[Closed] How delicate are ovens?

Sounds like something is shorting, could there be moisture in the control module where you have cleaned?

They aren't particularly delicate but if something was already loose or an element was about to go then that could've been enough to push it over the edge.

This is bizarre, tbh.

It trips immediately I turn it on at the wall, not when I operate one of the ovens, so it can't be the elements as they are both off.

If I don't plug the clock/controller in, it doesn't trip - so it can't be a transformer or something upstream from the control module.

I can't quite figure out how a fault in the control module could cause the RCD to trip as well as the circuit breaker. The RCD tripping means there must be an earth fault. The breaker tripping means there must be more than what, 30A going somewhere, and it can't be going through this module.

The module doesn't contain a transformer, so its supply must be low voltage (6V according to some of the components on it) so connecting 6V backwards would probably not have damaged it, I'd guess, so that would seem to indicate that isn't the issue - plus I'm (almost) sure I connected it correctly.

So then yes something would seem to have become dislodged or damaged inside, what nick said.

I squirted the clock module liberally with contact cleaner since a gunked up module appeared to be the original problem leading me to attempt to clean it in the first place.

Sure you haven't inadvertently left something dangling / earthing inside?

No, cos at first all I did was remove the clock which came simply off the front and had four wires which were all visible and reconnected.

I'm due to go away tomorrow morning for perhaps all week and we've got everyone coming for Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday... 🙁

Hmmmm.

You'll have to barbeque the turkey...

It's not a bad idea.. or serve boiled ham instead.

However it still needs fixing.. and it seems very unlikely that the clock is causing this issue.... I wonder if excessive dust and shite can cause electrical problems cos there's plenty of that in here.

Could the control module have relays on board or be wired to relays that have short/earth leakage in them?

I've had the back off - it looks like the whole thing is controlled via good old fashioned wires and thermostats. The clock only appears to switch everything on or off according to its timer.

The relay on the PCB turns both ovens on and off on demand - if it'd shorted, the ovens would simply be able to be turned on all the time.

Have you maybe damaged the cable feeding the oven? I can't see how it can trip the MCB with the ovens turned off?

Not a bad thought BUT if I don't plug the control module in, it doesn't trip.

Just had a thought though - the side vents were really clogged with dust, and I ran a brush over them to get rid of it. The brush howerver was still wet from its previous application, and it's possible I sprayed droplets of water onto the switches behind the knobs, which are open bodied so contacts are visible.

It's a slim chance but maybe...

Oven itself makes a "pang" noise when I turn it on.

RCD is no longer tripping, but the CB is still, after I sprayed lots of contact cleaner in the switches.

Ok, put it all back together completely, it no longer makes a pang, no longer trips RCD.

Connected control module to the power (which appears to be 24V AC..?) and left the element connections off, it didn't trip anything but the clock didn't come on.

Therefore clock is buggered AND there is a fault somewhere else that's not the element. Doesn't make any sense to me at all.

Several "pangs" and over-currents later and a circuit board / component is now [s]cooked[/s] [s]fried[/s] [s]burnt[/s] unserviceable?

Your RCD will take only 30 [b]milli[/b]Amps to trip 😉

Clean the board again, with a toothbrush to get round all the nooks and crannies that are now holding all the grime that was evenly spread across the board.
Then stick a hairdrier or fan heater on low power into the orifice you've been cleaning for an hour or so...

Is the oven ment to be a 240 plug fitting or hard wired in via a 6mm feed... Will say in handbook so many people just fit a fky lead with a 240 plug..... Will work for a bit but everntually die...

Isn't it time to completely disassembled it into all its constituent parts, buy a dodgy control unit from a bloke on the local Council Estate, reassemble and then grumble/threaten legal retribution on the control unit bloke when it still doesn't work?

I know this sounds ridiculous and soooo far fetched. Who would do such a thing? 🙂

It's probably shorting due to the gallon of contact cleaner you sprayed in its guts. Go to John Lewis, buy another, feed yee ha family. Job done.

Life in the molgrips household;

"I'm just going to have a fiddle with 'x' and get it working properly, it'll be a five minute job."

*mrsmolgrips weeps gently and prepares for a fortnight with a non working 'x'*

AO...lets go. 🙂

["oven for molgrips" echoes round big warehouse...]

My Father in Law has a favourite expression:

Stick to what you're good at. Pay someone else to do the rest

Perhaps you might want to recall it next time you decide to 'fix' something Molls 😆

Thanksgiving? You have American relatives?

Thanks Giving is a ritual in the Moly household. His relatives are giving thanks he's survived another year despite 'fixing things' 😀

Those timer modules are all very shonky. They're often identical top to bottom across many different manufacturers but it sounds like failures are common; both we and the inlaws had ours replaced on the same day, theirs in a two month old oven and us in a brand new one. The bloke who did ours said he spent most of his time swapping them, he had a box full of the things in his van.

Thanksgiving? You have American relatives?

Yes, plenty, including my wife.

Your RCD will take only 30 milliAmps to trip

Yes, but the MCB also trips which I'm assuming is 30A or similar.

The RCD no longer trips.... and I've come to the conclusion it's not the clock unit. The relay on the clock board is normally closed, so if I don't connect what must be the power to the board and connect the wires that lead to the elements, the timer is effectively out of the picture. It still trips the MCB. Therefore there must be a circuit fault somewhere in the rest of it. However the clock itself might be buggered too because if I do the opposite and connect only what appears to be the power to the clock, it doesn't trip but the clock doesn't light up. Incidentally, connecting the multimeter to these two terminals indicates 24V AC which seems a rather odd value to supply to a clock PCB especially when the relay is rated 6V...

The reason for disassembly is because the beeper was on continuously, which was rather annoying, and the bottom oven didn't work. Sometimes the beeper would stop for a bit, and the bottom oven would start working again, which is somewhat strange.

My wife supports me fixing things, because I've saved thousands over the years. Current record is not so great though, first my phone and now this.

There were huge quantities of fluff, dust, cobwebs and grime in most of it, I suppose spider silk could conduct electricity and be shorting something out... Also agree with lerk, grime dislodged could be causing trouble. But I think the clock is a red herring since I can effectively bypass it completely and it still trips. I need a circuit diagram to confirm this though cos I can't figure out why the red wire that powers the clock goes to the knob for the bottom oven....

My wife supports me fixing things, because I've saved thousands over the years.

You keep telling yourself that Molls.

When you tell her all this, does she reply, wearily 'yes dear'?

Hmm.. found the timer online £100 🙁

However the picture of it has a slightly different label on the top, and it indicates that the power supply to it should be 230V, which would explain why I can't see a transformer in the oven.

However the fact that I can only measure 24V AC across the terminals that supply it corroborates that something's shorted out/gunked up in the wiring somewhere. Needs further disassembly and cleaning next weekend.

Wife has been googling and decided she can barbecue the turkey.

Just keep going Molls.......

[img] [/img]

You all seem to forget I actually fixed the Passat in the end...

Yes dear

Yeah but, how'd you get on with your claim for the surplus shonky ECU eh? Go on then, eh? Eh? Sorry, I can't resist your 'Moly [s]ferks[/s] fixes...' threads. They're usually good value. 🙂

If you musthave a turkey for Thanksgiving, and your oven's broke, then fear not, for there is a solution.

Deep fry the bastard!

[img] [/img]

Careful though it could go wrong:

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So, listen to Bill.

Have you looked at Buy-It-Now ovens on ebay?

My wife smashed the door on our oven while 'unscrewing the glass' to clean it.
Looking on eBay there were loads of ovens only a couple of years old going for peanuts (not literally).

I got a nice Kenwood double oven for £50. It plugged straight in & was ready to go in about 15 mins of getting it out of the car; even the mounting holes lined up with the ones on the old oven, so it screwed straight in.

Don't be coming around here with your easy, common sense answers. This thread has the potential to be the next Passat Saga.

It will go on for months, potentially years, with the Molls household having no oven, while Molls tests to destruction every conceivable theory of what it could possibly be. During this exercise he will spend literally days on this task, all to no avail, and rack up enough money spent on parts and tools, that he may as well have gone out and bought a gold-plated oven, and cooked a unicorn in it

I opened this thread expecting something exciting like Mols was cooking Nitroglycerin in the oven (we used to use a Bunsen in the garden).

Is dissapoint.

Any news?

I got a nice Kenwood double oven for £50.

I got a nice 'Stoves' double gas oven for (wait for it) £5. From when stoves were still UK made. Best oven we've had. Brilliant grill. Made fabulous toast.

Somewhat annoyed to have to leave it behind, but, it was built in and it did only cost us a fiver.

Paired it up with a dashing 4 burner hob that cost £25.

Anyway.

Back to the molgrips-fixes-stuff thread...

No, no news. Been too busy to sort it out. Maybe tonight's the night though.

[url= http://www.gourmetindia.com/topic/873-tandoor-oven-construction-ii/ ]These seem to be reliable[/url] and not too delicate either 🙂

Fixed it.

Quite proud of my deductive skills tracing through the bizarrely colour coded confusing wiring, but not proud of what I actually discovered. The MCB was tripping because the live feed was connected through the timer relay to the neutral. After boggling at this discovery for a few seconds I realised I'd wired the timer up back to front.

Nothing made any sense when I thought that the two wires were the switched circuit to operate the oven. It made a lot more sense when I realised they were actually the supply for the timer.

Works fine now, I didn't fry the timer by wiring it the wrong way round, and the continuous beep is gone.