On 17 Jan 2006 04:58:25 -0800, wrote:

The other day, the bake element in my GE Oven caught fire. My wife
couldn't get it out so I told her to trip the breaker. When she got
back the fire was out. I wondered at the time, could the element have
power with the oven Off? I didn't think much more about it but when
the new element arrived, I decide to test the lead and sure enough, it
reads 50v.. with the oven off! I don't think this in normal and have
not installed the new element. I can't find anyone else with this
problem on the net. Anybody have any ideas?


The oven "should" have 120 with respect to ground on one side of it in
the US . . .

Always trip the breaker when replacing elements in a stove or oven.

They use a single set of contacts in the controller(s) and wire the
elements across the 240 line. The switch will break one side of the
line, but that still leaves 120 volts to ground on the other side.

For only reading 50 volts - the switches themselves build up some
carbon in them and there's probably some leakage, or other anomaly
caused by a high impedance voltmeter, but one side to ground should
have 120, and with the Tstat calling for heat both sides to ground or
240 across them.
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