Safety question re installation of GE PK7000DF4BB Oven

[Mondschatten]

Hi,

I am hoping this is an easy one for people who have experience installing ovens. I just got a new oven and discovered that it would not fit in the same space due to the electrical box placement. So I moved the box a little higher to make it fit, as I realized that oven has a space in the back of the frame that could accommodate the box.

However, I had to cut out some of the wall and put the wires through a different hole in the electrical box (side hole)  because I could not get the sheathe with the wires to bend in the appropriate place. I didn't want to crimp the wires too much. Sheathe is now exposed, as I had to cut a hole in wall for this all to fit. Sheath no longer goes through hole in back of the electrical box.

So, now I am worried that it may get too hot behind the oven and that the wires could melt or something. I would post pics, but don't see how to do so..

The oven will be about an inch or two so away from wall. Is this OK? Is this dangerous? I am unsure how to make this work if sheathe needs to come in from back and wall has to be closed up.

Any help in this matter is appreciated. Thanks


 

[16345Ed]

They make plugs for the holes in the box. Put plug in hole on back of box and use the screw on clamp in new hole. 

[Hiroshi]

There should be installation specs with the owner's manual that will list the exact clearances required for the back and sides of the unit, but in general, the outside of the oven won't get hot enough to melt any wires...

[Mondschatten]

OK, thanks for the responses.  The problem is that I can't force the sheathe (plug?) in the back of the box because it is too long and stiff.  If I were to force it, I am worried that doing so would severely crimp the wires in the sheathe.  It seems to have been cut to just the right length  for the old placement

[Sailaway]

If I have this right, your talking about the electrical box in the wall. If so your out of code for a reason. If there are holes in the box it is probably then you have a sharp metal edge that can eventually chafe through the non-sheathed (cover) wire insulation and thus a short can be created. The proper way to fix this issue is to add another retro-box and use the original as a junction box in order to add more 6-3 romex to the new desired location. You'll put a plank cover on the junction box (can never cover an electrical box with sheetrock) and transfer the 50 amp outlet to the new box that fits the new stove. Above all CONNECTIONS HAVE TO BE TIGHT. 

[Hiroshi]

In the installation instructions are usually drawings of the ideal fitment of the junction box... I second the motion about making sure the connections are all tight, it is of paramount importance with 240V appliances!

Definitely do not FORCE anything, if necessary dis-assemble the plug, trim back the wiring, and re-assemble the plug so it fits effortlessly. Better to pay an electrician if you feel out-of-depth than have a fire hazard!

[Mondschatten]

Ok, thanks for the advice.  I ended up calling GE and was told that this oven was designed to have the electrical box up high and to the right behind the oven.  Mine was actually down at the bottom and somewhat left.  I moved the box up to make it fit the space the oven design had built into it.  Doing so allowed me to get enough slack with the cable/sheathe that I could go ahead and put it through the back of the electrical box the way it was originally.  I patched up all the holes in the drywall and put the cable from the oven through the top right hole in the box.  It wouldn't fit that well due to space constraints, but I screwed in a Velcro strip that I cut out so it acted as a strap to keep the armored cable stable and pressed into the electrical box hole.  The wire nuts are on very tight so I hope that is all sufficient.  I have used the oven once so far and will use it a few more times before pulling it out to check and see if anything looks amiss.

Thanks to all of you who weighed in on this.