Odd Service Call Request

[Little Bill]

I had a lady call me today to see if I would come and look at her stove that wasn't working. I asked her if it had power and she told me that it had been working fine until she used the self cleaning function, now the door will not open/unlatch. I told her I didn't really do appliances but she asked if I would come and just check it out since she was by herself since her husband passed away. I don't have much to do tomorrow so I thought I would see if I could help her.
The oven is a GE and she said it was around 20 years old. I don't have a model # yet so I don't really know what she has. I Googled the GE self cleaning ovens and got a few things to try. I understand there are 3 types of door latches. A solenoid operated, a heat activated, and a motor operated from the control board. I won't know until I get there to know what type she has.
Do any of you guys have any experience with these? Tricks to get the door open? Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Hv&Lv]

http://www.appliance411.com/faq/cleanlock.shtml

 

[Little Bill]

http://www.appliance411.com/faq/cleanlock.shtml

Thanks, I saw that one and will try the suggestions tomorrow. Just thought someone might have some experience with these that might speed the process up.

 

[cadpoint]

Did you, "Diagram GE (add three subject matters)" on Google ?

Did you ask her to flip the breaker once? You might flip the breaker and wait ten seconds
if it has a circuit board it clears the ROM chips.

 

[Cow]

So what was it?

 

[Little Bill]

So what was it?

The stove was an older model GE with self cleaning, no computer operated control board. It had the solenoid type latching mechanism. When she used the self cleaning feature the coil on the solenoid failed during/after the cleaning cycle causing the latch to stay engaged. After removing the top and back panels I was able to see what was going on. I removed the screw that held the solenoid on and the latch popped out, allowing the door to open. Bad part was after removing all those screws for the top and back panels, it turns out I would have only had to remove about 4 screws and one of the panels to access the solenoid.:rant:
Well I didn't have any manual or diagram so I just started taking things off to try and find it. Oh well, I'll know from now on.
I told the lady I didn't know if I could get the solenoid or how much it would cost and she was ok with just leaving it off.

 

[jmellc]

I have done a few appliance repairs, mainly replacing cords & plugs. I replaced a couple of switches on a restaurant mixer of some sort & had a problem getting it to work again. Had a couple of relays inside with lots of spade terminals, all greasy. My work had moved some of them & they lost contact. Had to clean with rag 1 at a time & put back. Eventually got it back working. I tried to replace switches on a downdraft stove several years ago. Got the sw's from a local parts place but they were so flimsy they came apart as I was installing them. I sure don't advertise appliance repair & will only do it on a limited basis.

 

[Little Bill]

I have done a few appliance repairs, mainly replacing cords & plugs. I replaced a couple of switches on a restaurant mixer of some sort & had a problem getting it to work again. Had a couple of relays inside with lots of spade terminals, all greasy. My work had moved some of them & they lost contact. Had to clean with rag 1 at a time & put back. Eventually got it back working. I tried to replace switches on a downdraft stove several years ago. Got the sw's from a local parts place but they were so flimsy they came apart as I was installing them. I sure don't advertise appliance repair & will only do it on a limited basis.

I don't advertise appliance repair either and probably won't do much if any more. But I have a soft spot for older ladies that have lost their husbands.

 

[hurk27]

Be careful when doing things out of the realm of your liability insurance, it can cost you big time if something were to go wrong and someone was injured or it caused property damage.

Not trying to preach but there is a reason for that lock and it is simple and now this stove is a burn waiting to happen, the cleaning cycle is a very high temperature cycle reaching temps of 500 degree's or more, and if the oven door gets opened the person who opens the door will get a face full of this high degree heat which is high enough to burn instantly, I would have insisted on replacing that solenoid or as least instructed the home owner not to use the cleaning function until it was replaced, the thing is she might follow your instruction but what if she has kids over?

I would simply tell her that you learned something that is dangerous and explain that if someone was to forget and open that oven door while it is in clean mode that they can be severely burned and for your peace of mind you need to complete this repair.

 

[Little Bill]

Be careful when doing things out of the realm of your liability insurance, it can cost you big time if something were to go wrong and someone was injured or it caused property damage.

Not trying to preach but there is a reason for that lock and it is simple and now this stove is a burn waiting to happen, the cleaning cycle is a very high temperature cycle reaching temps of 500 degree's or more, and if the oven door gets opened the person who opens the door will get a face full of this high degree heat which is high enough to burn instantly, I would have insisted on replacing that solenoid or as least instructed the home owner not to use the cleaning function until it was replaced, the thing is she might follow your instruction but what if she has kids over?

I would simply tell her that you learned something that is dangerous and explain that if someone was to forget and open that oven door while it is in clean mode that they can be severely burned and for your peace of mind you need to complete this repair.

I explained it to the lady and she had already decided to never use that function any more. I don't think the cleaning cycle will work unless the latch is engaged. I tried to see if it would and the cleaning light would not come on after disconnecting the solenoid. Without a wiring diagram I don't know for sure, but what I've read about them they won't work unless the door is latched. I do know the light worked because I turned on the cleaning cycle before I took anything apart. One of the things listed to try and release a stuck latch was to start a cleaning cycle then cancel it to see if that reset anything. That is what I tried first, but it didn't help, and that's how I know the light would work.

 

[jmellc]

I don't advertise appliance repair either and probably won't do much if any more. But I have a soft spot for older ladies that have lost their husbands.

10-4. I'm soft on old ladies too. I've had tea or coffee with a few while they tell me their situations. Visiting shut ins was a ministry of mine in a former church where we had lots of them. My mother also became one her last years.

 

[K8MHZ]

10-4. I'm soft on old ladies too. I've had tea or coffee with a few while they tell me their situations. Visiting shut ins was a ministry of mine in a former church where we had lots of them. My mother also became one her last years.

A few years ago I swapped out a ceiling fan for an elderly lady that had lost her husband. There were some other problems as well, a back stab switch had also failed.

She watched as I went about my business. When I got to the point where maybe she was thinking I was taking so long, I apologized for my pace and explained that I would rather take my time and be fussy than go fast and make a mistake.

She smiled and told me that was the way her husband was.

"But he was a ham radio operator, and that's just kind of the way they are." She said.

She had no idea that I had been a ham for years and was one of the area's radio instructors. I about fell of the step ladder.

I spent some extra time there catching her up on what her husband's friends were up to, if they were still around.

 

[satcom]

Be careful when doing things out of the realm of your liability insurance, it can cost you big time if something were to go wrong and someone was injured or it caused property damage.

Not trying to preach but there is a reason for that lock and it is simple and now this stove is a burn waiting to happen, the cleaning cycle is a very high temperature cycle reaching temps of 500 degree's or more, and if the oven door gets opened the person who opens the door will get a face full of this high degree heat which is high enough to burn instantly, I would have insisted on replacing that solenoid or as least instructed the home owner not to use the cleaning function until it was replaced, the thing is she might follow your instruction but what if she has kids over?

I would simply tell her that you learned something that is dangerous and explain that if someone was to forget and open that oven door while it is in clean mode that they can be severely burned and for your peace of mind you need to complete this repair.

That is good advice, the appliance repair guys in my area, get $99 just to estimate a repair, they need the service charge just to stay above water in business, so trying to compete with them may not be a good idea, helping someone is a good thing but when it comes to heating equipment, I would give it a second thought.

 

[petersonra]

My suggestion is to have an arrangement where you can refer these kind of calls to an appliance repair guy who can pay you $20 for the referral and you don't have to mess with something like this.

 

[mtfallsmikey]

Be careful when doing things out of the realm of your liability insurance, it can cost you big time if something were to go wrong and someone was injured or it caused property damage.

Not trying to preach but there is a reason for that lock and it is simple and now this stove is a burn waiting to happen, the cleaning cycle is a very high temperature cycle reaching temps of 500 degree's or more, and if the oven door gets opened the person who opens the door will get a face full of this high degree heat which is high enough to burn instantly, I would have insisted on replacing that solenoid or as least instructed the home owner not to use the cleaning function until it was replaced, the thing is she might follow your instruction but what if she has kids over?

I would simply tell her that you learned something that is dangerous and explain that if someone was to forget and open that oven door while it is in clean mode that they can be severely burned and for your peace of mind you need to complete this repair.

I used to repair all kinds of appliances, never minded it, was pretty decent at it, but hurk27 is right, look out for the potential liability issues...

A few years ago I swapped out a ceiling fan for an elderly lady that had lost her husband. There were some other problems as well, a back stab switch had also failed.

She watched as I went about my business. When I got to the point where maybe she was thinking I was taking so long, I apologized for my pace and explained that I would rather take my time and be fussy than go fast and make a mistake.

She smiled and told me that was the way her husband was.

"But he was a ham radio operator, and that's just kind of the way they are." She said.

She had no idea that I had been a ham for years and was one of the area's radio instructors. I about fell of the step ladder.

I spent some extra time there catching her up on what her husband's friends were up to, if they were still around.[/QUOYeah, I helped out some of the widows of my former Elmers like that too!... -.. . .-- ....- -.- .- ...-