The thermostat vs. Broil

I have a Kenmore electric oven and on both the bake/broil switch and the thermostat is the word "Broil".

But isn't the broil setting on the thermostat unnecessary? Regardless of brand? That is, the broiler heating element gets full power all the time if the bake/broil swithc is set on broil, regardless of what the thermostat is set to, right?

I feel stupid even asking, since I've looked at the schematic (20 years ago), done experiemnts, and nothing else really makes sense. But I often learn things by asking, even when I don't expect to.

Reply to
mm
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Wrong.

The Bake/Broil switch allows power to go to both elements. If you set the thermostat to say, 250, both should go out when that temperature is reached. Go ahead and try it.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

Hmmm. This might account for why my broiling hasn't gone too well for the last 23 years. When I have something to broil, and I fix up a couple mirrors so I don't have to stare at the stove the whole time, I'll try it and I plan to let you know.

Reply to
mm

Every oven I've had, when in the Broil setting, power only goes to the upper broiling element and when in the oven setting it goes to the lower. Some have a pre-heating setting, which powers both. The thermostat setting does affect all of the above, which is why they typically have a broil setting on the thermostat, which essentially sets it to max.

Reply to
trader4

True of my Whirlpool. I figured this out when the oven suddenly started taking a very long time to get hot. The bottom element was dead cold and the top one was hot but not red hot like it is on full power. I suspect it is connecting line to neutral and running 1/4 power.

Reply to
gfretwell

I don't think mine is that fancy.

But back to the original topic, I should say that I've run the broiler with the temp at Broil and it doesn't seem much hotter, if at all.

The oven door is supposed to be open a couple inches when the broiler is on, so i think the chamber doesn't get hot enough to turn the broiler off, as long as the oven is set at just guessing 350 or higher. But I will check.

The oven door is supposed to be open why?: Either to keep there from being a fire, or heat damage to the oven? Or to keep the burner from turning off so the meat will broil? Or to make it more like a broiling experience for the meat, that is, not hot from the sides and bottom?

Reply to
mm

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