Oven Burner shorted out or burned out
My wife called to inquire about an oven burner on top of the oven. Last week it was sparking and “caught on fire” according to what she said. She’s renting an apt and called for the maint man. He never showed up until today. He replaced the burner element with a new one. He asked her if she had a thermometer. She did not. He got one from somewhere and tested the burner. He was reading 340 on a dial setting of 300. This concerned her and she said that he said if she was worried about it to go buy a thermometer and check the temp herself with a more accurate thermometer.
Now, to me this seems odd. It’s not her place to ensure the appliance is working correctly. Second, he did no further diagnostic to ensure there is no problem which caused the orig burner to die to begin with. I mean do elements catch fire when they go out? Could there be another cause? I think it’s possible but doin’t know much about burners myself. Any advice or recommended electrical tests I could run to ensure it’s safe to operate?
Replies
I had one go POOF and spark out when the wires burned thru at the connection to the element, no biggie. The element was toast right at the connector, and shorted there first, then the wire got hot.
As to the temp. maybe the knob can be turned for the 40 degree diff? Or like we do ( gas) just make a mental note if the oven "runs hot, or runs cold"..ours ran cold, then I found I could toggle the digital Read out to get in sync with the actual.
Good luck.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
They kill Prophets, for Profits.
Likely the maintenance man is not well versed on oven/stove setups.
You can adjust the typical oven thermostat with a long thin screwdriver that fits down the inside of the temp control shaft. Many apt maintenance personell either do not know that or do not have the tool.
As far as the element burning out at the connector, that is typical, cheap spade lugs. On my own oven (after the lower element burned at the connector at 1 year) I brazed a high temp nickel plated wire to the oven elements and routed those to a juchtion box. Same oven elements for the last 35 years.
Do not expect the maintenance man to do much other than the bare minimum.
Oven elements burn out. When they do they sometimes "catch fire" as described.
Replacing the element should not change the temperature regulation of the oven -- it shouldn't even be necessary to check that. If the temperature is off now, it was off before.
Relax and enjoy your tater-tot casserole.
This was a stovetop burner element, right? Not the oven element? I remember the stove in an apartment I rented not long after I got out of college; three of the four burners eventually shorted themselves out - each time it lit up the kitchen as if I was arc welding in there. Sparks flew everywhere, and a chunk melted right out of the middle of the coil. At that point I was one burner away from not being able to make dinner, so I finally got the landlord to fix the thing.
Anyway, I can understand there being temp settings on the oven control knob, but are there also settings on the knobs for the burners? Maybe I'm used to the gas stove I have now, but its knobs just have Off and High, with tick marks in between
Yes this is the top oven burners, there are 4 of them, one shorted out or whatever.If at first you don't succeed, try using a hammer next time...everything needs some extra persuasion from time to time. -ME
There are temperature settings on stove top burners? I've never seen that, just low - med - hi.
Most newer electric stoves have a control more or less like a light dimmer to give you essentially continuous control of "burner" output, from low to high.
The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of a mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one. --Wilhelm Stekel
Right, but not marked in temperatures, just low to high.BruceT
With most appliances that use a thermostat, it's near impossible for the appliance to maintain a specific temperature. It goes with an average, so you may have caught it at its highest temp.
My burner element "exploded" and then burned for a minute when it went. Had 2 chunks missing from the middle of the element when it was through.
I worked as a maintenance man in an apartment. We had a woman (pain in the neck) who wanted a new stove/oven and got one.
I don't mean to say your wife is a pain in the neck. This woman was.
But the burners weren't level and the oven was off temp. There was nothing we could do. It was a cheap oven and she got a new one. the new one was even cheaper than the old one.
Alot of stuff these days is throw away junk. There is no adjustment and the company doesn't care.
That's the way it's gotten in many places.