We have a ten-year old GE self-cleaning glass-top electric range.
My wife had never used the self-cleaning feature mainly because of the
high electricity consumption (she says).

Anyway, because she is now disabled, leaving me to become chief cook
and bottle-washer, I find that I now need to clean the oven. I
decided I would try the self-cleaning feature to ease my tasks a
little.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered that the cleaning cycle would
only run some 10 minutes before tripping the 220 breaker. When I
reset the breaker, and tried it again, it did the same. Three times
before I quit, fearing that there must be an overload. The breaker is
a 40-amp'er.

I can and did clean the oven manually, with easy-off, and can continue
to do so. But I am wondering why this all happened.

What does everyone think?

xiexie

Wei

wrote in message
...
We have a ten-year old GE self-cleaning glass-top electric range.
My wife had never used the self-cleaning feature mainly because of the
high electricity consumption (she says).

Anyway, because she is now disabled, leaving me to become chief cook
and bottle-washer, I find that I now need to clean the oven. I
decided I would try the self-cleaning feature to ease my tasks a
little.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered that the cleaning cycle would
only run some 10 minutes before tripping the 220 breaker. When I
reset the breaker, and tried it again, it did the same. Three times
before I quit, fearing that there must be an overload. The breaker is
a 40-amp'er.

I can and did clean the oven manually, with easy-off, and can continue
to do so. But I am wondering why this all happened.

What does everyone think?


Self cleaning ovens typically work on a catalytic process. The use of Easy
Off likely killed that process.

Can't say for sure as you did not list the make and model.

As to tripping the breaker it could well be a defective breaker but you need
either an electrician or the skill set of one to make that determination.

On 5/6/2012 12:32 PM, NotMe wrote:
....

Self cleaning ovens typically work on a catalytic process. The use of Easy
Off likely killed that process.

I'm unaware of any pyrolytic-process self-cleaning ovens that actually
have any catalytic action...they simply heat hot enough to char most
food residue to ash. The catalytic cleaning cycles are those that
operate at normal cooking temperatures and don't have a separate
high-temperature cleaning cycle.

Can't say for sure as you did not list the make and model.

He did say it is a GE; specific make/model is likely immaterial to this
particular issue...

As to tripping the breaker it could well be a defective breaker but you need
either an electrician or the skill set of one to make that determination.

There I'm inclined to agree it's a good possibility especially if the
breaker is getting along in age. I had a similar problem w/ the A/C
unit last year that I kept futzing with trying to figure out why the
compressor (I thought) was drawing excess current. Turns out it was the
breaker itself that was simply overheating and tripping. Replace
breaker and voila! problem solved.

As another posted, it would be _a_good_thing_ (tm) to actually check the
current draw, but that it took a while to trip each time makes me
suspect the breaker. The possibility of a poor connect there adding to
the heating is always there, too, of course.

--

circuit breakers are designed to become more sensitive as they age.
the self cleaning ranges burn off the spilled stuff, no catalytic
action involved. the cat cleaner ovens are continious clean. they dont
work as well.

most breakers are pretty cheap i would pull main power and replace the
range breaker. that wll likely fix it.........

wrote in message
...
We have a ten-year old GE self-cleaning glass-top electric range.
My wife had never used the self-cleaning feature mainly because of the
high electricity consumption (she says).

Anyway, because she is now disabled, leaving me to become chief cook
and bottle-washer, I find that I now need to clean the oven. I
decided I would try the self-cleaning feature to ease my tasks a
little.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered that the cleaning cycle would
only run some 10 minutes before tripping the 220 breaker. When I
reset the breaker, and tried it again, it did the same. Three times
before I quit, fearing that there must be an overload. The breaker is
a 40-amp'er.

I can and did clean the oven manually, with easy-off, and can continue
to do so. But I am wondering why this all happened.

What does everyone think?

xiexie

Wei

After clearing the circuit breaker I'd be tempted to suspect the element.
Since it takes some running time for the problem to occur it appears that
component replacement is your only alternative. If you can, I'd try this
first--with the oven on and the element hot, tap the element several times
in different locations. If there is an intermittent short you might make
the breaker trip. I don't think that you can do this in the cleaning mode
as there I think that there is a door interlock. Maybe open the door during
the cleaning cycle (before the problem) tap the element and start it up
again.
MLD

On 5/6/2012 3:01 PM, bob haller wrote:
circuit breakers are designed to become more sensitive as they age.

Nonsense.

the self cleaning ranges burn off the spilled stuff, no catalytic
action involved. the cat cleaner ovens are continious clean. they dont
work as well.

Wasn't that what I just got through saying (other than the judgment;
I've not had a continuous clean so I can't make a comparison)?????

They're still "self-cleaning" whether continuous or not...


most breakers are pretty cheap i would pull main power and replace the
range breaker. that wll likely fix it.........

Well, given the followup of the OP on tripping the breaker w/ all off,
it appears there's more wrong than a possibly failing breaker...

--

dpb wrote:
On 5/6/2012 3:01 PM, bob haller wrote:
circuit breakers are designed to become more sensitive as they age.

Nonsense.

the self cleaning ranges burn off the spilled stuff, no catalytic
action involved. the cat cleaner ovens are continious clean. they
dont work as well.

Wasn't that what I just got through saying (other than the judgment;
I've not had a continuous clean so I can't make a comparison)?????

They're still "self-cleaning" whether continuous or not...


Except, the self-cleaning ones call themselves self-cleaning, and the continuous
cleaning ones say continuous cleaning.

wrote in message
...
We have a ten-year old GE self-cleaning glass-top electric range.
My wife had never used the self-cleaning feature mainly because of the
high electricity consumption (she says).

Anyway, because she is now disabled, leaving me to become chief cook
and bottle-washer, I find that I now need to clean the oven. I
decided I would try the self-cleaning feature to ease my tasks a
little.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered that the cleaning cycle would
only run some 10 minutes before tripping the 220 breaker. When I
reset the breaker, and tried it again, it did the same. Three times
before I quit, fearing that there must be an overload. The breaker is
a 40-amp'er.

I can and did clean the oven manually, with easy-off, and can continue
to do so. But I am wondering why this all happened.

What does everyone think?

xiexie

Wei

I had a problem with mine. I called a repair company, and they said it
needed a motherboard, $700. I pulled the oven out, and got the tekkie
papers in the envelope taped to the side of the unit. I bet yours has one.

Upon plugging and replugging, I got an error code. Looked at it in the
papers, and it showed a bad door interlock. I repaired it for $32.

Pull the unit and see if there are tekkie papers. See if you can get an
error code by unplugging and replugging.

After that, I'd call a pro.

But, the guy who wanted $700 charged me $75 for a bid. I called, and got a
refund of the $75.

Steve