July 11, 2010 - 6:06pm
Element ignited
The element in my 15-year-old GE Profile electric range ignited this morning while I was preheating the oven for baguettes. It's not the first time. It lit up into a fine white welding-torch flame at one of the bends in the metal. I hit the circuit breaker and let the thing extinguish itself.
I can replace the element, as I have done in the past, but I am inclined this time to replace the range. Have any of you determined whether one or another conventional electric range is better able to stand up to a baker's demands? Have others burned through the elements in their rangers, or do I have an aging lemon?
Thanks,
Rodger
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I am on at least the third element on my about 15-20 year old built in, wall GE oven(inherited from parents). I believe this is strictly a matter of the replacement elements being of inferior quality to the original part. Especially in light of the grueling use in baking breads. They went basically as you described. No flame though, just a "white hot" spot in the element.
I will happily continue to replace my elements(every 5 years or so) as long as everything else holds up. I needed my most recent replacement a little more than a year ago, when I began my pretty heavy duty bread/pizza baking "hobby". It was only about $21 delivered from any ebay shop. I had replaced it about 6 years before that from a local appliance parts store, with a present day price of $35.
Besides that, I can't believe how nicely this regular oven bakes. I guess the only issue one might have is if they are not able to do the replacement themselves(really easy). I imagine a service call to do it would be $100 or so.