Russ wrote:
After a new electric range was installed the circuit breaker started to
pop every now and then when everything was turned on (oven+all
burners). This indicated to me that the range was drawing a load that
was right at the upper limit of the 50 amp circuit breaker rating.
Checked the data plate on the range which reads 240V. & 54.2 amps. So,
when the range is at peak load it apparently can draw 4.2 amps over
the breaker capacity. The wiring is Aluminum 6 gauge (6 Al on the
sheath),. Can I safely go to the next size breaker (60 amp) to
accommodate the additional 4-5 amps???
..
Personally a bit surprised that it trips breaker, never having it
happen with a number of different stoves over a number of years.
I think ours is wired with #8 AWG copper at least 35 feet from circuit
breaker. Wiring has been in place for some 35 years.
Ours stoves have always been regular North American domestic 30 inch
often with two smaller and two larger burners on top.

But unless you turn everything on from cold simultaneously it would
seem unlikely you would draw maximum current anyway?
After while one burner or another my be turning off and or the oven
thermostat would switch off/on the oven cooking element etc.
However when one first turns on the oven, in some models, the upper and
lower heating elements both come on for a while; presumably to speed up
the initial heat-up of the oven. Once up to an initial temperature the
oven cooks using the bottom element only under control of the oven heat
control thermostat a set by the user!