Corning Ware Electromatic Cleaning Advice?

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rp2813

rp2813

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This past week I picked up a Corning Ware Electromatic percolator that needs a good cleaning.

What would be the best method to remove the stains inside the carafe? I'm thinking it's going to require more than the "Dip-It" routine.

I have a spare carafe in great shape, but it happens to be just slightly different (as in 1/16 of an inch) in dimensions and the heating element assembly doesn't fit snugly into the handle, so I am hoping to clean up the stained carafe.

Thanks for any suggestions or advice.

Ralph

rp2813++11-6-2010-14-48-9.jpg
 
My mom had one of those and she always ran about a half a cup of Clorox with a pot of water and let it cycle. Always came out like new.
 
if the stains are coffee stains, rinse it with pure bleach, if the stains are from hard water, boil some vinegar in it. after either of the solutions, rinse it thouroughly with clear water. do one at a time, dont mix the bleach and vinegar!
 
I've not cleaned a Corningware coffee pot, but I have cleaned other Corning items with Bon Ami powdered cleanser and have had very good results.

I also found that coffee residue come off (of metal pots) very well with running it through its cycle with couple teaspoons of cream of tarter.

Keep perkin'!
 
Ralph,

A trick I learned from our webmaster is to run a cycle as you would for coffee, but put a little dw detergent in the basket instead. Let it perk as usual, then let it sit for 15-30 minutes. Then give the pot a thorough cleaning with a nylon mesh scrub pad. You will be surprised at the amount of crud that will be in the water. Make sure you use a detergent w/ bleach in it.

P.S. Add a little STPP if you have some.
 
Thanks For All of the Tips

I tried the BKF treatment first. I only had the liquid type on hand. I used a green scrub pad and there was no change. I think the powder is probably more effective.

I would love to try the other suggestions for running bleach or dishwasher detergent through it. The problem is, the cord wasn't included, and since it's a special fitting, I'm going to have to wait until I can get my hands on a Corning power cord. I don't think a regular percolator cord will work.

Once I find a way to power it up, I can try the other methods.
 
Oven Cleaner!

Will make it look NEW, If a Corning or pyrex utensil has burned on grease etc, old fashioned oven cleaner takes it right off, just be sure to wash it well afterwords.
 
I have an early heating element assembly that takes a regular percolator cord, but I don't have a carafe that will accommodate it. The top surface is a large wedge-like shape with stainless steel insert and raised diamond-cut indicator light. Ideally, I would like to find the companion carafe for it and am keeping an eye out for one.

In the meantime, I'm going to try and complete the more modern version by finding the correct (and I presume proprietary to Corning) power cord for it. Until I do, I can't try any of the suggested cleaning methods that require running a brew cycle.
 
Ralph,

Sometimes ebay has cords like the one you need if you can't find one locally. Good luck finding a carafe though. I've been looking for a spare, and no luck so far.
 
Corningware Coffee Pot!

I have almost the same pot but my cord is slightly different and I need to replace it. It hasent worked in awhile. It does make the best coffee.
Peter
 
It seems to me that one could probably do a modified version of "the run a cycle with something to clean it" approach by simply using hot water mixed with one of the cleaner possibilities above and letting it sit a few minutes. Then drain and rinse thoroughly.

Although, personally, I probably would be more worried about getting a cord at this point.

These Corningware pots are well worth bringing back to life. I have a 6 cup Corningware that's currently my "daily driver." It amazes me how good the coffee is--especially after all the years I heard about how percolators ruin/burn/kill coffee.
 
Yes, both of the ebay cords are what I need for the later model pot. The first one pictured even has that little pattern on it that matches what's on the stainless trim piece on my older heating assembly.

The cord prices are ridiculous, however, when you consider I only paid $2.00 for the pot that's missing the cord, and recently picked up a like-new much later model (with small plastic center insert in the lid and flush indicator light) complete with original literature, for $3.60. That one went to a friend's mom who longed for her old Electromatic. I decided to hold out for a pot that had the large glass insert that I remember.

I still like my auto-drip machine, but regret letting both of my mom's Electromatics go at her estate sale a while back.
 
Carafe Handles

I've discovered some variations over the years with carafe handles and associated heating elements on the 10-cup Electromatics, some major, some minor.

Does anyone know of a chronology for carafe and heating element changes during the Electromatic's production run?
 
dishwasher powder

we use a percolator and every few weeks I brew a pot of cascade. we had that pot when I was a kid and the dishwasher kept it perfect
 
Recalled Electromatics

I've provided a link to an article on the recall. The handles weren't detaching; the metal collars were failing and coming unglued. Apparently a glue change in 1974 turned a minor problem reported on pots made from 1960 through 1973 into a major one.

I may try the stove-top heating method, since I got my hands on a percolator cord and it won't work on either my mid-late 60's unit or the earlier type that supposedly takes a standard percolator cord. It's too wide to fit in the later type's receptacle, and the earlier one requires a groove down the center on once side of the plug's housing, something your average percolator cord doesn't have.

I'm keeping an eye on ebay. I'm thinking that the later type of cord might fit the earlier heating units. Finding the right carafe for my earlier innards is probably going to be a lot more difficult than finding a cord for it.

http://www.corellecorner.com/company-history/241-corning-ware-percolator-recall-1976-1979.html
 
Look What Arrived in the Mail:

A little package from an unfamiliar address came through the slot this past Friday. It didn't take me long to figure out what it might contain. A cord for my Electromatic! A subsequent telephone conversation flushed out the responsible party. Thanks again, Nate!

Also, I did figure out how to use a regular percolator cord on my older heating unit. There's a spring loaded retainer clip type of thing that holds the plug firmly in the handle assembly. That clip has to be moved out of the way in order to plug the cord into the heating unit, so it is true that any standard percolator cord can be used on the earlier types of Electromatics.

rp2813++11-14-2010-15-34-36.jpg
 
Cleaning Results

I wasted no time and perked up a 10-cup pot using phosphated Cascade with Dawn powder in the basket.

That got it very clean and the water was quite brown, almost like airline coffee, but there was still a faint ring at the 6-cup mark, and a few other stubborn stains.

I repeated the process but this time I filled the pot to just shy of overflowing and added Lemishine to the Cascade. That did the trick and got rid of all but the most stubborn areas.

I did one final round with Easy Off, the foam of which turned light brown right away, and with that the pot was as clean as it was going to get. I ran a full pot of clear water to remove any residue. There are still a couple of stains at the very top that refuse to budge. I think I can live with that.

Here's the "after" pic of the pot. Quite a difference from the "before" pic at the top of this thread.

rp2813++11-14-2010-15-40-49.jpg
 
Hey Gary,

Do you have any pix of your older models that take the regular perc cord? I am trying to figure out if my early heating element might be missing a small part that operates the spring-loaded piece that holds the perc cord in place. It seems to me that it would be difficult even for a person with small hands/fingers to get in there and hold the spring loaded piece out of the way in order to connect the plug to the heating element.

I can post a picture of my early heating assembly if it will help.
 
Ralph,

With repeated washings those stains may fade away over time. But what an amazing transformation just the way it is currently. Congratulations! Aren't unexpected packages in the mail wonderful?
 
"Aren't unexpected packages in the mail wonderful?&#

Indeed they are! That pot would still be a filthy mess on the shop bench if that cord hadn't shown up! Instead, it's tucked away nicely in with other small appliances on a shelf in the basement, ready for deployment when the time comes. I may still try the bleach treatment at some point, but for now the pot cuts the muster just fine.

I'll try to get a shot of my older heating element to post here for the Electromatic experts. I'd really like to find the right carafe to fit that one.
 
The spring-loaded piece that holds the perc cord in place

????

Looked at several of my Corningware perks. Don't see any 'spring-loaded' piece.
The ones that take the standard cord just plug in.

Hmmm???
 

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