NEC 250-140 Range Outlet

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yjl

yjl

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Location
Littleton, MA, USA
Occupation
Master Electrician
So recently a friend of mine just had his Appliance replaced to KitchenAid (which is owned by Whirlpool), he has a 6/3 SE cable and 10/50 outlet and the people they bought it from specifically told him that if he changed the cord on the Range that it would void warranty and UL listing. I read the manual and it specifically states "Do not modify the power cord plug. If it will not fit the outlet, have a proper Outlet installed by qualified electrician." So after spending two hours on hold with KitchenAid they transferred me over to Whirlpool support and after speaking with her for 20 minutes and explain in the situation she sent me an e-mail which states "Per our Use and Care Accessory Catalog. A 3-prong or 4-prong cord can be used. Thank you for contacting Whirlpool. We appreciated hearing from you." So the homeowner could have spent thousand of dollars replacing this, how many people have had to replace this replace, paid for the installation and repairs to the finishes in there home, all for not!!!!
 
IMO "Do not modify the power cord" means something like cutting the 4-wire end off and replacing with a 3-wire. You can just change the cord to the proper configuration.

Welcome to the Forum. :)
 
yjl said:
So recently a friend of mine just had his Appliance replaced to KitchenAid (which is owned by Whirlpool), he has a 6/3 SE cable and 10/50 outlet and the people they bought it from specifically told him that if he changed the cord on the Range that it would void warranty and UL listing. I read the manual and it specifically states "Do not modify the power cord plug. If it will not fit the outlet, have a proper Outlet installed by qualified electrician." So after spending two hours on hold with KitchenAid they transferred me over to Whirlpool support and after speaking with her for 20 minutes and explain in the situation she sent me an e-mail which states "Per our Use and Care Accessory Catalog. A 3-prong or 4-prong cord can be used. Thank you for contacting Whirlpool. We appreciated hearing from you." So the homeowner could have spent thousand of dollars replacing this, how many people have had to replace this replace, paid for the installation and repairs to the finishes in there home, all for not!!!!
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This is really a loaded question depending on the unique situation.
Does the install meet the minimum code at the time of construction.
Is this fed from a sub panel.
I have seen many a installs using 3 wire cables and fed from sub panel.
 
In the case of an existing supply circuit, the solution is to replace the 4-wire plug and cord with a 3-wire plug and cord, and join the green and white wires in the appliance terminal compartment.
 
LarryFine said:
That has been a no-no for many years. A sub-panel or mobile home installation has required a 4-wire circuit for many decades.
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Yes it has. You have no idea how many original installs I have seen like that. Homes built in the 90's
I've seen 10-2 used for a dryer with an original 3 wire 10-30 receptacle and fed from a sub. I don't think that was ever allowed.
 
Sierrasparky said:
Yes it has. You have no idea how many original installs I have seen like that. Homes built in the 90's
I've seen 10-2 used for a dryer with an original 3 wire 10-30 receptacle and fed from a sub. I don't think that was ever allowed.
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Yeah very common here. You can also run a #10 green ECG to back to the panel or any accessible point on the GEC. Funny thing is last I checked ranges are just 240V for heating elements. Some only use a neutral the just the light. And I have seen apartment models with nothing on the neutral bar. In such a situation with old wiring you could install a 6-50 receptacle.
 
infinity said:
IMO "Do not modify the power cord" means something like cutting the 4-wire end off and replacing with a 3-wire. You can just change the cord to the proper configuration.

Welcome to the Forum. :)
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I would agree if it didn't continue with, " If it will not fit the outlet, have a proper Outlet installed by qualified electrician." If changing the cord was OK then it would have to say that, it would seem. Just saying. I would only feel comfortable changing the cord if there were instructions in the manual and there was a shorting bar in the junction box.
 
I think it is trying to make sure the cord is properly replaced complete, and not just having the end cut off and a new end fitted... but the normal sales people are not taught that they can simply have spare cords in place and... not everyone knows how to properly change a cord on a stove or a dryer...
 
More hassle and around same cost to replace just the cord cap, might as well replace the entire cord instead of just the cap. Plus you didn't gain a thing electrically if you converted a three wire cord with a four wire cap.

I haven't seen a range ever that came with a cord factory installed, it is always the option to use whatever cord the site determines is necessary. Which today that three wire receptacle is still possibly a valid option for existing installations.
 
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