Cooktop Conection

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Devans175

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Im installing an electric cooktop. The existing conductors from the panel are red, black and white 8 AWG. The white is connected to the ground/neutral bar in the main panel. The neutrals and grounds from all the other circuits are mixed between two neutral/ground bars. The new cooktop only has a red, black and bare copper ground. Do I connect the ground from the cooktop to the white from the panel? Does it matter which ground/neutral bar it's connacted to? Does this make sense? :confused: Thanks!!!
 

DonL

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Im installing an electric cooktop. The existing conductors from the panel are red, black and white 8 AWG. The white is connected to the ground/neutral bar in the main panel. The neutrals and grounds from all the other circuits are mixed between two neutral/ground bars. The new cooktop only has a red, black and bare copper ground. Do I connect the ground from the cooktop to the white from the panel? Does it matter which ground/neutral bar it's connacted to? Does this make sense? :confused: Thanks!!!


The neutral will be ground at the panel. But should be connected to the neutral buss.

But it sounds like your safety ground is missing. Not to uncommon for a older home.

You should connect it according to the instructions in the manual.


Have fun.
 

Devans175

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Cooktop Connection

I'm just confusted about which is the neutral and which is the ground.. or does it matter??? They both have neutrals and grounds...
 

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Jadnashua

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If you have 4-wire supply run, use it on your new cooktop. The neutral and ground should only be connected at one place (the panel). If your cable did not contain a separate ground (common on older installations), then the ground and neutral of the cooktop need to be connected per the instructions that came with it (this is allowed, but only when you do not have the dedicated ground available).

The hot and neutral wires can both carry current in the normal operation (your cooktop may not use neutral - it is only needed if there's say a 120vac light or receptacle on it or maybe some onboard electronics). The ground wire, when present, is a safety lead that should not be normally carrying current. It would only carry current if there was a fault. So, with only a three-wire connection, you do not have the safety ground there, but it is available (maybe quite far away) at the panel.
 

hj

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Unless the cooktop does not have a 120v circuit, it should have a red, black, white, and bare ground. Your existing wire, since it has three conductors would also normally have a bare copper ground wire. If it does then it connects to the bare ground on the cooktop and the white wire MAY be ignored, assuming you are giving us valid information concerning the wire configuations.
 

DonL

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I'm just confusted about which is the neutral and which is the ground.. or does it matter??? They both have neutrals and grounds...


The ground is the bare wire and the neutral is the insulated one.

And yes it does mater, on the cooktop end.
 
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DonL

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quote; Theory only works perfect in a vacuum.

Or in a pristine laboratory under ideal conditions.


That is true.

When I worked at NASA on the clean room controllers the girls were not allowed to wear makeup or it would set off the alarm. What a site for sore eyes.

Every now and then they would cut a fart and set off the alarm.

Then they would turn red faced.

It was funny, because they had to log when the alarm went off, and why, and the computer system would log it also. The computer would say Electronics Out Gasing, Not ready for Flight.


Sorry for the bit off topic, But I felt the need to share, the girls sure did.
 
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