Oven dilemma: gas vs electric (240 or 120 volt)?

May 15, 2009 2:27 PM

Apartment not wired with 240 Volts - should I rewire or replace my 240v electric wall oven with 120 volt oven and is it recommended? Or should I go with gas?

I renovated my apartment and rented it. In the process I bought a 240 volt oven from IKEA. Damn thing never worked. Discovered that it requires 240 volts and my (old) apartment isn't wired for that.

So the choices:

1. spend $500 on wiring and keeping the IKEA oven
2. replace the IKEA oven with a gas wall oven and spending $100-200 on piping the gas to the oven (plus the hassle of selling and buying and installing a replacement)
3. find a 120 volt oven

Do 140 volt ovens even exist and are they worth it. Are gas ovens any good?

What to do?

cheers

posted by lapsang to home & garden (16 comments total)

I like cooking on a gas stove MUCH more than cooking on an electric stove because you have much more control over the immediate temperature. If you use the stovetop a lot, I would go with gas for sure.
posted by nosila at 2:37 PM on May 15

Gas is the only way to cook.
posted by M.C. Lo-Carb! at 2:46 PM on May 15

gas stove cooking is definitely the way to go, i agree

but my dilemma has to do with a standalone oven (i already have a gas stove)

cheers!
posted by lapsang at 2:50 PM on May 15

Possible the wiring in the apartment won't handle the load of a heat producing applicance at all. You might need to look at the wire gauge in the walls and have a pro look at it and the breaker box.
posted by Freedomboy at 2:51 PM on May 15 [1 favorite]

If you're considering running a gas line, you can also consider running a 240v line. There's nothing magical about 240v, it's just two hot cables coming from the junction box instead of one (highly oversimplified, but you get the idea).
posted by Aquaman at 2:58 PM on May 15

Electric ovens are better regarded than gas because the combustion of gas creates water vapor, and the humidity isn't always desired in the oven.

I don't think you'll be able to find a decent oven for 120V. Higher voltage enables more power for the same current.

I would go with the upgrade to a 240 volt circuit. This also saves you having to dispose of the Ikea oven and buying another oven.
posted by exogenous at 2:59 PM on May 15 [1 favorite]

I added a 240 line for my own oven (gas stove + electric oven = the correct combination kthxbye!) and it cost almost nothing. One circuit breaker ($14) and a length of cable ($5). Really, all I needed was courage. $500 on wiring sounds ridiculous to me.

As Aquaman says, your oven really just needs two regular 120 lines: they're combined into a single 240 for convenience. The circuit breaker is even double-size to cover two slots. Some laundry washing machines are also like this. It's pretty simple stuff.
posted by rokusan at 3:01 PM on May 15

Should cost you no where near 500.00 to run a 240 line. Provided you have AMPle service...get it AMPS.
posted by Gungho at 3:03 PM on May 15

120V ovens do exist (or your current oven can most likely be converted, almost all can) however they basically suck. You get the heating capacity of a toaster oven with the volume of a conventional oven.

I'd go with what ever is cheapest to install if my tenants were paying the utilities otherwise whatever was cheaper to run if I was paying the utilities.

it cost almost nothing. One circuit breaker ($14) and a length of cable ($5). Really, all I needed was courage. $500 on wiring sounds ridiculous to me.

Considering 10/3 (under 25 feet) - 8/3 (over 25 feet) wire is a several dollars a metre installation price is going to vary wildly depending on the length of the run and how finished the area it runs through is. If lapsang is hiring someone it can easily run a couple hours or more for labour and they'll need to pull a permit.
posted by Mitheral at 3:30 PM on May 15

the apartment is on the 4th floor so the 240 wire would have to come up from there then find a way of snaking around the kitchen then we'd have to install a 240 outlet. I would estimate at least 3 hours work plus materials (and permit).
posted by lapsang at 3:38 PM on May 15

Gas is great for stovetop burners but sucks for the oven. Electric is way better.
posted by randomstriker at 4:24 PM on May 15

120V ovens do exist (or your current oven can most likely be converted, almost all can) however they basically suck. You get the heating capacity of a toaster oven with the volume of a conventional oven.

This is my experience too, so I'd skip option three. I like my 240v oven, but my mom's oven was (and is) gas, and it isn't a significant handicap. I'd probably take the cheaper of options one and two.
posted by jon1270 at 4:35 PM on May 15

I'm surprised that your apartment was never previously wired for 240V or piped for gas. Is this what you're saying? How did people cook before you renovated it?

Either one would be advisable, unless you prefer telling your tenants upfront that there isn't a "real" oven in the place. Most of the 120-volt full-size ranges I could find in a search were "dual-fuel", that is, they still required gas to reach the hotter temperatures.

I added a 240 line for my own oven

Note that in many jurisdictions, you can only do your own electrical work when you
* take some sort of code familiarity class
* obtain a permit
* occupy the premises yourself.

To modify electrical service in a rental property for occupancy, a licensed contractor would be necessary. The alternative is an expensive lawsuit, and your insurance is void.
posted by dhartung at 9:29 PM on May 15

Gas is AWESOME! (I've never noticed any oven issues?)
posted by mu~ha~ha~ha~har at 3:08 AM on May 16

Gas ovens are awful. Avoid this option if at all possible.
posted by Brother Dysk at 8:43 AM on May 16

... the 120-volt full-size ranges I could find in a search were "dual-fuel", that is, they still required gas to reach the hotter temperatures.

This is a misunderstanding. Dual-fuel stoves have gas burners on top and electric ovens, not gas-assisted electric ovens.
posted by jon1270 at 12:07 PM on May 16