Locate fuses on old GE stove

August 31, 2012 7:52 AM

My neighbor has an old GE Automatic Calrod stove. Recently the oven stopped working (baking and Grilling) Assuming that the elements are ok, I'm guessing that a fuse somewhere in the stove needs to be replaced. If so does anyone know where the fuses are on these things. I'm asking Meta Filter because I'm reluctant to have a good poke around as the stove is really dirty. Link to the picture is obviously not the actual stove in question.
posted by jdcasey to technology (5 answers total)

If you don't manage to have luck here, I've had great luck with the Appliance 411 forums for asking questions like this.
posted by jessamyn at 7:57 AM on August 31, 2012

I'd be surprised if it were equipped with any internal fuse. At the currents these things demand, they usually are sitting on a dedicated 240V circuit with its own protection (breaker or fuse.)

What goes is the elements.

What goes after that is the controls.

This thing is ancient, and has no visible electronics, so I am guessing, no small internal relays to die. Just the controls and the elements.

Poke ye not for fusage. Find thee some element. (And/or a voltmeter and someone who knows how to use it.)
posted by FauxScot at 7:57 AM on August 31, 2012

Test the socket the stove plugs into. No juice there, then yes, a breaker or fuse problem - but in the house circuit, not the stove.
posted by Rash at 9:08 AM on August 31, 2012

There are things besides the elements that can go bad. On my old stove the temperature probe/thermocouple went, rendering the oven inoperative. Previously, the Bake/Broil selector switch burned out, also making the oven stop working. If the stove top is working, a visual check of the oven elements can usually tell you if they're burned out or not as they often at least partially melt. If not, the controls are next up. We replaced the selector switch, but the cost of the new temperature controller/thermocouple was almost the price of a new stove and we bought a new stove instead.
posted by tommasz at 9:47 AM on August 31, 2012

A multimeter is really helpful here.

Once you've checked the outlet and house breaker/fuse, unplug the element and check for continuity -- it should conduct (have very low resistance). If it doesn't, the element needs replaced.

If the element is good, then with the element unplugged, Turn on the control and check the voltage at the socket (being careful). No voltage at the socket means either socket bad or control bad. You might wont to contact a repair tech at this point unless you're comfortable with basic appliance repair.

We had a failure in our stove and it was neither control nor element but a weak connection in the socket the element plugs into. Fixed that up and it's been running great for five years since.
posted by seanmpuckett at 12:54 PM on August 31, 2012