Electric Stove question.
 

My Frigidaire Mod FEF368cctb stopped working a few weeks ago. What it
did was attempt to come on (The burners) and after a few seconds, it
would shut down. The oven didn't work either, but the clock and light
did.
This morning I turned it on and it began working fine. Could such a
problem be due to low voltage? The reason I ask that is because at
about the same time, I bought an electric power washer and it wouldn't
work correctly. I returned it and the next one wouldn't work right
either. Could such problems be attributed to load reduction by the
power Co?
TIA
Mike P

Electric Stove question.
 

Husky wrote:
My Frigidaire Mod FEF368cctb stopped working a few weeks ago. What it
did was attempt to come on (The burners) and after a few seconds, it
would shut down. The oven didn't work either, but the clock and light
did.
This morning I turned it on and it began working fine. Could such a
problem be due to low voltage? The reason I ask that is because at
about the same time, I bought an electric power washer and it wouldn't
work correctly. I returned it and the next one wouldn't work right
either. Could such problems be attributed to load reduction by the
power Co?

Power companies don't do 'load reduction', but they may do voltage
reduction to balance loads in the system. This might affect some
appliances if it is severe. In your case, it could be your electrical
system is in trouble and you need a good electrician to nail the
problem. As part of the diagnostics, call the power company and ask
for a voltage check on your line. They will likely be happy to do it
as it could be an early warning for them of a possible equipment
problem. HTH

Joe

Electric Stove question.
 

"Joe" wrote in message

. As part of the diagnostics, call the power company and ask
for a voltage check on your line. They will likely be happy to do it
as it could be an early warning for them of a possible equipment
problem. HTH

Buy a modest priced meter and check the voltage yourself at different times
of the day over a few days. Don't trust the power company.

Electric Stove question.
 

According to Edwin Pawlowski :

"Joe" wrote in message

. As part of the diagnostics, call the power company and ask
for a voltage check on your line. They will likely be happy to do it
as it could be an early warning for them of a possible equipment
problem. HTH

Buy a modest priced meter and check the voltage yourself at different times
of the day over a few days. Don't trust the power company.

I rather doubt that a brownout or power dip would cause such problems
with the stove or the possible power washer problem he mentioned.

If it's enough to cause noticable problems with "simple" devices (eg:
resistive heaters or dumb devices like pressure washers), it'll be
_extremely_ obvious with the house lighting or other devices. Like,
they go out completely.

I'm wondering if there's a problem with 240V in his house. Like
a loose connection on one phase (in the stove, in the stove
circuit or more generally), that only appears with load causing
the connection to heat up. Normal operation of the stove clock
suggests that it's one phase only with the problem.

To test this with a voltmeter, he has to get access to 240V (preferably
right at the stove plug) and watch it while the stove "does its thing".

If the stove does its thing, and the voltage hasn't dropped, it's
the stove's fault. If the voltage does drop, he's got to figure
out why, and I highly doubt it's the utility.

This measurement could be mighty dangerous to someone uncertain
about what they're doing/dealing with.

A simpler first step would be to turn on every light in the house,
and watch what they do when the stove does its thing. Chances
are there are at least some of them are on each phase. If the
stove does its thing and some of the lights dim (or go out), it's
likely a general problem with his wiring - eg: main panel. If
the lights are unaffected, it's the stove or the stove circuit.

With that bit of diagnostics out of the way, it would help
focus tracing the wiring to open boxes and check connections for
char or looseness.

[In Canada with its split-duplex kitchen counter reqt. (see
other thread ;-), this is particularly easy to do - plug lamps
into both halves of a single kitchen outlet. Voila - dip detection
on both phases.]
--
Chris Lewis,

Age and Treachery will Triumph over Youth and Skill
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.