We were using the oven when we noticed that there was no power to it (it was in the middle of cooking and was still hot). I looked at the circuit breakers and none were tripped. I ran my finger down the breakers and it came back on. Then I switched the breaker off and back on, but it would not come back on. I tried this several times - it would never come back on, so I switched it off.
The oven is 14-15 years old. Where is the problem likely to be? With the circuit breaker?
It would be a coincidence if the oven came back on when you disturbed the breaker. I'd vote for the breaker, or loose wire at the breaker.
Then I switched the breaker off and
Yes.
The oven going off and on by touching the breaker raises the probability a lot.
Try switching breakers. (If you have another breaker with the same amperage.)
If running your hand down the breaker turned it back on there is a good possibility that the breaker has gone bad or one of the wires has burned off at the breaker
Try caressing your breakers again, this time with a firmer touch. Maybe vary the speed a bit and see if the oven gets hot.
My guess is that there is a loose connection either where the breaker mounts to the buss or where the wire mounts to the breaker.
If you have a neon tester, voltmeter, etc., check whether there's power at the plug the oven utilizes -- both sides of the line (assuming a 240 volt oven -- btw, two ganged breakers are implicated, and either one can defeat the oven). If it's too hard to get at the plug (heavy oven +/-) you can check at the breaker(s) to determine whether they're the problem. Be very careful poking around in there; get help if you don't have a clue what you're doing.
Another thought -- breakers are a lot cheaper (generally) and easier to swap (given some aptitude in that arena) than ovens. Either one can go bad, especially over 15 years.
The OP did not say, but everyone has assumed an electric stove/oven. The OP did not say if the stove elements do/do not work if it is electric. THis is very important information that is missing.
No one has suggested turning the breaker to the off position, and then pushing it even harder toward OFF, and, then turning it back on. If this doesn't fix things, then the cover on the breaker box needs to come off so the wiring can be inspected. If you are not VERY familiar with working on AC power, get a neighbor who is handy and who has a voltmeter to come to check if the circuit to the oven is on. Simply checking for voltage at the oven/stove outlet without some sort of a load on the circuit can give erroneous readings since a bad connection could give voltage, but under load the bad connection would not allow any appreciable current to flow. I would start by checking voltage at the output of the breaker with the stove elements turned on, if ok, and the stove heats up, the problem is in the oven portion of the stove. If no voltage with the stove turned on, turn everything on the stove off and see if the voltage is restored. If is it, the breaker is bad or there is a lousy connection somewhere in the breakaer circuit. Good luck, let us know what you find.
Not many people have a spare double 50 breaker.
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Try switching breakers. (If you have another breaker with the same amperage.)
He may not, but he may have a 40 for the dryer. It is enough to determine if it is the breaker or the range. Other checks are the top burners. If they are OK, it is probably not the breaker but the range switches or wiring.
Too many variables but my first guess is the breaker but it could also be in the oven controls. No way to really assess with what you wrote. I once had a MAIN breaker go bad on a holiday weekend. I've also had a bad breaker on a different circuit go bad and that I replaced myself.
Another question is how old is the electric circuit panel? Maybe time to consider replacing the who panel? I had a panel replaced about 2 or 3 years ago and the electrician charged me $800 to do.
Most people who have the skill to swap out a 40 breaker with a 50 would have done so already. Not a lot of people know how to do that task.
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He may not, but he may have a 40 for the dryer. It is enough to determine if it is the breaker or the range. Other checks are the top burners. If they are OK, it is probably not the breaker but the range switches or wiring.
I presume it's the same as replacing a 40 with a 40, right? I don't know tho if it's save to replace a 40 with a 50 unless you really know what you are doing and I don't mean by that, just swapping circuit breakers out.
You can get a double pole 50amp breaker for under $10. Not much downside to just replacing it and seeing if the problem disappears.
I'm not qualified to do that, so I'll call an electrician.
Probably wise, but those breakers in your breaker panel snap in and snap out. No tools required but basic knowledge of how electricity works is. If you don't understand hot wire and ground, stay away.
Of course if that's all that's needed, the electrician won't charge much.
It's cheaper to trot down to the box store and buy a replacement breaker (about $30). Here's how:
As you can see, the only special requirement is whether your hand fits a screwdriver.
If you follow the instructions above - perhaps with a helper to double check - you will save:
a. Electrician service call $80-$120 b. Retail cost of breaker ($30 + markup = $120).
Let us know how it worked out.
A wise person knows when to hand the job off to someone else. You sound wise.
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I'm not qualified to do that, so I'll call an electrician.
I'd vote for the helper. Some tasks, it's wise to watch several before you do one. This is such a moment.
Jan, please ask around. Someone you know, or a friend of a friend probably has the skills to swap out breaker, and do it safely. Bub is a kind fellow, but I think his advice is incorrect, at this moment.
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It's cheaper to trot down to the box store and buy a replacement breaker (about $30). Here's how:
Just to check for power, not a big deal. If you turned all the burners and oven on, worst case is you'd pop the breaker.
What is much? Some charge $100 to walk through the door. Ask first what the minimum is.
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