Scrapping an Electric Cooker

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Yesterday it was my turn to feed the tribe at one of our family bashes. When I served the Lasagne we were all highly amused to find that my elderly oven had failed, leaving us to make the best of a soggy bottom.

Effing and blinding at the cooker à la Gordon Ramsey might make good TV, but my hysterical outburst was a complete waste of time in a real kitchen.

Anyway, I'm looking to scrap the cooker, but I don't want to waste a lot of time dismantling the thing if I'm not going to get much of value out of it.

Does anyone know what the hot-plates are made of? Might be cast-iron. Are there any other metal parts in a cooker worth saving for home workshop use, or is it all tin-plate and asbestos?

Thanks

Dave

[pgk pgkParticipant @pgkpgk17461]

You should have my wife.. ya don't need to worry about cookers dying. The last one that failed was simply due to soemone putting the double-cut-out thermostaically controlled deep frier on it on top of a fully powered up ring. The flaming oil did kill the frier's thermostats but that didn't stop it spilling into the rest of the cooker underneath and turning most of my kitchen into a greasy smokey mess and flaming cooker. Of course that way insurance will pay for redecoration and new appliences… if she had remembered to pay it..

All i know now about cookery is that the hotplate is engraved into the ceramic and you can't repaint a kitchen wthout scrubbing the walls with brillo-pads first…..

[Speedy Builder5Participant @speedybuilder5]

Take the thermostat out of the oven – source of small bore copper tube (also found in fridges). Fan /cooling motors. Geared motor if it had a rotissory – fit it on the BBQ (Like I mean to one day). Oven glass ? Check the Oven "rails" are they stainless steel ?
How get all that crud off yer hands – good luck.
BobH

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

When I scrapped our [rather expensive, and barely out of warranty] 'Britannia' Range-Cooker [gas hobs and electric ovens], a couple of years ago, I saved the carcase panels & door handles; the brass & cast iron from the gas burners; and the fancy insulating material from the ovens … The rest of it was basically rubbish.

The main reason for dismantling it was to get the remains down to the tip, in the back of a short wheelbase Vitara.

MichaelG.

.

P.S. … if buying a new cooker; avoid Britannia …

Despite the brand name, they are made in Italy; and ours was over-priced tat.

 

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 01/01/2017 12:14:51

[Gordon WParticipant @gordonw]

If it is a proper old cooker the hobs are cast iron, usually flat and can be used as a small surface plate. The strange build -up of crud makes any work difficult and unpleasant, the smell can linger for months.

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

A hotplate and the oven thermostat might make a small heat treatment oven. All or part could make and oven for recycling LDPE plastic if you have room in the workshop.

[EmgeeParticipant @emgee]

Dave

If the cooker is as old as it sounds from your description as Gordon says the hotplates could well be cast iron. Also of importance is the old cookers used to have white asbestos insulated cables under the covers so take care if dismantling.

Emgee

[Bodgit Fixit and RunParticipant @bodgitfixitandrun]

If it is an old cooker and contains asbestos or you think it contains asbestos, DO NOT DISMANTLE IT, Asbestos kills very slowly and ultimately painfully. Even white asbestos. Dispose of it at your local authority tip, informing them you think it contains asbestos. There are very strict rules and laws about asbestos handling now and very heavy fines for not following them. You as the owner can be held accountable. Look at the regulations. Sorry to be a kill joy. If it was made after the 1980s then there should be no asbestos in it as it was outlawed.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Bodgit Fixit and Run on 01/01/2017 12:28:11:

If it is an old cooker and contains asbestos or you think it contains asbestos, DO NOT DISMANTLE IT

.

+1 for that

I should just emphasise that ours was 21st Century.

MichaelG.

[Bodgit Fixit and RunParticipant @bodgitfixitandrun]

+1 for that

I should just emphasise that ours was 21st Century.

Thank you Micheal.

In which case there should definately not be any asbestos. Dismantle away.

[Bob StevensonParticipant @bobstevenson13909]

Get the retailer of the new cooker to take the old one away, preferably for no charge….then forget it and move on like a good consumer! Most modern cookers are not worth the length of copper wire that connects them!

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi SillyOldDuffer, I don't think the effort of dismantling it is worth anything that can be retrieved and as has been said, if it contains asbestos, leave it be. Best bet is for whoever you buy a new cooker off, make sure taking the old one away is included in the price, otherwise take it to you local recycling centre.

Regards Nick.

[Roger Provins 2Participant @rogerprovins2]

Some lovely cast iron plates on ours but no chance to get them. The cooker is 35+ years old and still as good as new. It's extremely well made and I'm pretty sure it will outlive me.

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

There's a date on the back and the cooker isn't ancient at all – a mere 15 years old, . No asbestos to worry about, but as the consensus is that it's filthy rubbish, I've decided to dump it.

Thanks chaps.

Dave

[Dennis DParticipant @dennisd]

My 9 yr old oven packed up Boxing day. A internet search using the make and model number bought up a number of suppliers of the element together with instructions on youtube of how to replace. £25 inc postage and it was ready for Sunday roast

[Peter G. ShawParticipant @peterg-shaw75338]

Recently I have dealt with two items which had both failed with what ultimately turned out to be the control switch.

The first was on our 20 year old hob when the on/off/6 position switch decided to "burn" out. Or at least that was what it smelled like. I was in the garage when it blew the 30A fuse, most interesting as I clearly heard the fuse crackling before it finally disintegrated. I got laughed at by the official service people, so I then found a replacement via the internet.

The second was my daughter's oven (age unknown but thought to be only a few years), and here again we eventually found that the control switch had disintegrated. Unfortunately, my daughter has history of having oven elements failing so one of my grandsons dismantled the oven but couldn't find an obvious fault. Enter grandad with suitable measuring gear and various temporary leads. Even then, we found the switch by accident, ie by being in just the right position to see the partially disintegrated switch hiding under an edge.

Pricewise, both were about £30-35 each. Cheap compared to the alternative.

Peter G. Shaw

ps Now for a laugh. After reassembling my daughter's oven, it still didn't work. I then spent over two hours carefully checking, and rechecking everything. Still didn't work at which point I gave up and told my daughter to call a proper electrician. Her son, the one who dismantled it in the first place, came home, reset the clock and suddenly the oven started to work! It seems that her oven can be controlled electronically, whereas ours cannot. Hence I was not aware that resetting the clock was crucial. In my early 70's, I've just proved that I am never too old to learn!

[ScrumpyParticipant @scrumpy]

Some years ago my mate had to scrap his oven but removed the side panels as well as any metal panels that would be useful the side panels were turned into a tender for his 4-1/5 Burrell with the enamel side facing the water for the last 6 years it is still looking good

[Chris Evans 6Participant @chrisevans6]

If it is a free standing jobbie with oven and hob in one then do consider an "Induction" hob. Well worth the extra cost.

Faster/cleaner and more controllable than gas. The downside is you need suitable pans that have to be magnetic like cast iron of the ferranitic stainless.

[Gary WoodingParticipant @garywooding25363]

Posted by SillyOldDuffer on 01/01/2017 11:35:46:

…...

Anyway, I'm looking to scrap the cooker, but I don't want to waste a lot of time dismantling the thing if I'm not going to get much of value out of it.

……..

The boss's gas cooker literally exploded on Boxing Day some 15 or so years ago. Luckily nobody was injured. She replaced it with a (very expensive) electric one that, over the years, has needed two oven elements and four simmerstats. Total cost was about £40; far less than a new cooker.

As an aside, I ordered a "workshop manual" for when I replaced the first element. £25 + postage for a 10 page photocopy of a manual for the wrong cooker was a ripoff, so I returned it for a full refund and muddled through without it. If I can do it I'm sure you can too.

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

I have had since first moving in to a new house a Whirlpool oven, that was 17 years back. Since then i have replaced it with the same make oven as the fault was untraceable and on advice replaced it.This at the 10 year point.

The new one has worked well until about 2 months back when the fan element burst open filling the oven with a white deposit. I ordered up a new replacement element. I had it all done within the hour, You do not have to take the oven out of it's housing and it can be done through the oven itself. Remove the fan housing (A shaped metal cover) and undo the screws that hold the element in place and gently pull it through with wires attached. Here, attach pegs to the wires to stop them falling back in the holes. Remove the cables and then fit the new element in place. Push the terminals on first before you feed it back into place, attach screws and cover and job done.

For the safety switch off at the wall contact/feed.

My Son has one of these massive Range cookers but since they first moved in the grill elements have fused all the electrics if switched on. The cooker is too large and heavy to move so I used the same principle to repair that one as well and it is all working OK again.

There are several internet firms who will supply anything for cookers and washing machines, basically just talk to them and they will provide.

Clive

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Posted by Gary Wooding on 02/01/2017 10:33:30:

Posted by SillyOldDuffer on 01/01/2017 11:35:46:

…...

Anyway, I'm looking to scrap the cooker, but I don't want to waste a lot of time dismantling the thing if I'm not going to get much of value out of it.

……..

…

If I can do it I'm sure you can too.

Yes, and Dennis D made a similar point too. Very valid.

I like mending things, but deliberately don't do it once things reach a certain state. At some point mending isn't worth the effort, because you end up spending a fortune on spare parts for an unreliable machine. Some items (like computers) aren't worth fixing because a new one will always out perform something made three years ago.

I'm not convinced that my logic is correct and would be interested in what others think.

I will always repair if the fix is easy and cheap. Thereafter examples of my personal guidelines include:

• Toasters, kettles, irons, cheap power tools, minor electronics – replaced as soon as they break, no messing.
• Most consumer electronics – consider repair if just out of warranty, otherwise replace.
• Most kitchen appliances, – repair up to 5 years old, then depending on cost to fix, always replacing on first fail after 10 years old.
• Cars – repaired until unreliable, or cost of repair exceeds about £1000. After 10 years old, reduce 'cost exceeds'' by £200 each year. I haven't had a car last more than 15 years, but I don't drive quality cars!
• Central Heating. repaired until unreliable: after 15 years consider replacing.
• House, always repaired unless the cost exceeds that of rebuilding.

Obviously much depends on the nature of the item. I can imagine keeping a lightly used lathe going more or less for ever. To me it makes a lot more sense to replace the motor in a lathe than it does to fix a vacuum cleaner.

I'm not very consistent, for example I've saved a lot of money over the years by patching stuff up and by making minor repairs to consumables like ink cartridges. Also, I worry about the damage consumerism and planned obsolescence are doing to the planet!

How do you decide when items are "Beyond Economic Repair"?

Dave

[J HancockParticipant @jhancock95746]

I suspect, that ' we' on this forum, are far more driven by 'sentimental' value and thus, 'Beyond Economic Repair'

does not compute.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Just a note about the wretched Britannia range-cooker.

The killer, for me, was when I noticed that the insulation on about 20% of the wires was already cracking !!

It's fine popping-in a new element … but do check, first, whether it's worth the effort.

MichaelG.

[BrevaParticipant @breva]

Hi Silly Old Duffer,

I'm coming 67 soon and to prove it have two small sheds lined with "might be useful" bits in boxes salvaged from dumped or broken items. Like yourself I'm an incorrigible fixer..but… I can honestly say that over the years only 2%, if that, of all that was ever rescued was found to be useful for my projects. Maybe I'm not creative enough but it is generally more trouble than it is worth to "Make things fit". The main exception is machineable lumps of metal.

One little triumph does come to mind though. One Christmas Eve the pump on the washing machine gave up and with everyone off work and three young kids and a fretting Mum in the house I had a little root around in the local dump. You could do that then. A useable pump was found and Christmas was salvaged and the old machine ran for years after.

My new Year resolution is to tackle the clutter. Ask me in Dec. how I got on.

[Author]

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