primitive's stove stops working in the middle of making dinner

[franksolich]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=287x9561

Oh my.

yewberry  (1000+ posts)      Sun Nov-20-11 11:46 AM
Original message
 
My stove & oven stopped working in the middle of cooking dinner.

Looks a lot like this one but is electric:

after which an image of a natural-gas stove that looks like from the 1970s

This is a pretty old General Electric, and we are renters. None of the elements on the stovetop or inside the oven will come on now. However, the lights work, so clearly there is power. Any appliance gurus know why this might be?

Wash. state Desk Jet  (1000+ posts)      Sun Nov-20-11 01:10 PM
Response to Original message
 
1. Not necessarily:

Check your circuit breaker box or fuse box first. Than check power at the receptacle-where the stove is plugged in. You do know the panel box has fuses right? If you have power at the receptacle ,than the problem is internal at the stove.I don't know how old, old is, but some of the older ranges have the old glass twist in fuses ,you might lift up the top where the burners are and look around for burnt wiring or connections from switch to burner. You might want to unplug the stove or shut off the circuit breaker before you look around- also look at the connection at the top and bottom heating elements in the oven. Than there is the bus bar where the power terminals are connected at the back -bottom of the stove.It is of course unlikely that all of the switch's burned out at the same time.

What you really need to do is call your landlord. They usually call me and ask me to go over there and find out if they need a new stove or is it something else. I never know until I get over there to take a look at it.Your landlord really needs to know about that . It does not matter how cheap or stupid they are ,electrical problems present greater liabilities and that is enough to get them off their ass's to do something about it !

The landlord's I do work for care about their building and their people. However I have come across a number of cheap stupid ones years ago.

Seriously though, call your landlord , That is not your problem and your landlord will be glad you called.It is only 3 to 4 hundred to buy a new stove -it is always $250.00 plus at least to fix them.-time, money -parts.Could take three days to get the parts given the age of the stove- your landlord only has 3 days to resolve the issue by law.

Call the landlord.

yewberry  (1000+ posts)      Sun Nov-20-11 01:58 PM
Response to Reply #1
 
6. Thank you.

I will call the landlord. I just hate to ask for help!

Wash. state Desk Jet  (1000+ posts)      Sun Nov-20-11 02:20 PM
Response to Reply #6
 
9. You are very welcome and let me tell you, over the years I have come to know very many people in apartment buildings ,rental houses and rental condos. People as tenants seem to think that calling the landlord will make them out to seem like complainers which could lead to a rise in rent.

Now if a landlord expects the tenant to do repairs, that has to be in the contract. And if the tennant is not qualified to do those repairs ,that cannot be in the contract.

Leaky facets and toilets of-course will raise the water sewer bill.Water and sewer is in many cases paid by the building ownner. But leaks can also do much damage to the building. Thats a insurance thing and insurance does not always cover the repair costs.

So ,your landlord really wants to know about problems having to do with appliances-electrical problems and plumbing leaks-roof leaks and such. If you say you are ok until the landlord can get to it, that means you are willing to allow time for the owner to figure out the best way to resolve the issue. That's a big plus to the landlord. And thats what I tell tenants-you are not being a problem ,you are helping the landlord to avoid greater problems.

And your landlord doesn't want you to be at risk either. Be it a bad stove or something more serious in the house wiring. It must be dealt with.

Trust me your landlord will be glad you called.

amerikat  (1000+ posts)        Sun Nov-20-11 01:10 PM
Response to Original message
 
2. Sounds like you lost one side of the 220 volt supply.

The elements are 220 volts the light is 110 volts.

Check the breaker box. If you can find to breaker for the range turn it off then turn it on. It should be a double pole breaker.

However I have seen stoves hooked up to 2 single pole breakers.

Wash. state Desk Jet  (1000+ posts)      Sun Nov-20-11 01:30 PM
Response to Reply #2
 
3. Thats true but power is divided 110 to oven and 110 to stove top burners. So the light o lights are pulling power from the same source simply put.

amerikat  (1000+ posts)        Sun Nov-20-11 01:35 PM
Response to Reply #3
 
4. No. Elements are 220. The 110 is tapped off to power the light.

Wash. state Desk Jet  (1000+ posts)      Sun Nov-20-11 01:49 PM
Response to Reply #4
 
5. I see, tapped off means divided.

The unit is receiving power -the poster understands that. The power the unit receives is from the same source isn't it.

What it really comes down to is the problem is not the Tennant's-the problem is the landlords problem.

You can buy a repair manual for any kind of stove range what have you. Dishwasher ,water tank ,refer,dryer what ever. A good volt ohm meter and wiggy and away you go.

But that is not the Tennant's problem.

But here is a problematic thing- if the stove is very old-how old is the house wiring and the panel box ?

yewberry  (1000+ posts)      Sun Nov-20-11 02:01 PM
Response to Reply #5
 
7. You nailed it there.

The stove is old, the house is old. I think it might be one of the oldest places on the island. Many of the outlets are wired outside of the walls and there are no outlets in the bathroom!

Oh.

I see.

The primitive wants to boast about living on an island.

yewberry  (1000+ posts)      Sun Nov-20-11 02:03 PM
Response to Reply #2
 
8. I'll check the breaker box.

That involves a ladder & coat!

[Freeper]

Don't you just hate it when you are in the middle of cooking up some Meth and the damn stove quits?
 

[franksolich]

Don't you just hate it when you are in the middle of cooking up some Meth and the damn stove quits?
 

I wonder if that's the reason the primitive lives on an island.

Maybe law-enforcement doesn't come around as much as it should.

[jukin]

In my rentals the appliances are the tenants responsibility. 

Yes, the tenants that call me constantly thinking I am their parents do pay more in rent and it goes up depending on how often they call.

Typically a landlord has up to three to five business days to deal with non life threatening conditions after written notice is received.

Every household electrical stove/oven I have ever seen runs on 220VAC single phase. Look for the 2 pole breakers and see if any are tripped. I would find it strange that all of the elements in the stove went out at the same time.  Check the easy things first.

[GOBUCKS]

I don't  know what to do, DUmmy Wash. state Desk Jet.

What do you think I should do?

Wash. state Desk Jet  (1000+ posts)      Sun Nov-20-11 01:10 PM
Response to Original message
What you really need to do is call your landlord.

Your landlord really needs to know about that.

Seriously though, call your landlord.

Call the landlord.

Should I just try to fix it myself?

So, DUmmy, if you had trouble  with a rental property, how would you handle it?

Dark and lonely on a summer's night.

Kill my landlord. Kill my landlord.

Watchdog barking. Do he bite?

Kill my landlord. Kill my landlord.

Slip in his window. Break his neck.

Then his house I start to wreck.

Got no reason. What the heck?

Kill my landlord. Kill my landlord.

C-I-L-L my land lord!

[LC EFA]

I had 2 of the elements on my old electric stove let go in the last couple years of its life.

Both times there was a loud pop , a bright flash and a pinhole burned through the base of the pot that was on there.

Both times it tripped the breaker outside (which you can also hear from the kitchen).

I'd have been rather unamused at the whole thing if they weren't cheap and nasty pots I was using at the time.

Easy enough to replace them too - but I didn't bother at the time because it added to the excuse list to replace that stove with a nice gas one.

[Tucker]

yewberry  (1000+ posts)      Sun Nov-20-11 01:58 PM
Response to Reply #1
 
6. Thank you.

I will call the landlord. I just hate to ask for help!

Just thinking that can get a pizza. Actually saying it may cause you to lose your moonbat membership card.

[I_B_Perky]

yewberry  (1000+ posts)      Sun Nov-20-11 01:58 PM
Response to Reply #1
 
6. Thank you.

I will call the landlord. I just hate to ask for help!

Unless it is from the government. Then you dummies don't seem to have a problem then. 

[franksolich]

Just thinking that can get a pizza. Actually saying it may cause you to lose your moonbat membership card.

I'm still curious as to why the primitive felt compelled to comment she lives on an island.

[Tucker]

I'm still curious as to why the primitive felt compelled to comment she lives on an island.

Just as many DUmmies use a bouncy as a vehicle to promote their real motive for the tale, DUmmies never miss an opportunity to expose their hoity-toity lifestyle.

Just like Mrs Dawson told us that Holi got her a purse for Christmas one year. Not just any purse but a Prada.

As a group, they are a haughty, pompous and pretentious lot.

[jukin]

Dark and lonely on a summer's night.

Kill my landlord. Kill my landlord.

Watchdog barking. Do he bite?

Kill my landlord. Kill my landlord.

Slip in his window. Break his neck.

Then his house I start to wreck.

Got no reason. What the heck?

Kill my landlord. Kill my landlord.

C-I-L-L my land lord!

A great SNL skit, HI5 for the laugh.

[diesel driver]

Don't you just hate it when you are in the middle of cooking up some Meth and the damn stove quits?
 

Propane.

You need a propane stove.  No electricity needed.   

[Karin]

You might want to unplug the stove or shut off the circuit breaker before you look around-

No! No!  Don't do that!  You won't be able to troubleshoot properly! 


GOBUCKS--

LC EFA--Don't tell Frank that you and I have gas stoves, it will keep him up nights. 

[franksolich]

LC EFA--Don't tell Frank that you and I have gas stoves, it will keep him up nights.

Too late, madam.

I'm acutely aware that natural gas stoves are widely popular, and that mine's the minority view.

Probably ten times more natural gas stoves in America than safe electric stoves.

I dunno why; maybe most people like living on the edge.

Unfortunately, last week I had to use the natural gas stove here, because the coffee maker had burnt out and it was going to be four days before I headed to the big city, to get a new one.  And so I had to resort to making coffee "cowboy style" on the stove.

Every time before I turned on a burner, I carefully opened all the windows and doors and kicked all the cats outside, and only then did I dare turn the knob to release the flame.

Remember, madam, I had a bad experience once with an exploding natural gas stove.

And the biggest piece they ever found of the old guy was his left leg up in a tree, dangling down like a stocking hung on the mantel of a fireplace Christmas Eve.

Natural gas stoves explode.  Electric stoves don't.