2 eye Stovetop wiring question.

Status
Not open for further replies.
L

lonewolfusmc28

Member
Location
Panama City Beach Florida
Occupation
Maintenance Engineer
Hi all! Im a maintenance guy in FL with a bit of a conundrum...I have to replace a counter top 2 eye stove, and the exact replacement (and honestly all other 2 eyes ive found) are rated for 208/240v. Well the condo association I work for has it hooked up to a 120v 20A breaker...and its been working! This doesnt make any sense to me! All other 2 eyes are done the exact same way...120v 20A... This cant be right....right? Am I just that dumb? Can someone please explain this to me? What can I do? Thanks in advance!
 
Welcome to the forum
What is the amp and voltage rating of the unit you are replacing? You need to match that
A 208/240 unit may work but it will not have the same heat rating and the owners will not be happy.
also the 208/240 may need a neutral connection, you won’t have that with the hot, neutral, egc supply you have now
 
Last edited:
lonewolfusmc28 said:
Its a 20A draw but 240/208v raiting...theres others in the building that work just fine but pulling off of a 120v outlet..
Click to expand...


With resistance elements the amperage is reduced when the voltage is reduced. There are a few questions--

Firstly, what is the wattage and at what voltage. if the unit is rated 208/240 then there should be a wattage x watts/ y watts or even x amps/ y amps

Secondly, what is the voltage in the building?
 
lonewolfusmc28 said:
I have to replace a counter top 2 eye stove, and the exact replacement (and honestly all other 2 eyes ive found) are rated for 208/240v. Well the condo association I work for has it hooked up to a 120v 20A breaker...and its been working! This doesnt make any sense to me!
Click to expand...

Are you sure that the stove is not connected to two separate single-pole breakers with each on a different phase, instead of the required 2-pole?
 
lonewolfusmc28 said:
Well the condo association I work for has it hooked up to a 120v 20A breaker...and its been working!
Click to expand...
I have seen a 50 gallon water heater that was hooked up to a 120V circuit and the homeowner never noticed anything wrong.

There were only 2 people living in the house and 50 gallons is more than enough for 2 people to take a shower. Sure the water would take a long time to heat (recovery time) but they would not be home again for hours and I have no idea how many showers they would actually take but they had never noticed anything wrong and I would guess the situation had been that way for a couple of years.

They point of this boring story. That stove top will probably work OK with 120V but it will take longer to heat up.
 
A resistive load on half of the design voltage will pass half of the rated current, and use one-fourth of its rated power.

But, given more time, it will eventually reach the designed heat level. In other words it'll still get hot, just more slowly.
 
LarryFine said:
A resistive load on half of the design voltage will pass half of the rated current, and use one-fourth of its rated power.

But, given more time, it will eventually reach the designed heat level. In other words it'll still get hot, just more slowly.
Click to expand...
If what is being heated isn't giving up heat faster than heat is being added. On cook top there can be a point where those two things may equalize depending on conditions. Same with the water heater example or space heating situations.
 
kwired said:
If what is being heated isn't giving up heat faster than heat is being added. On cook top there can be a point where those two things may equalize depending on conditions. Same with the water heater example or space heating situations.
Click to expand...

Correct, I could see a large pot of water never coming to a boil!
 
kwired said:
If what is being heated isn't giving up heat faster than heat is being added. On cook top there can be a point where those two things may equalize depending on conditions. Same with the water heater example or space heating situations.
Click to expand...
retirede said:
Correct, I could see a large pot of water never coming to a boil!
Click to expand...
I was referring to an all-other-things-being-equal, theoretical comparison discussion.

Of course, you're correct that losses and inefficiencies apply in real-world situations.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top