Final Report on the 62 GE range

[norgeway]

Well, looks wise its beautiful, But you cant cook on looks..LOL, The Sensi Temp doesent work.."What a SUPRISE...LOL" Im beginning to wonder if they ever did work, The oven door needs new hinges,they are still usable, but typical GE, they are wobbly and when the oven gets hot they move enough to get the door slightly out of adjustment,but the biggest thing is, the oven was 50 degrees too hot, so I adjusted it as far as I could, which, to start with, seemed like a fix, but then after about 20 minutes set at 400  it crept up to 450, so a new thermostat will be needed, Its fancier and more Deluxe than my 52 Frigidaire, but as I always thought, no where near the quality, after having the oven on for 30 minutes you cant touch the top of the range its so hot, I can bake in the Frigidaire all day long and put the back of my hand on it anywhere without getting burned, This is my third or fourth GE and im sure will be the last, I have nothing but BAD luck with them, I had really hoped this one would be different, but no such luck...Oh well, you live and learn.Im sticking to Frigidaires from now on...

 

[norgeway]

Here it is

Before I relegate it to the storage building, it really is pretty, would make a great display or movie prop..I never have hooked up the Hardwick, I think Im going to put it in mothballs too, it just doesent look right in my kitchen.

 

[tomturbomatic]

I concur about the Hardwick. I keep a gas range outside under a tarp under the deck for power failures. Even basement space is too valuable for a gas range, to say nothing of the indoor air quality.

 

[norgeway]

I Like

Cooking on gas, but it just doesent look right for some reason.And its way too hot in the summer here for gas cooking.

 

[norgeway]

Well....

Im about over my mad spell, Its safely covered up in my building, I AM going to start hunting parts, some should be easy to find, a windowed door and 2 new hinge assemblys, probably the oven thermostat will be easy to find but expensive,the Sensi Temp parts probably not so easy to find, After fiddling with it for a while, I discovered that from a cold start the unit will get red then it either goes to warm or cuts off completely, I trid it with a 3 qt medium weight aluminum saucepan, and a quart of cold water, and with nothing on the unit, it made no difference, it still did the same thing, so I have no idea, Truthfully I really would love to see one work properly, Im going to call John L and get his advice, as he is the GE expert, meanwhile my old thrifty 30 is doing fine...But that GE sure is pretty...I haven't given up yet, Pay my temper tantrum no mind, I cool off after a while, Im going to get a GE working yet..LOL, It would be a very convienent stove to use, 2-8 inch units and a oven with a light in it would really be nice...Any advice......

 

[kevin313]

Hans - it sure is a handsome range. Hope you can get the parts you are looking for so you can use the range with confidence. Haven't people bypassed the sensi-temp send just put a regular burner instead? Like you, I've never seen one really work properly.

 

[gansky1]

That's too bad, Hans. Don't give up entirely, GE cooking is wonderful.

My 57 has an infinite switch retro-fitted in place of the Sensi-Temp which works well enough, but not original. I'll bet there was a retro-fit OEM switch for yours, John will likely know. I remember Larry at Modern Parts telling me he had some of the replacement infinite switches on hand, but that was years ago and I have no idea what might be left there. The 61 red GE range I have has a working Sensi-Temp and it's wonderful, perfectly holds a simmer forever.

 

[combo52]

There are two ways to bypass the Sensi-Temp Burner

You can Install an infinite switch to replace the control and then you still have the 4-6-8" control of the burner size [ I personally prefer the 8" size, oh I need to stay focused, LOL ] or you can install a regular 8" two coil surface element and the 5 heat push-button switch and all four elements will work the same way.

 

But my first attempt would be to fix the ST burner, as Greg mentioned they are wonderful if working properly, I use the one that Jason installed on the range we have at Smitties house almost every day and it works great.