Hey all,

I just got a new electric oven after the touch panel on the old one died and I'm having some trouble connecting it myself. It's a conduit installation, so the delivery service wouldn't touch it. I got everything working on the first try, but that was not to last. I moved it a little after testing the burners and over and the clock went out instantly and the oven can't be turned on. Cooktop still works fine.
Reached behind the oven and felt a light current on the flexible conduit! At least I think that's what I was touching.
Anyhow, I flipped the breaker off, took the electrical cover back off and everything looked fine. It's a three wire installation because my house is pretty old. Undid all the electrical connections anyhow, made fresh cuts and stripped the wires and connected everything again carefully. Looks fine. Problem not fixed. Cooktop burners all work fine but the clock will not come on and the control panel the clock is on cannot turn on the over or do anything. I've stared at my wiring a lot, everything looks fine. Eventually after pulling everything out to look again, I some how touch the back housing of the oven and the exterior flexible conduit and there is a current!

So I'm figuring this is the problem, but I have no idea how that could be the case and my electrical knowledge is too minimal to puzzle it out much more.
Does this mean there is a wiring problem inside the conduit possibly? How do I test for that? A voltage meter shows 240 if I hit the red and black wires, 120 if I hit the black and the conduit or the red and the conduit. Should that carry voltage at all when testing with the meter? Did I have a grounding problem before when it was all hooked up to the stove? I'm so lost…
Everything is turned off and the breaker is off, etc. until I can think of some other scenario to test. I opened the nearest box before the wires go into the conduit and no wires appear exposed, but I'm wondering if something is happening inside the flexible conduit like a wire is exposed and touching the conduit?

 

It sounds like you have an open/weak neutral somewhere in the oven circuit. This is the classic example for why modern appliances use four wire circuits -- when the neutral opens, you can get shocked by touching exposed metal parts.

The fix is going to be opening up the junction box where that flexible cable/conduit originates and inspecting the connections there; possibly remaking them depending on what you find. You may also need to identify other junction boxes on the circuit (if any) and the breaker panel box.

For a permanent install, there should also be a proper termination fitting on the spiral metal.

 

Looks like a 240v supply but a 120/240v oven.

 

Thanks for the reply Ben, I do need a collar on that flexible conduit and a clamp to connect it to the stove once I'm sure I can make it work. And I appreciate the pointer where to look for the problem.

 

I'm guessing you are replacing a cooktop with a new range. You need to install a receptacle and a cord on the range. The range needs to have a disconnect and a cord and plug would satisfy that requirement.

You also have a 240-volt only circuit and it also appears to be #10 wires. #10 is only good for 30 amps and your oven likely needs 40 or 50 amps. You will need to run a new circuit.

 

I don't think I agree, but thanks. It's okay for me to run from conduit without the outlet. I haven't executed the plan but I think what I'm concluding is that it's problematic that the conduit is only carrying three wires with one being a ground and not a neutral. I'm going to add a neutral wire and then have a four wire hookup instead of a three since I'm missing the correct third wire for a 3 wire setup.