By Staff Writer
A friend of mine had trouble the other day, when his oven refused to heat. So naturally, he handled it like just about everyone else does. He paced around, thought about fixing it himself, then gave up and called the repairman.
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The whole experience was, of course, a disaster. He took two of his vacation days so he could be there when the repairman was working, only to have those appointments cancelled at last minute. When the repairman DID arrive, the job ended up costing hundreds of dollars that had been saved away for the actual vacation.
For some time afterward, he tried playing it off as though the whole experience didn’t bother him. “The oven breaks? Oh well, what was I supposed to do?” “So it cost me some money. Well…these things do cost a lot.”
Wait just a minute, I thought. Accept this? Accept hefty repair bills and incompetent “experts” with lousy customer service? I did a bit of research and found that, contrary to my initial thought, the oven is actual one of the simplest appliances to maintain and fix. So taking the advice to heart, I suggest these tips:
1. Figure out how your oven works
Yes, that means reading the owners manual. Most homeowners have a pretty good idea of how the oven works – they put the food in, and turn up the heat. But their knowledge of how it REALLY works is often negligible.
If your oven doesn’t work, it could just be that your time cook function needs to be reset. Or perhaps your oven isn’t plugged in to begin with. Maybe the power isn’t reaching the unit. Either way, they’re rather simple to fix yourself.
Reading the owner’s manual would give you a good idea of where you can locate these trouble spots. If you’ve lost your owner’s manual, look to the Internet – there’s websites out there that show you exactly how your machine is built. Short of X-ray vision, it’s the only way to find out what’s going on inside your oven before you start taking it apart.
Different models are built in different ways and suffer from different defects. Don’t assume the same advice applies to every oven.
2. Clean Machine
It’s a surprisingly simple concept. A clean machine works well, while excessive dirt and grime can clog up the works. The oven is one of appliances you use and don’t think much of. It may not seem like your cooking grease is leaking into the oven, but with every dish, you dirty the oven up a bit more.
I felt a bit bad about this one, as this marked the first time I’d taken a real look at the inside of my oven. Boy, was it filthy.
Good thing, though – you don’t have to buy expensive equipment to clean this appliance. For the interior, I used a standard, thick-bristled brush. For hard-to-reach places, I used a toothbrush instead. With a few strokes, the bristles were black. Clearly, I hadn’t been taking care of my property.
3. They come apart (really)
The heating element wasn’t working, so I tried removing it, and actually did. Honestly, I thought I had broken something. But ovens aren’t built to be complicated. In fact, most of the parts are designed for easy removal and replacement. That’s what makes the oven the easier repair job of all your appliances.
Again, heating elements can be easily removed and replaced with a simple screwdriver and a socket. Likewise, replacing fuses and circuit breakers is just a matter of finding the proper replacement.
Remember to take the broken piece with you when you go shop for another one, as that will make it easier to find the replacement. Rewiring any pieces can be a problem, is you forget which wire goes where. So make sure that you keep notes and mark the wires. That way, you’ll jump right in when you’ve got the replacement.
4. Make sure you’ve got the right tools.
Up until awhile ago, I didn’t have a toolbox. As a matter of fact, I needed instruction on the ins and outs of sockets, crescent wrenches and screwdrivers. I decided to fix that shortcoming through a few fix-it books and a class or two.
This not only prevents oven repair, it also helps when virtually any other kind of appliance breaks down. The last thing you want is to be searching through all the different sizes of wrenches before you realize you’re out of luck. And learning about these tools can make the picture a bit clearer; you begin to see how the parts fit together and how they can be taken apart.
It’s best to be proactive. Maybe you won’t use this education, maybe you will. Either way, it never hurts to learn something.
I haven’t had a problem with my oven yet (knock on wood) so maybe my repairs have made a difference. But I can tell you one thing – if I do have to pay someone to do this, it’ll be awhile before I accept def