mom11
Well-known member
I haven't been on in awhile as life has been crazy busy but I need help finding a replacement lower bake element for my 1956 Hotpoint double oven range. This old gal has been cooking up a storm and a half here for almost a year just perfectly. But a few weeks ago, between 2 batches of cupcakes, the lower element in the right side range quit. No brakes or blisters in the element. The upper element, both upper and lower elements in the left side oven, and all 4 surface elements still all work.
I pulled out the offending element and found that the contact points are the 3 broad flat horizontal prongs that push into a ceramic block. The prongs were quite rusty and corroded so I took some sandpaper to them, being very careful, and sanded off most crud but they are deeply pitted. It still didn't work. To make sure that it was the element and not the receptacle block in the oven, I pulled the left lower element and put it into the right ceramic block and it worked. Then I put the right one in the left oven and it didn't work. Soooo, it's not the ceramic receptacle, I concluded.
I set about trying to find a replacement element and have not been able to find one online at all. Local appliance places won't even look. I've been corresponding with a couple parts suppliers on ebay and one told me the part I need is WB44x142 and is no longer made.
The parts supply houses online are telling me that WB44x5043 is the replacement part but that doesn't have the 3 flat push in contacts but the 2 thin screw in kind. One guy on ebay said it would work if I removed the ceramic block receptacle and "direct wire" the new one in. Does that make any sense to anyone here? Is it a repair someone with very little electrical experience like me could do?
Also, I see a very few other elements in the length and width I need WITH the 3 prongs. One guy said he didn;t know if it would work with my range. The other guy thought it would. One is a Thermador wall oven element WO-16. Looks like same prong slightly different size and shape.
The other one is CH44x132, again, slightly different shape but same contact points.
Sorry for the long story but I LOOOOOOOOOVE this range and was planning many many years to come with her. I've always found the greatest help here so I knew if anyone could answer my question, you all could.
Thanks for reading to the end.
I pulled out the offending element and found that the contact points are the 3 broad flat horizontal prongs that push into a ceramic block. The prongs were quite rusty and corroded so I took some sandpaper to them, being very careful, and sanded off most crud but they are deeply pitted. It still didn't work. To make sure that it was the element and not the receptacle block in the oven, I pulled the left lower element and put it into the right ceramic block and it worked. Then I put the right one in the left oven and it didn't work. Soooo, it's not the ceramic receptacle, I concluded.
I set about trying to find a replacement element and have not been able to find one online at all. Local appliance places won't even look. I've been corresponding with a couple parts suppliers on ebay and one told me the part I need is WB44x142 and is no longer made.
The parts supply houses online are telling me that WB44x5043 is the replacement part but that doesn't have the 3 flat push in contacts but the 2 thin screw in kind. One guy on ebay said it would work if I removed the ceramic block receptacle and "direct wire" the new one in. Does that make any sense to anyone here? Is it a repair someone with very little electrical experience like me could do?
Also, I see a very few other elements in the length and width I need WITH the 3 prongs. One guy said he didn;t know if it would work with my range. The other guy thought it would. One is a Thermador wall oven element WO-16. Looks like same prong slightly different size and shape.
The other one is CH44x132, again, slightly different shape but same contact points.
Sorry for the long story but I LOOOOOOOOOVE this range and was planning many many years to come with her. I've always found the greatest help here so I knew if anyone could answer my question, you all could.
Thanks for reading to the end.
