New 1950s Westinghouse Stove Acquisition

[58limited]

Hi everyone, I've been pretty scarce for the past few years - lots on my plate. I just picked this Westinghouse stove up this week from the daughter of the original owners: a couple who were married for 73 years. It is my first electric vintage stove.

I'm not sure what year it is - maybe 1953? The data tag says it is a model BG, serial #P188365, style Q-51862. It has a Super Corox burner, one oven, a warming oven, and two storage drawers. The bottom of the oven is rusted through, they had pieces of brick supporting the burner (this may make a restoration unfeasible although I could make a piece of stainless to fit the area.). I was told two stovetop burners do not work. It is missing the deep well pot. The plastic surrounding the clock and timer is hazy and crazed.

The stove came with a 1951 (maybe a 1952? Contract is from Oct. 1951) Frigidaire Fridge with original sales contract: $384.76 minus a $50.00 trade-in plus $34.17 interest over 18 months for a total of $363.92 - with $45.00 paid up front.

 

[maytagbear]

Good to see you, and

good luck with it!

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[supersuds]

It looks very similar to the range in the Ricardos’ apartment in many episodes of I Love Lucy, though I’m no expert.

 

[panthera]

We have one, a few notes

First, if there's anyway you can restore it, it's worth it - that oven bakes very well.

That's not the original baking element (duh...). The original is bare nichrome and there's a porcelain enameled steel plate which goes over the top of it. 

I may have one or two surface corox elements in storage - but check those controls, first. They were this stove's weak point. The GE universal replacements work and the rainbow color dial fits on them, too.

On our stove, the pilot lights get their power from the nichrome elements, since they were all burnt out, I discontinued that approach and went to neon. I'm still trying to figure out that mare's nest of a timed control center, 12 years on....

 

 

[panthera]

We have one, a few notes

First, if there's anyway you can restore it, it's worth it - that oven bakes very well.

That's not the original baking element (duh...). The original is bare nichrome and there's a porcelain enameled steel plate which goes over the top of it. 

I may have one or two surface corox elements in storage - but check those controls, first. They were this stove's weak point. The GE universal replacements work and the rainbow color dial fits on them, too.

On our stove, the pilot lights get their power from the nichrome elements, since they were all burnt out, I discontinued that approach and went to neon. I'm still trying to figure out that mare's nest of a timed control center, 12 years on....

 

 

[panthera]

Oh, the date

I've been told 1953. I've been told 1954. I've been told 1955. I've been told 1956. Everyone agrees that the 1957 stoves were radically different (cheaperized).

 

[tomturbomatic]

"G" signified 1954 in Westinghouse models.

The power for the lights came off a terminal on the surface unit switches. You have to specify on replacement generic switches that there is an indicator light controlled by the switch. The prognosis is not good for the porcelain failure on the walls of the oven (Hans can tell you about that) and there is no replacement for the Super Corox control. The "super" part of it sent 240 across a 120 volt element to get it red hot in a minute, essentially quadrupling the wattage by doubling the voltage so a 1500 watt 120 volt unit became a 6000 watt unit on 240 volts. It was hard on both the unit and the switch. My Super Corox unit still worked, so John knew to disconnect the 240 volt leg of the circuit to preserve the whole assembly. It looks like your Super Corox element has been replaced so maybe it is already converted.

From time to time, WH deep well kettles come up on eBay.

 

[panthera]

1954 SOUNDS RIGHT

Because all of our stuff is stamped '53 or '54.

Since the Super Corox was gone, already, I didn't bother mentioning the special control. I've never seen any of these in which the Super Corox still worked. I suspect the mechanism was faulty to begin with. I don't mind replacing the original regulators, they were not good quality.

The Pilot light for the warming oven/oven does indeed get it's power off of a tap on the bake/warming element.

The fluorescent lamp, of course, gets it's power from L_n. And that's a minor problem with the replacement switches - they don't always use the same L_n for the 'pilot' connection as the Westinghouse regulators did - could make for a brief but interesting situation if you don't check connections carefully. It's the fluorescent lamp which backlights the four burner regulators, not separate pilot lights.

If it's complicated, you may be sure it's Westinghouse.

But, oh, my - that oven is the best I've ever used, including high-end European convection.

 

[circlew]

Too bad the oven is in such bad condition - it must have got more than its share of use. Maybe you can find another range that's beat up on the outside, but has a good oven liner, and replace it with that.

"mechanism is faulty to begin with" - I'd say Keven is right about that. My parents replaced the Super Corox unit on the '53 twice, then said the heck with it. My dad's friend that repaired it suggested replacing the switch and unit with regular ones, but we never did. It hasn't worked since the early 60's, but we got by fine without it.

 

[tomturbomatic]

I was trying to explain that the surface unit switches have a terminal that supplies power to the fluorescent light that turns on when you turn on a surface unit. He mentioned that two surface units were not working. I did not know if it was the units themselves that were bad or the infinite switches which were a weak point with these ranges.

 

[panthera]

Tom,

You did quite well, I was just rather badly explaining that the original regulators and the GE replacements have a major pilot light conflict.

 

[ea56]

I loved the rainbow switchs on these Westinghouse stoves. And those ovens were the very best! I wonder if it had anything to do with the porcelain cover over the coiled oven element? I’m sure somebody here knows for sure.

Eddie

 

[panthera]

I think it was a combination of factors

For one thing, the bake element has very little inertia - it heats up super fast and cools down really fast.

It's also quite powerful for the small oven - which is another factor. Those ovens aren't big.

The design of the walls and the insulation help, too. The door fits quite tightly, even without a seal.

As to the porcelain steel cover over the element, I don't know. Probably helps to distribute the heat.

I do know that the thermostat responds quite quickly and, even today, is spot on accurate. This stands out as the original Westinghouse regulators for the burners were awful.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Even Westinghouse ovens with the modern bare rod Corox bake element bake beautifully, but I have had great results with GE and Frigidaire ovens also.

 

[58limited]

Thanks for all of the information everyone. Can someone post a picture of the oven with original set up? Anyone have an owner's manual they don't want?

 

[circlew]

After hearing that the infinite switches are troublesome, I'm glad mine has the 5-heat switches. No trouble except with the speed heat one.

 

[norgeway]

The smaller Westinghouse ovens before 1958

Were prone to rust, especially the concealed bake unit models, bUT these bake so evenly, My 59 with the large oven and corox units bakes absolutely perfectly.I will put it up against anything made today.