Converting from Gas to Electric

• If you plan to convert your cooking power supply from natural gas to electric, you will have to seal the gas line leading to your existing stove and run a new 240-volt electric line to the kitchen. Sealing a natural gas line simply involves capping the gas line. To do this, first shut off the gas coming into your home and disconnect the stove. The best scenario is to cut the pipe below the kitchen floor to get it completely out of the way. If that is not possible, replace the gas pipe coming into the kitchen with a shorter one. Use a pipe wrench and thread compound to create a strong seal where the cap attaches to the pipe.
  
  

Electrical Wiring

• Only one heavy appliance can run on each 240-volt circuit, so if you already have an appliance on your circuit, you will have to add another. High-voltage circuits require electrical cable capable of carrying at least 60 amps of power. Run the cable from your circuit breaker box to the kitchen as direct as possible to save money on expensive cable. Circuit breakers for 240-volt circuits are twice as large as a standard breaker, so make sure you have two adjacent slots in the box for the additional circuit. Because the receptacle will be covered by the stove you can run the cable outside the wall unless you will be putting the stove in an island, in which case the receptacle is usually mounted inside the island.
  
  Older homes may have fuse boxes instead of circuit breakers. If the home has not been rewired in the last 30 years or so, you may have to contact your municipality's home inspections department and an electrician to discuss an upgrade to the amount of current flowing into the home.
  
  When purchasing your stove, you may have to buy a separate power cord for the appliance and attach the cord yourself. This is not difficult and normally requires only a screwdriver.
  
  

Venting

• Any cooktop--either gas or electric--should have a vent hood to extract cooking odors (or smoke) and moisture caused by steam. In some areas, vent hoods are required by local building codes. The hood should be vented to the outside; the easiest way to do this is through an exterior wall, although it is possible to run a duct through the ceiling and then to the outside. Vent fans come in various powers which may be regulated by building code. Once the cuts are made to the outside, running the ductwork and mounting the range hood is not difficult. Special vents are available for island-mounted stoves.