Questions about the G.E. Mark 27

[thatwasherguy]

All set. He ran a new wire from box to stove. So we are good to go
Thank you for the heads up on this though.

That was a good call. Aluminum wiring isn’t exactly known for aging gracefully, and the insulation on said aluminum wiring at the junction box looked pretty degraded. I was hoping he was planning on upgrading you to some copper Romex cable.

Thanks for that info as well as to when it was made. Not as old that I thought it was. If I do ever find a parts manual I’ll be happy to make a copy for you

You’re welcome! Mine wasn’t as old as I originally thought either. I initially thought mine was from the late 70’s based on its styling. Thanks for keeping me in mind about the manual! I can’t imagine it being very different from the ones supplied for the GE wall ovens and cooktops of the day, give that these Mark 27’s were built out of the same parts, just a slightly different arrangement.

This is the way to do it. In your case the wire was cloth covered which has a finite life expectancy. Changing it was a wise investment.

Agreed! Aluminum wiring is one of the few vintage electrical items I don’t want in my house.

 

[circlew]

That was a good call. Aluminum wiring isn’t exactly known for aging gracefully, and the insulation on said aluminum wiring at the junction box looked pretty degraded. I was hoping he was planning on upgrading you to some copper Romex cable.

You’re welcome! Mine wasn’t as old as I originally thought either. I initially thought mine was from the late 70’s based on its styling. Thanks for keeping me in mind about the manual! I can’t imagine it being very different from the ones supplied for the GE wall ovens and cooktops of the day, give that these Mark 27’s were built out of the same parts, just a slightly different arrangement.

Agreed! Aluminum wiring is one of the few vintage electrical items I don’t want in my house.

I'm not convinced that the wire shown is actually aluminum - it may or may not be. Based on the apparent age of the cable, it's very possible that the conductors are tinned copper. This was common in the 1950s and earlier when rubber was used as wire insulation (to prevent corrosion). The individual rubber insulated conductors are covered with cloth, then assembled into a cable, which is braided cloth with a coating applied. The piece of cable shown appears to be type SE, which was commonly used for the incoming service entrance and higher amperage circuits. My house was built in 1952, and the range circuit had that type of cable. When I removed it, I would have thought it might be aluminum, if I was not already familiar with such cable, but knew it was tinned copper I was seeing. The cloth and rubber insulation was in poor condition, and had actually come off, exposing bare wire where it was bent to connect to the circuit breaker. I'm glad to hear that the person posting the picture got it replaced.

 

[Pkitchen]

I'm not convinced that the wire shown is actually aluminum - it may or may not be. Based on the apparent age of the cable, it's very possible that the conductors are tinned copper. This was common in the 1950s and earlier when rubber was used as wire insulation (to prevent corrosion). The individual rubber insulated conductors are covered with cloth, then assembled into a cable, which is braided cloth with a coating applied. The piece of cable shown appears to be type SE, which was commonly used for the incoming service entrance and higher amperage circuits. My house was built in 1952, and the range circuit had that type of cable. When I removed it, I would have thought it might be aluminum, if I was not already familiar with such cable, but knew it was tinned copper I was seeing. The cloth and rubber insulation was in poor condition, and had actually come off, exposing bare wire where it was bent to connect to the circuit breaker. I'm glad to hear that the person posting the picture got it replaced.

I have a great electrician I’m working with. We were planning on switching out this stove to something newer and putting in a plug but the cabinet height made it impossible without updating them. Low ceiling height and extremely small kitchen sigh. Something said I needed to keep this stove and am so happy I found this thread!! Glad I can find the parts needed to fix it. The house was built in 64 so I’m sure there are more surprises coming! Already had to upgrade the outside line and upgraded the panel a few years ago. Coming back this summer to do all the outlets and plugs from two prong to three plus one color. Not sure why they are different colors throughout the house but it drives me nuts lol!
Thanks for all the information everyone! It’s much appreciated!!

 

[Pkitchen]

That was a good call. Aluminum wiring isn’t exactly known for aging gracefully, and the insulation on said aluminum wiring at the junction box looked pretty degraded. I was hoping he was planning on upgrading you to some copper Romex cable.

You’re welcome! Mine wasn’t as old as I originally thought either. I initially thought mine was from the late 70’s based on its styling. Thanks for keeping me in mind about the manual! I can’t imagine it being very different from the ones supplied for the GE wall ovens and cooktops of the day, give that these Mark 27’s were built out of the same parts, just a slightly different arrangement.

Agreed! Aluminum wiring is one of the few vintage electrical items I don’t want in my house.

One more question on our stove please and I swear I’ll be done .
Are these vents inside the stove when you look down from the top inside supposed to be clear? I can’t figure out how to remove the top to even get in there to clean ugh! If these vents should be clear then there was a mouse problem at one point in time yuck! Not sure if you can see but one of the pictures on the bottom right those are clear. I picked a little out but can’t tell if it’s insulation or hair. Hoping it’s not what I think it is!

 

[pstehle]

A certain amount of aluminum wiring is in almost every home... The service entrance cable and most high current circuits are usually aluminum. There's not a thing wrong with it when the correct terminations and devices are used. The problem was when it was used to save money because copper prices soared, and it was assumed the standard terminals would work. I don't want branch circuits through aluminum or even copper-clad aluminum wiring, but a few high current ones, properly installed are fine.

 

[DADoES]

Your photo above, view through a cooktop with a burner removed, is insulation surrounding the oven cavity.

 

[Pkitchen]

Your photo above, view through a cooktop with a burner removed, is insulation surrounding the oven cavity.

Whew thanks! Should it stay this way or should I try to push it left so the vents are open?
Thatwasherguy how does yours look inside your stove? Just curious.

 

[Chetlaham]

A certain amount of aluminum wiring is in almost every home... The service entrance cable and most high current circuits are usually aluminum. There's not a thing wrong with it when the correct terminations and devices are used. The problem was when it was used to save money because copper prices soared, and it was assumed the standard terminals would work. I don't want branch circuits through aluminum or even copper-clad aluminum wiring, but a few high current ones, properly installed are fine.

The bad experiences regarding Aluminum come from 12 and 10 gauge solid Aluminum wire that was used in the late 60s early 70s. The problem stems from an incorrect alloy which results in a soft conductor that continues to "flow" even after the wire is tightened underneath a screw.