I just bought a house with a Whirlpool RS675PXG electric range and it's
already not working. Basically the problem is that no power is getting
to the heating elements in the oven. The stove top, control board,
lights, and fans all work; however, when I turn the oven on either bake
or broil it never gets hot. The fan will kick on inside the oven as
though it's on but the heating elements won't work. I took out the
bottom element to test for conductivity and it was fine. There didn't
appear to be any visual defects, nor was there any conductivity between
the outside of the element to the terminals so I think the element is
fine. I tested for a voltage with the oven on and there wasn't any
getting to the element. This all leads me to believe that there may be
something wrong with either the thermostat or some switching mechanism
that provides power to the elements. Any suggestions, recomendations,
or remedies would be greatly appreciated. Also, info on the difficuly
of repair and where to find information on how to repair. I'm an
electrical engineer, so I think this is within my abilities if I just
knew what to fix. Thanks a lot.

Is it a brand new stove that was installed for the sale of the house?
Could be on the wrong size breaker. I replaced my stove last year and
had the same problem - everything but the oven worked - until I found
out it needed to be on a 40 amp breaker instead of the 50 amp circuit
that the old one was on. Oddly enough, this vital information was NOT
given in the paperwork that came with it. I bought it as a self
install pick-up from Lowe's and had to call GE to find out what
amperage it was rated for.

Thanks for the suggestion but it isn't a new range. The house is about
6 years old and the range was installed when the house was built. I
called the previous owners and they said that they've never had a
problem with it.

"siralfred" wrote in message
oups.com...
Is it a brand new stove that was installed for the sale of the house?
Could be on the wrong size breaker. I replaced my stove last year and
had the same problem - everything but the oven worked - until I found
out it needed to be on a 40 amp breaker instead of the 50 amp circuit
that the old one was on. Oddly enough, this vital information was NOT
given in the paperwork that came with it. I bought it as a self
install pick-up from Lowe's and had to call GE to find out what
amperage it was rated for.

You must have your numbers backwards. If it was on a 50 amp circuit and
only needed to be on a 40 amp circuit , it should have worked . The stove
will only draw the current it needs.

I know it sounds strange, but it really only worked properly after I
switched to a LOWER amp breaker. Could be a safety-something (I'm not
an electrician) that protects the range from a stronger current/surge.
What do I know?

"siralfred" wrote in message
oups.com...
I know it sounds strange, but it really only worked properly after I
switched to a LOWER amp breaker. Could be a safety-something (I'm not
an electrician) that protects the range from a stronger current/surge.
What do I know?

If all you did was change to a lower amperage breaker solved the problem,
then the origional breaker must have been defective or the wires were loose.
If the breaker is not tripping, then it is not protecting anything. It is
not a surge supressor or anything like that. Breakers are usually sized to
the wire going from it to where ever it is going. What is on the end of the
wire is not usaully accounted for. The breaker protects the wires and it
is left up to the device using the power to protect its self.
I do work as an electircian in an industrial setting and work with low
voltages up to 480 volt 3 phase circuits and a few up to 13,200 volts.

While looking through the instruction manual I've found out that
apparently the elements automatically turn off if the door is open on
this model. So this means that there might be power getting to the
elements, just not when the door is open for me to test it. I guess I
could try clipping on my multimeter to the terminals and then closing
the door and look through the oven window to see if it's getting power.
Anyone have any other suggestions?

On 22 Dec 2005 09:21:24 -0800, "jrmfzf" wrote:

While looking through the instruction manual I've found out that
apparently the elements automatically turn off if the door is open on
this model. So this means that there might be power getting to the
elements, just not when the door is open for me to test it. I guess I
could try clipping on my multimeter to the terminals and then closing
the door and look through the oven window to see if it's getting power.
Anyone have any other suggestions?

Yeah, don't forget and leave the oven on with the meter inside or it
will melt.

But seriously, I think you are spinning your wheels doing things you
know how to do, but in this idea you're not going to accomplish
anything. You've already tested the element for continuity, and yet
it doesn't get hot. So there is something wrong with the power that
goes to it. And closing the door is not going to help.

I don't object to your proposed test, because testing the same thing
in different ways can be a good idea. Anyone can do a test wrong, or
make a mistake, or forget to turn the meter on when doing a test, etc.
etc. This is the same r eason we are taught, at least they used to
teach, children to add numbers from top to bottom, and then to check
by adding them from bottom to top. Because everyone makes mistakes
even with simple things and it is always good to double check and
better to do so with a test of a different sort.

However, while discontinuity would likely give NO result when you
test, continuity must have given a beep or a change in meter reading.
It's unlikely you did it wrong.
'
That leaves possible shorts and the wiring. A coil can short or two
wires parallel to each other can short, but a heating element that is
two feet long, where the power goes in one end and out the other,
can't short more than a tiny bit. (If there is a coil inside the
element, one winding might short, but since the element is 2 feet
long, it can't short from one end to the other because there are two
feet in between.)

As to wiring, you did plug both ends of the element in its connector,
right. You didn't just make a stab at it and then screw the element
to the wall of the oven, right. So that settles the wiring.

If there were a short in the wiring, btw, you'd know it.

So what you're going to have to do is take the back off the oven and
do more measurements.

I am not an applicance repairman by trade and so I have no idea what
the model number means.

When you say control panel, how complicated are we talking? Do you
still have an oven/broiler switch, or is this controlled
electronically. (even then I'm sure there is a relay somewhere.) I
see you didn't say if the broiler works. Does it?

Stop spinning your wheels and think about other parts of the
appliance. If the broiler works and the oven doesn't and there is an
oven/broiler switch, the odds are 99% that the problem is the switch.
A meter will tell for sure.


Remove NOPSAM to email me. Please let
me know if you have posted also.

Thanks mm for the input. Unfortunately neither the bake nor the
broiler element work. And in this model, both will turn on when
preheating, which does not happen. Also, I do have an electronic
control board. From the research I've done it looks like it will be
either one of two parts: the thermostat on the back or the CPU behind
the control board. I'm really hopeing for the thermostat since there's
a four fold difference in price. Has anyone ever dealt with this kind
of repair? Is there anyway for me to test the thermostat without
pulling out the entire oven?

For anybody who is curious, the problem ended up being the thermostate
fuse on the back of the oven. It was a pretty simple fix and now the
oven is working fine. Thanks for everybody's input.