Stove problem....melted pan..

[Jason]

Hello,

Not sure what to do here. But had a pan on the stove this afternoon, turned on the burner, noticed a weird smell lifted up the pan and melted metal(liquid metal)from the bottom of the pan fell off and on to the top of my stove. It was so hot that it burnt though the finish on the top of the stove(paint or whatever they use). Question...is there anyway to get it refinished or to buy a new top for one of these, I have never seen anything like this. Not sure if its a stove or a pan malfunction. Lucky I was there when it happened or it may have started a fire.

[Tom]

You don't say, but I would guess that you have an electric stove with coil type burners. These will sometimes arc when they burn out and act somewhat like a welder, melting the pan on them. You can buy new tops for most stoves if they aren't too old but the cost would make it more sensible to replace the stove. On the other hand, you could just replace the coil unit (if that is what you have) and touch up the finish and live with it for now. I had a customer once, who said that her stove threw molten metal from a pan on it, all over the kitchen when it burnt out. Luckily, she wasn't in the room.

[Doug Kanter]

Empty pan? Electric stove?

[jeff]

Hi,

The finish is ofen a porcelain finish.

There are places that specalize in appliance finishes, this is often done when restoring an older appliance. But there is no way to check on a new parts for yours....no model#, make, approx age posted.

model# helps.

The stove/range would have to be checked to see if it is operating correctly/properly.

jeff. Appliance Repair Aid

[Doug Kanter]

...and you can buy porcelain repair stuff, usually in a tube. Good luck matching colors, but white is usually successful. I've bought the stuff in hardware stores. Not big home improvement stores, but real hardware stores. Appliance parts places also sell it.

[Jason]

Electric stove...empty pan on wrong coil.

[Jason]

Thanks I will look for the porcelain finish. It is white and a brand new stove...(roughly 8 months old).

[Jason]

Yes electric stove with coil. The metal didn't happen until I moved the pan. As I didn't know it was that hot. Lucky for me it landed on the stove and not me, my animals or my floor (that would have been messy). The stove isn't all that expensive....(new they go for about $300). Its a Frigidare...only 8 months old.

[Doug Kanter]

Unless you're making blackened fish, cajun style, or getting ready to boil a pot of water, there's never a reason to have a burner all the way to "high".

[Wayne Boatwright]

Jason wrote in news: [e-mail]:

I'd hate to have a new stove with that kind of damage. If it were mine, I would check with Frigidaire to find out how much a new top might cost. Since it's new, you'll probably have it for a while.

[Doug Kanter]

Checking with the mfr is a good idea, but for another reason, which requires a brief anecdote. A few years back, the plastic dip tube in my water heater began to crumble into pieces the size of the sprinkles kids get on their ice cream cones. The pieces clogged the aerators in all my sinks, and finally wreaked havoc with my Moen shower faucet. After getting the dip tube fixed, I decided to call Moen, just to make sure I bought the correct replacement cartridge valve. The lady on the phone gave me the model number, and then asked for my name & address. I mindlessly gave it to her, and then asked "What for?" She said she'd send me a new cartridge free of charge. I explained that the problem was in no way connecte with their product. She said "Well, it'll save you a trip to the store, right? We just want you to be happy with our products".

So, I'd take a shot and call Frigidaire. Better yet, have a woman call. They view women as their primary market, not men.

[jeff]

Hi,

If you explain what happened...*maybe* you can get it covered under the 1 year warranty....maybe parts covered but you pay the labour to install??!!??

Frigidaire 1-800-451-7007 USA Frigidaire 1-800-668-4606 Canada

jeff. Appliance Repair Aid

[Doug Kanter]

....and....I've never been UNable to find an appliance repair manual somewhere in my local library system. Or, in the case of my dryer, which liked to break often, I bought its manual from an appliance place. A stove top should be a breeze to replace if you pay attention. Unplugging the stove first might be a fun idea, though. :-)

[Michael Baugh]

This discussion points out that a watched pot DOES boil. Oh, the water may regularly boil and evaporate away, but it is certainly rare that the pot boils.

[Dan O.]

I once had a lady bring in a stove top element to get matched up for a replacement. The same thing happened to her except once she noticed it she turned the element off and let it cool.

The molten metal of the pan covered the coil element and dripped down into the element drip bowl underneath. When it cooled she removed the plug-in element with hardened molten drip of metal still attached.

It looked so cool I offered her 10% off the cost of a replacement if she'd just leave the damaged one with me. She was a little leery at first until I promised I wouldn't tell anyone who was responsible. It always received lots of comments when be had it on display at our appliance parts counter.

I'd like to see any of these glass top stoves put up with similar abuse and only result in such minimal damage.

JFYI

Dan O.

- Appliance411.com

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[Jason]

Looks like $90 for the top. I'll probably order one.

[Jason]

Yeah unless you turn on the the wrong burner ;)

[Dan O.]

That's pretty good, probably because the range is so new that the parts are still in production.

Good luck!

Dan O.

- Appliance411.com

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[Wayne Boatwright]

Good for you! I really think that's the way to go with a brand new stove.

Jason wrote in news: [e-mail]: