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convert 3 wire range junction box to receptacle

6K views 0 replies 1 participant last post by  filby 
#1 · (Edited)
Hi guys , I think I'm doing this right but want some confirmation. I'm replacing my old drop-in Magic Chef range with a new freestanding range with a plug, which hasn't arrived yet. The old range was direct wired with wire labeled as such: E32071 UL 3 CDRS AWG 6 Compact AL Triple Alloy Type SE Cable Style U Type XHHW CDRS 600V This large "romex" 3 wire cable came out of the drywall and into a metal 4x4" box. Inside the box it was joined with wire nuts to the 3 wires coming out of the armored cable (from the range) that was also going into the box. One wire was bare aluminum, the other two aluminum sheathed in insulation (one black, one black w/red stripe). There was a short copper wire attached the integrated ground screw on the back of the metal box, that was joined inside the wire nut to the bare aluminum wire and one of the range wires.

Well, I took off the wire nuts, tossed the stove, and bought a 3 wire receptacle which I attached to a cover plate (with a cutout the size of the receptacle). The alum wires were a bit too long, so I cut them with bolt cutters, then used a small carpet knife to carefully strip off insulation taking care not to nick the cable. I plan to put the bare alum wire into the White terminal, and the other two in the remaining terminals. (and using the nolux stuff in them) But what about the short copper wire on the ground screw? Need to attach this somewhere or not? My new range is a Frigidaire, and from what I interpret from their manual online, they have a short ground strap inside the range that is connects the neutral to the ground (internal to the range). Searching online though I see some comments of metal boxes needing grounded. I've always done this in fixture outlets, but not sure in this case. If so, do I just stuff this copper jumper together with the shiny alum wire under the "White" screw terminal of the receptacle? Are two wires under the tightened screw allowed by code? I also thought of dissimilar metals corroding, but realize the noalux might prevent that.
 
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