Message
from the RepairGuru®
Welcome to
the October 2006 RepairClinic.com newsletter. The nights are getting longer,
the air is getting crisper and we are beginning to long for those comfort
foods that surround the fall harvest. Freshly baked apple pie, hearty
beef stew - loaded with the last vegetables from the garden, or a warm
casserole bubbling over with cheese - all create the sense of home and
warmth we crave this time of year.
As the leaves
begin to change to their vivid autumn hues, the home "chef"
knows this is the season for baking and cooking. RepairGuru, Diana Gootee
provides some helpful ideas to make sure your gas range and oven are ready
for the increased demands that the fall and the approaching holiday season
will create.
Diana Gootee
Cooks up Some Useful Tips
Diana Gootee |
Diana has been
with RepairClinic.com since the company started in 1999. During the
last six years she has had the opportunity to wear many different
hats. Besides helping customers troubleshoot their appliance problems,
Diana also manages the call center, assisting with Purchasing and
providing the majority of the administrative responsibilities necessary
for the call center to run smoothly. |
Diana enjoys
her job, claiming that the camaraderie and caring atmosphere of the Guru
team makes showing up each day more like fun than work. We discovered that
Diana enjoys cooking and baking, not really having a "specialty dish"
but enjoys trying out new recipes. We asked Diana for some advice on how
to make sure our gas cooking appliances are in good working order.
What advice or maintenance
suggestion would you give to owners of gas cook-tops, ovens, stoves or ranges?
Food particles, grease and grime should be cleaned up immediately.
Anytime you allow food to cook on or bake on it becomes more difficult to
remove and could potentially cause failure of certain components on your
appliance. This is especially important with residential-grade gas surface
burners which are round and have small holes around their perimeter to allow
gas to flow out and create a round flame. The gas coming from these holes
is often ignited by a small vertical row of holes on the side of the burner.
If these vertical holes are clogged or obstructed with food or grease, the
gas can't ignite. If your burner doesn't work, clean the burner thoroughly
with a rag (sponges shouldn't be used because they can shred) and some non-flammable
cleaning solution - try a sewing needle to clear the small vertical holes
- then allow the burner to dry completely. Make sure that you don't enlarge
the ignition holes while cleaning them, the size and configuration of the
holes are crucial to proper ignition. Next, try lighting the burner, if
it doesn't light immediately, try repeating the cleaning process. You can
also contact our RepairGuru staff for additional help.
Describe a typical gas cooking appliance question that you get as a Guru?
People often email questions about their ovens not heating correctly. It
could be that the oven isn't heating at all, or it won't maintain the correct
temperature so food is taking too long to cook. There is some very helpful
information on the RepairClinic.com website
to help trouble shoot some potential causes for gas ovens not heating properly.
Below are some additional, helpful
gas cooking appliance maintenance tips.
Three
Tips to Try This Month
The
Oven Doesn't Bake Fast Enough
Food cooks but takes too long - When the item takes far too long
to finish, you may have a weak bake igniter. Often, you need to replace
the igniter even if it seems to glow properly; this condition is often
misdiagnosed as a gas valve failure. A good rule of thumb is that the
gas should ignite approximately 1 to 3 minutes after the igniter begins
to glow. If it takes much longer, this is usually an indication that the
igniter is weak and needs to be replaced.
For additional potential causes of uneven baking see the stove/oven/range
repair help for your specific
oven type.
The Broiler Won't Broil
No broiler flame - This is usually caused
because the broiler igniter is weak or burned out. The igniter is a small,
round or rectangular device, about 1 inch by 4 to 8 inches. Look for the
igniter near the tube-type device (burner) that the gas flows through
before it's ignited. The burner has small holes on the sides where the
gas when ignited forms a long, low flame. If the igniter is weak, if it
glows red but doesn't get hot enough, or if it's burned out, the gas doesn't
flow to the burner and the burner won't ignite. If this is the problem,
you may need to replace the igniter. You can find a replacement igniter
for your oven with the PartDetective.
The
Oven Light Doesn't Work
Replacing the oven light bulb - The interior
oven light in most ovens (gas and electric) is a standard 40
watt appliance bulb. Often, to change the bulb, you first need
to remove a shield or glass dome. If the bulb isn't burned out, the problem
may be with the switch on the oven door frame. If the switch works poorly,
intermittently, or not at all, you will need to replace
it, it is not repairable.
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