Where to find (affordable) Oven Set Control G.E.

Well, I did find 2 new oven set controls on eBay for about $75 each, which is a better price than $116. But is there some way to clean the control ?

Thanks

The wonders of modern technology!

You haven't indicated what type of "control" it is (pot, optical encoder, rotary switch, etc.) -- hard to guess for someone not owning a similar oven!

Also, are you sure the problem is in the "knob" and not in some bit of electronics that the knob "talks to"?

E.g., if it wwas *my* oven, I would try swapping the connections for that "knob" with those of a similar knob and see if the problem "moves" with the knob or stays in place regardless of the change. Likewise, follow it back into the bowels of the oven and swap things *there* (i.e., the controls for the actual heating elements) until you have positively isolated the source of the problem. Else you are likely to spend all that cash on the wrong part...

Item number: 290513338046

Flea-Bay used but with 90 day warranty for $17 INCLUDEING SHIPPING

how much cheaper do you want??? DONT clean the switch as this appears to be an infinite awitch ( I could be wrong) why risk disaster when for less then $20 total you could solve the problem SAFELY.

PS not my auction

Thanks for finding that! The seller has 99.9 % satisfaction rating. Hard to resist that price. You say not to clean it? You mean cleaning it might make it short out once I hook it back up to power ?

Thanks. The switch is a rotary mechanical switch. There isn't any similar knob (switch behind the knob, actually) available on my stove. I need to buy one and try it out. It's acting like the connections are dirty or worn or both. Rotating the knob 360 degrees fixed the problem last night. But eventually I will have to replace it, I think. May end up ordering a used switch from eBay and hoping I get a good one. Apparently they can be had fo about $16 plus shipping. Thanks to other poster for that info.

Thanks again.

ANother question, if I may. There is a 10 inch tube sticking out of the left rear of the oven, that goes into a round part on a bracket which hangs down from the top of the oven. This round end of the bracket encircles the end of the tube. There are 2 blobs of solder- like material inside the round part of the bracket. The round part can be moved left and right. The solder-like blobs are not connected to the tube. Is this some sort of a switch that reacts to the heat level in the oven ? Are those solder-like blobs supposed to be there ?

Thanks

f

Your description sounds sort of like the 'Capilliary' of the oven temperature switch. If so, it is simply held in position by the bracket[s]' and actually needs to be able to float a bit with changing heat. Your description also could be the 'Calrod' top element that has burned off and melted, but there would be the remainder of the loop extending from the melted area on around and back through the top back of the oven chamber.

Neil S.

This sense the oven temperature. If you were to trace the other end of the tube, it goes to a temperature control.

**Before doing anything, look for any electrolytic caps. Replace 'em. That solves 90% of electronic oven control problems. Caps are usually rated at 125 degrees C or higher and are difficult to obtain though.

--
Trevor Wilson
www.rageaudio.com.au

Thanks. Do you mean "electrolytic capacitor" ? What do they look like? I should mention that I accidentally shorted out the bake element a few years ago, after which I had to switch the thermo to "clean" to get the red light to go off when the oven selector was in "off". Otherwise the oven functioned normally. But now I have the above-mentioned problem, intermittent function of oven selector switch.

If the electric oven control is a single rotating knob type that controls on/off, bake, etc, then it probably doesn't use any electronics or circuit board for temperature control.. considering the type of control and the year it was manufactured.

If you have separate controls for temperature, and another for bake, broil, clean, then this selector switch should also be tested.

By referring to the electrical diagram that most appliances have attached to them, you may also see some failsafe/safety limit switches which should be tested.

The simplest of searches will reveal numerous results for testing, adjusting and replacing electric oven temperature controllers.

As the info in the above link points out, inspecting all of the connection terminals is important. Corroded, loose, heavily oxidized or badly discolored terminals should be replaced, or at least brightened to achieve very good connections for testing purposes, then replaced with new high temperature terminals only.

In my limited experience with electric oven (or other heating appliance) controls, they're not intended to be serviced/cleaned or repaired.. they're often assembled with rivets, not just screws.

-- Cheers, WB .............

"Vacillator" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@l8g2000yqh.googlegroups.com...

I had the exact same problem on a cooker of mine here in the UK, which was used every day to cook shedloads of bacon for one of my wife's cafes. The switch was readily available at a reasonable price, but was going to take a week to order in from the manufacturer's spares agent, so in the meantime, I took the faulty one out (very easily removed with two screws through the front panel, and pull-off spade tags.) Once removed, it was easy to see the switch elements. These were simply heavy duty 'leaf' types with tungsten or similar contact inserts in their ends - much as you might see on a heavy duty relay. They were operated by individual cams moulded onto the shaft that ran through the whole switch. There was a contact set for the oven light, another for the fan, another for the oven element, and another for the grill element. As expected, the contact set for the grill, was in less than 'perfect' condition. I guess this is caused by whacking the temperature knob up first, and then engaging the grill switch, causing it to 'hot switch' the element, resulting in contact arcing. Much better to set the function first, then turn up the grill 'stat, as the contacts on that, are designed to hot switch. Anyways, the contact set was easily removed from the switch body, which then made resurfacing the contacts with a piece of very fine wet n dry paper, a doddle. Once the switch was reassembled, and refitted to the cooker, it worked absolutely fine - and continues to do so some six or more months later. The new switch duly arrived, but is currently sitting in a drawer in my workshop as a spare. I see little point in fitting it at this time, whilst the original switch continues to give normal service.

I'm not sure that I understand why anyone would have a problem with cleaning a set of contacts such as these. I have done it all my (long) working life on everything from high power contactors to medium power switches and relays , and it has never caused any problem. Obviously, it's not something that can be done to restore switches with plated contacts, but that is not what is generally employed in these types of power switching applications.

Arfa

Arfa,

Thanks for the informative reply. I have yet to disassemble anything. I was hoping it would fix itself, or that I would be able to figure out how to use the oven by tweaking the dials in a certain way, but it is just getting worse, actually, so I will be opening it up soon. The switch on my oven in a bit different, of course, but, like yours, it is a rotary mechanical, so possibly can be cleaned, of course. I don't know if it is attached with screws, or rivets. I will need to walk the oven out from the wall, get the front panel off, then see what's there. It will be a weekend project, I think.

Mine was actually exceptionally easy to get at. It's a 'range style' cooker. One small oven with grill, one large oven with grill, and five gas burners on top. The entire top actually hinged up from the back, after undoing a few very obvious screws, and a couple of less obvious ones, concealed under the burners, which of course just lift off for cleaning. I understand from a friend who does this stuff for a living, that this is a common arrangement - at least on UK cookers. Once the top was hinged up, a 'sub-deck' was revealed, to which was fixed all the gas pipework and electrical wiring. The front panel gas valves for the burners, and rotary switches for oven and grill control, were completely exposed, fixed to the front panel. Once the knobs were removed, and a couple more screws removed, the decorative front panel just lifted away, exposing the fixings for the controls. The whole dismantling procedure took just a few minutes. The actual switch that was dodgy, was an open frame type, so easy to see the contacts. The shaft was easy to remove. A spigot on the far end engaged with a hole in the switch back-plate, and further forward, a half-round 'cap' secured by two screws, held it to the main body. Think car crankshaft main bearing cap to get an idea.

When mine first started giving trouble, it could be 'fixed' for a day or two at a time, by careful rotation to the desired position, in one direction, rather than the other. Don't really know why that should have been, but perhaps the previous position to the one needed, lifted the contacts a bit higher or something, so 'slammed' them back together a bit harder, or caused them to 'wipe' a bit, maybe ??

Arfa