Spotting manufacturing defect in new stove. How to react?

New Maytag stove was delivered a couple of weeks ago. It is a gas stove, and y'all might remember that I was leery about putting an extension cord on the (110V) electric cable to run the ignitors, etc.

The Borg doesn't seem to have an appliance cord long enough. Odd.. So for now it's a beefy extension cord.

Anyways... I opened the oven and took the racks out for its initial cleaning, and I noticed that in the back of the oven, on the bottom there are two screws. One seems to be seated properly into the 'floor' of the oven, but the other looks like it was driven in at about a 30 degree angle, probably stripped to shit, and there it sits, poking up about 1/2".

Should I get on the horn with Home Despot and demand a whole 'nother stove? Should I reach in and pull the screw out, and see if I can put it in the right way and call it good? Should I just leave it as-is and assume I'm overparanoid?

I mean, I don't want to cause a huge stink, really. But since I don't know anything about the workings of stoves, I would like to be sure that there isn't something *else* in this unit that wasn't half-assed in. We are talking about the appliance that deals with gas, electricity and fire.

Thanks for any and all suggestions.

-Phaeton

Reply to
phaeton
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Since this appears to be a manufacturing defect, email Maytag today to ask whether they wish to repair the appliance or you should replace it.

Reply to
Don Phillipson

Makes you wonder who is doing the final inspections, doesn't it?

If nothing else I'd place a service call under warranty so that the manufacturer gets the message they can't just pile their crap at the customer's door.

Reply to
Travis Jordan

Makes me wonder why you are so worried about a screw while you are not concerned about using an extension cord where non should be used!

Reply to
Joseph Meehan

The extension cord conductor wires are about 2x the size of the cord on the stove itself, but in any event, this is only temporary until I can visit a few more hardware or appliance stores for a longer, one-piece appliance cord for the stove. (I only need another 8").

For now, I'm glad I didn't go through the trouble of putting a new cord on it if I might get a different stove.

Thanks for the concern, though. :-)

-phaeton

Reply to
phaeton

Number one is overkill.

Number two is really easy to do if it is not stripped or otherwise damaged. May take just a few minutes.

Number three is probably OK as it is just holding the bottom pan in place, but, since you paid for a perfect stove, if it cannot be fixed in a few minutes, have them make a service call to check it out.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

The extension cord to power the lamp, ignitor and clock should be fine but if you still want to do it with one cord, simply buy any grounded extension cord of the same gague wire and cut it to length. You may need to crimp some terminals to the end of the wire depending on how it is terminated inside.

A crooked screw as viewed from inside an appliance does not constitute a manufacturing defect unless it fails to perform its function. If the screw is holding something in place, it's fine. Don't fix something that aint broke. Post a photo if you want a more qualified opinion as to if the screw is not performing.

Reply to
PipeDown

You can demand a stove but you wont get one. Its just a loose screw , relax.

Reply to
m Ransley

This reminds me of the time I was on an airplane about to take off, and I saw a guy on the wing doing something. In a few seconds he was putting the cover panel on, and after a bit, he turned the screwdriver upside down and was hammering on the screw with its handle. A couple minutes later he left. I think a lot of the passengers would have been bothered if they had seen this, but it didn't bother me. Mechical stuff is not perfect.

I doubt that it is stripped much at all, although maybe at the very bottom of the threads.

Phillips, torx, flat slot, or hex head? Galvanized , silver, black, or Zenith colored?

This is why I remove most of the screws, etc. from anything I throw away, and save all of them. I almost always have exact replacement screws, and the next size larger as well. Although if the first guy didn't get it in right, I think there is only about a 50% chance anyone can do much better.

It just holds the metal together, right? And the metal is together. And it is not intended to be gas-tight or air-tight chamber to begin with, right?

I would not be sure there isn't. In fact, I'm pretty sure there is. But as long as the gas doesn't leak, you're safe, and if it lights when it should, you're in fat city.

This is what overflowing pies and spilling food is for. Eventually the screw head will be covered by crud, and all we be well again. Although if you do clean the oven, be careful not to stub your fingers on the screw head. That would be the biggest reason for putting it in all the way. Hmmm. So if that were likely to happen, and you couldn't get the screw in**, I'd consider checking what is underneath it and if there is space to drill, * after* getting a screw one size bigger, drilling a bigger hole through the two pieces that are there. The earlier holes were predrilled and clearly, when the time came to assemble the stove, they didn't align. If you drill the hole in place, both parts will align. Remember that the size of the hole should be, since sheet metal screws are probably used, the size of the shank of the screw, not counting the threads. I would use a matching style and color screw, because I'm compulsive, but the easiest ones to install are in order, hex, torx, phillips, and flat.

**First I might loosen the screw on the left rear and maybe the frront right,and maybe even the front left, and insert and tighten this bad one, and then tighten the others. For me this would be easier than calling the dealer and being home when he came. In theory I might call him and give him this choice, that I fix it, but in practice I probably wouldn't. Heck, one of the reasons I don't buy much that is new is to avoid these choices.

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

Reply to
mm

As long as the screw on the access panel wasn't stripped there shouldn't be any problem. Of course, if the hammering with the end of the screwdriver resulted in the screw being stripped then shortly after takeoff the access cover might have popped off, reducing the airfoil surface, impeding the airflow over the wing and causing turbulence over the area of the access panel. If it was a small panel and the aircraft was properly loaded and operated and in perfect weather conditions then it shouldn't be a problem. Of course there is always the possibility that there would be ice on the wings, that the aircraft would be operated outside its weight and balance envelope, or that you could have an engine failure just after rotation.

In which case you wouldn't necessarily be here to be so flippant about "mechical (sic) stuff not being perfect".

Reply to
Travis Jordan

I emailed Maytag via their product support interface last night, simply asking what *they* think of it and how I should proceed in resolving it. Haven't heard back yet.

Might give them a call tomorrow.

thx

Reply to
phaeton

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