance ...

3/5/2010 3:27:48 PM

ever since my computer exploded with sparks and a *pow* and all, i'm scared of electricity...not enough to pay an electrician, though

message_topic.aspx?topic=585459

3/5/2010 3:28:03 PM

it'll be fine

3/5/2010 3:30:12 PM

http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~ssanty/cgi-bin/eightball.cgi

Let us know the result

[Edited on March 5, 2010 at 3:30 PM. Reason : .]

3/5/2010 3:30:22 PM

I hope at least your computer burns, because I don't particularly care for you

3/5/2010 3:30:34 PM

you should be ok, assuming the gauges of the wire feeding the range and what the range will try to pull aren't horribly mis-matched......................

3/5/2010 3:35:54 PM

if there WERE a problem, it would likely trip the breaker before setting the kitchen ablaze, yes?

3/5/2010 3:37:26 PM

You would hope so...

3/5/2010 3:38:00 PM

i do, in fact, hope so

3/5/2010 3:38:19 PM

Question: Is the 8 ball a nigger?


"Absolutely!"

3/5/2010 3:40:01 PM

"Do you even work?"

"Negative"

3/5/2010 3:46:21 PM

you're old range was connected using capacitors? or do you mean wire nuts?

3/5/2010 6:54:13 PM

WATCH OUT

YOU MIGHT GET WHAT YOU'RE AFTER

3/5/2010 7:03:03 PM

^^ wire nuts

just to let you all know...SO FAR, SO GOOD

3/6/2010 11:55:15 AM

lol @ slave famous

3/6/2010 12:09:29 PM

It depends which one you didn’t connect…

if the ground is fine, it should still work, just maybe not heat as fast i’d guess (PURELY A GUESS)

3/6/2010 12:15:22 PM

^ all of the wires are connected...the house is 3-wire (the hot red and black, and the neutral white)...the range has those three plus the ground...since the 3-wire pigtail doesn't account for the ground, i cut some 8-gauge wire and crimped ring terminals on the end...one end is screwed into the range chassis and the other end is tied in with the white

my understanding is that the new standard (the green ground wire) is simply just a backup to the white, so it's not a big deal unless your white comes unattached (in which case your range is electrified, yes?)

3/6/2010 12:27:32 PM

When I installed ranges working for Lowe's, we'd come across older houses with 3 plug outlets all the time, despite the range having 4 connections. Its pretty common, the green connection just doesn't get used.

3/6/2010 12:34:20 PM

Quote :

"if there WERE a problem, it would likely trip the breaker before setting the kitchen ablaze, yes?"

if a fault occurs between a difference in potential between the white and the house or you, the breaker won't see the load and will never trip. A lightning strike to the house could cause this, or a bad connection somewhere on the white wire between the appliance and the panel. A really bad ground on the utility side could cause it as well.

Old houses with copper wires that have been connected with aluminum connectors can corrode over time and cause bad return paths on the white wire. This can cause a potential difference between the appliance and the rest of the house and be a fire hazard or a shock hazard to you. This would be my biggest concern with not having the ground wire. There are a lot of what-ifs that have to happen for the lack of the ground wire to be a problem, but having a ground wire return path to the breaker panel does provide you with some additional safety.

3/6/2010 12:53:36 PM

Mr College breakin it down with some knowledge

3/6/2010 12:57:38 PM