"Jeffrey Angus" wrote in message
...
On 6/20/2011 8:10 AM, William Sommerwerck wrote:
"klem wrote in message

...


Someone is saving a buck. There must be money involved somehow.
It's the least common denominator. It always is.

As someone said... "Don't assume conspiracies when simple stupidity is
enough to explain something."


It's a series circuit, it only take ONE switch to open it.
There is absolutely NO reason to use a dual pole switch.

I'm sorry, but you're wrong -- probably because you aren't familiar with
American wiring.

The standard line voltage in North America is 120V (or thereabouts). Most
houses are wired to two "phases" (or whatever the correct term is). When
higher voltage is needed -- for a dryer, range, or water heater -- the
device is connected across these phases, producing a net voltage of around
210V.

Now, if you connect /either/ of these phases to the neutral, current will
flow. This is what happened when I moved the element -- it banged into the
neutral (the oven wall itself, presumably), and tripped the breaker.

As someone else pointed out, my range and other GE ranges have one side of
the baking and broiling elements permanently connected to one of the phases,
making them /live/ as long as the breaker is connected. There is no reason
for this, other than saving a dollar or two manufacturing costs.


I'm tired of hearing "It's the evil corporations" being at fault
for people that can't or won't pay attention when doing their
own repairs and try to shift the blame from their own carelessness.

I spoke with a customer-service rep at GE this morning, who agreed that
switching only one side of the line was potentially (pun intended?)
dangerous. Think of an oven in a flooded basement.