Whirlpool Range

I just bought a house with a Whirlpool RS675PXG electric range and it's already not working. Basically the problem is that no power is getting to the heating elements in the oven. The stove top, control board, lights, and fans all work; however, when I turn the oven on either bake or broil it never gets hot. The fan will kick on inside the oven as though it's on but the heating elements won't work. I took out the bottom element to test for conductivity and it was fine. There didn't appear to be any visual defects, nor was there any conductivity between the outside of the element to the terminals so I think the element is fine. I tested for a voltage with the oven on and there wasn't any getting to the element. This all leads me to believe that there may be something wrong with either the thermostat or some switching mechanism that provides power to the elements. Any suggestions, recomendations, or remedies would be greatly appreciated. Also, info on the difficuly of repair and where to find information on how to repair. I'm an electrical engineer, so I think this is within my abilities if I just knew what to fix. Thanks a lot.

Reply to
jrmfzf
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Is it a brand new stove that was installed for the sale of the house? Could be on the wrong size breaker. I replaced my stove last year and had the same problem - everything but the oven worked - until I found out it needed to be on a 40 amp breaker instead of the 50 amp circuit that the old one was on. Oddly enough, this vital information was NOT given in the paperwork that came with it. I bought it as a self install pick-up from Lowe's and had to call GE to find out what amperage it was rated for.

Reply to
siralfred

Thanks for the suggestion but it isn't a new range. The house is about

6 years old and the range was installed when the house was built. I called the previous owners and they said that they've never had a problem with it.
Reply to
jrmfzf

You must have your numbers backwards. If it was on a 50 amp circuit and only needed to be on a 40 amp circuit , it should have worked . The stove will only draw the current it needs.

Reply to
Ralph Mowery

I know it sounds strange, but it really only worked properly after I switched to a LOWER amp breaker. Could be a safety-something (I'm not an electrician) that protects the range from a stronger current/surge. What do I know?

Reply to
siralfred

If all you did was change to a lower amperage breaker solved the problem, then the origional breaker must have been defective or the wires were loose. If the breaker is not tripping, then it is not protecting anything. It is not a surge supressor or anything like that. Breakers are usually sized to the wire going from it to where ever it is going. What is on the end of the wire is not usaully accounted for. The breaker protects the wires and it is left up to the device using the power to protect its self. I do work as an electircian in an industrial setting and work with low voltages up to 480 volt 3 phase circuits and a few up to 13,200 volts.

Reply to
Ralph Mowery

While looking through the instruction manual I've found out that apparently the elements automatically turn off if the door is open on this model. So this means that there might be power getting to the elements, just not when the door is open for me to test it. I guess I could try clipping on my multimeter to the terminals and then closing the door and look through the oven window to see if it's getting power. Anyone have any other suggestions?

Reply to
jrmfzf

Yeah, don't forget and leave the oven on with the meter inside or it will melt.

But seriously, I think you are spinning your wheels doing things you know how to do, but in this idea you're not going to accomplish anything. You've already tested the element for continuity, and yet it doesn't get hot. So there is something wrong with the power that goes to it. And closing the door is not going to help.

I don't object to your proposed test, because testing the same thing in different ways can be a good idea. Anyone can do a test wrong, or make a mistake, or forget to turn the meter on when doing a test, etc. etc. This is the same r eason we are taught, at least they used to teach, children to add numbers from top to bottom, and then to check by adding them from bottom to top. Because everyone makes mistakes even with simple things and it is always good to double check and better to do so with a test of a different sort.

However, while discontinuity would likely give NO result when you test, continuity must have given a beep or a change in meter reading. It's unlikely you did it wrong. ' That leaves possible shorts and the wiring. A coil can short or two wires parallel to each other can short, but a heating element that is two feet long, where the power goes in one end and out the other, can't short more than a tiny bit. (If there is a coil inside the element, one winding might short, but since the element is 2 feet long, it can't short from one end to the other because there are two feet in between.)

As to wiring, you did plug both ends of the element in its connector, right. You didn't just make a stab at it and then screw the element to the wall of the oven, right. So that settles the wiring.

If there were a short in the wiring, btw, you'd know it.

So what you're going to have to do is take the back off the oven and do more measurements.

I am not an applicance repairman by trade and so I have no idea what the model number means.

When you say control panel, how complicated are we talking? Do you still have an oven/broiler switch, or is this controlled electronically. (even then I'm sure there is a relay somewhere.) I see you didn't say if the broiler works. Does it?

Stop spinning your wheels and think about other parts of the appliance. If the broiler works and the oven doesn't and there is an oven/broiler switch, the odds are 99% that the problem is the switch. A meter will tell for sure.

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

Reply to
mm

Thanks mm for the input. Unfortunately neither the bake nor the broiler element work. And in this model, both will turn on when preheating, which does not happen. Also, I do have an electronic control board. From the research I've done it looks like it will be either one of two parts: the thermostat on the back or the CPU behind the control board. I'm really hopeing for the thermostat since there's a four fold difference in price. Has anyone ever dealt with this kind of repair? Is there anyway for me to test the thermostat without pulling out the entire oven?

Reply to
jrmfzf

For anybody who is curious, the problem ended up being the thermostate fuse on the back of the oven. It was a pretty simple fix and now the oven is working fine. Thanks for everybody's input.

Reply to
jrmfzf

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