Four-wire 220V Conversion to 120V?

[Pat Germain]

Hello all,

I am now in the same situation Matt reported back in September. I'm replacing my GE, electric EZ-Bake oven with a gas range. I pulled my range out and checked. There is only the big, four-wire receptacle back there. The new range requires a standard, 120V outlet.

Can I remove the four-wire receptacle and replace it with a 120V by blocking off wires? Or, is there a better solution? My house is nine years old, in case that makes a difference.

If anyone is interested, I opted for a Frigidaire "Professional" model. It has five burners, continuous grates, true convection and a warming oven; all the features I wanted. All the big box stores were having Veteran's Day sales. But Lowe's gave me 20% off the regular price (really) and another 10% because I'm a veteran. Then they offered me 18 months 0% financing (that offer expires tomorrow). I figured the extra 10% discount for veterans was just a gimmick. However, sure enough, they would not give me that extra 10% off until I went home and got a copy of my DD214 (discharge papers). Then, and only then, did they happily give me the extra 10% off.

So, with 30% off and 18 months at 0% interest, they hooked me an reeled me in. Now I just hope I don't somehow get filleted. :)

[Rick Davidson]

Sounds like a steal. Home depot and Lowes offers the 10% off all the time every time I buy something I show them my military ID and get 10% off. Just FYI

[Pat Germain]

Sounds like a steal. Home depot and Lowes offers the 10% off all the time every time I buy something I show them my military ID and get 10% off. Just FYI

That's good to know, Rick. Thanks, I did not know that. I was looking at an LG range at Home Depot, but at no time did they mention I could get 10% off as a veteran.

[Jamie Buxton]

Those four wires are ground, neutral, and two hots. You can have standard 120 volts by using the ground, the neutral, and either hot.

[Pat Germain]

Those four wires are ground, neutral, and two hots. You can have standard 120 volts by using the ground, the neutral, and either hot.

OK, thanks, Jamie. So, can I just put twist-on wire caps with electrical tape over the unused wires?

[Howard Garner]

OK, thanks, Jamie. So, can I just put twist-on wire caps with electrical tape over the unused wires?


I would be happier if you replaced the 220 breaker with a single 110 unit and taped off the second hot wire at both ends.

Howard Garner
amateur electrician

[Pat Germain]

I would be happier if you replaced the 220 breaker with a single 110 unit and taped off the second hot wire at both ends.

Howard Garner
amateur electrician

Good idea, Howard. This should be easy to do. I will take your advice.

[Jim Becker]

Pat, when I installed our DCS gas range, I re-purposed the existing 8 gage cable from one of the original electric cook-tops for the 120v circuit that the new range required. It wasn't a piece of cake to terminate the larger conductors...I opted to do that in a j-box by tying what amounted to a 12-2 pigtail into an adjoining outlet box and receptacle. But it would have been immensely harder to get a new cable to the location due to the lack of headroom in the crawlspace under that end of the kitchen. (I would have needed a trained small monkey to pull the cable... ;) ) The same accommodation was done at the other end near the panel to transition from the larger cable to 12-2.

Note that as Howard suggested, the breaker was replaced with a 120v single pole breaker consistent with the circuit's use.

[Pat Germain]

^^ Thank you for those suggestions, Jim.

[Rod Sheridan]

Pat, you can buy a plug in adapter for this purpose.

It plugs into the range receptacle, includes overcurrent protection and has a standard 120 volt receptacle for your new gas range.

Regards, Rod.

http://www.reliableparts.ca/thumbnail/product/468499/200/200

[Pat Germain]

Thanks for the tip, Rod. However, I don't think those adapters are available for use here in the US. But boy, that sure would be handy. I'm going to look into it further.