Picked this gem up this morning. Custom Imperial RCIE 39L
Frigidaire self cleaning range
- Thread starter goatfarmer
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This has to be an early one, when did Frigidaire debut self cleaning? This one appears to be 1967. Love the Coppertone!
laundromat
Well-known member
If my memory isn't failing me, GE introduced the P7 self cleaning ovens in 1964. FRIGIDAIRE introduced their version ( Electriclean) back in 1966.
That is simply
Gorgemous!
If I weren't very happy with my current stove, I would gladly give this one room.
GM Frigidaire's are the only electrics on which I would willingly cook.
Lawrence/Maytagbear
Gorgemous!
If I weren't very happy with my current stove, I would gladly give this one room.
GM Frigidaire's are the only electrics on which I would willingly cook.
Lawrence/Maytagbear
norgeway
Well-known member
Ge was
1963, Frigidaire was 64.
1963, Frigidaire was 64.
danemodsandy
Well-known member
Does Anyone Know....
....If other range manufacturers licensed the pyrolytic technology behind P*7 self-cleaning from GE? Or did they somehow come up with their own versions that did not infringe GE patents?
....If other range manufacturers licensed the pyrolytic technology behind P*7 self-cleaning from GE? Or did they somehow come up with their own versions that did not infringe GE patents?
retromania
Well-known member
Great find.....
Congrats!!!
Congrats!!!
Lesser
Mom has this same range in 40 inch double oven and my range is two years newer. Each range recommends a 2 hour cleaning cycle. Both stoves do a splendid job. Why do newer stoves often have a 4 hour default for the cleaning cycle?
Mom has this same range in 40 inch double oven and my range is two years newer. Each range recommends a 2 hour cleaning cycle. Both stoves do a splendid job. Why do newer stoves often have a 4 hour default for the cleaning cycle?
Newer stoves require a longer cleaning cycle and still do not do as thorough a job as the older ranges did because they do not heat as evenly or as well. The front corners and oven door liner almost need to be cleaned by hand before the cleaning process and, even at that, because they stay cooler than the rest of the liner, some soil vapor might be redeposited in these areas during the cleaning. This temperature differential at the front of the oven is exacerbated in many ranges by the large door windows. Also, in older well constructed self cleaners, the oven liner was a separate piece from the area that surrounded the oven opening. This helped serve as a thermal break to keep the heat from migrating from the oven liner as readily, allowing the front edges of the liner to be cleaned better because they heated up better. I don't know if GE was the only one to use the heater around the front edge of the liner, but that certainly helped clean that area and the door liner.
Another example of the evolving cheapness is the elimination of the heated catalytic smoke eliminator.
Another example of the evolving cheapness is the elimination of the heated catalytic smoke eliminator.
Cool Frigidaire Self-Cleaning Range
I think this range is about the earliest Frigidaire with a SC oven and would guess it is a 1966-7 range. It certainly is a beautiful range in the Coppertone color. In our collection I have the 40" version of this range in white, this has always been a favorite style range for me. The control panel was very well laid out on this range, having the burner controls was always so much better than having them in a straight line.
On Frigidaire s frist SC ovens they cleverly put the door latch below the console so it would out of the way and you couldn't smash your knuckles on the latch lever while opening and closing the oven door.
These first FSC ovens were unbelievably complicated and often when things went wrong it didn't just affect the cleaning cycle. I always remember a frient of mine just out of college was renting and old house with a group of guys that had this range in it and despite a few repair attempts by others the oven just would not work most of the time. I went over and looked at it and we decided that it needed too many expensive parts to even have a hope of ever having the oven fully functional again. So I bought a regular Frigidaire hydrolic oven thermostat and proceeded to spend over an hour removing all the parts assorted with the ovens SC and temperature control system [ and this oven did not even have the Tender-Matic System ] when I was through I had filled an entire box the size of a grocery bag with extra parts and lots of wiring. But the oven worked great afterwards, only minus the SC function.
Surface cooking was often tricky on TOL Frigidaire ranges with Heat-minder and Speed-Heat burners because you ended up with FOUR burners that all had their own personalizes coupled with elements that never stayed flat and were much less responsive to changes in control setting. While I wouldn't make this range my everyday range it is still one of the coolest range finds of the year, Kenny, hopefully there will not be much wrong with it.
I think this range is about the earliest Frigidaire with a SC oven and would guess it is a 1966-7 range. It certainly is a beautiful range in the Coppertone color. In our collection I have the 40" version of this range in white, this has always been a favorite style range for me. The control panel was very well laid out on this range, having the burner controls was always so much better than having them in a straight line.
On Frigidaire s frist SC ovens they cleverly put the door latch below the console so it would out of the way and you couldn't smash your knuckles on the latch lever while opening and closing the oven door.
These first FSC ovens were unbelievably complicated and often when things went wrong it didn't just affect the cleaning cycle. I always remember a frient of mine just out of college was renting and old house with a group of guys that had this range in it and despite a few repair attempts by others the oven just would not work most of the time. I went over and looked at it and we decided that it needed too many expensive parts to even have a hope of ever having the oven fully functional again. So I bought a regular Frigidaire hydrolic oven thermostat and proceeded to spend over an hour removing all the parts assorted with the ovens SC and temperature control system [ and this oven did not even have the Tender-Matic System ] when I was through I had filled an entire box the size of a grocery bag with extra parts and lots of wiring. But the oven worked great afterwards, only minus the SC function.
Surface cooking was often tricky on TOL Frigidaire ranges with Heat-minder and Speed-Heat burners because you ended up with FOUR burners that all had their own personalizes coupled with elements that never stayed flat and were much less responsive to changes in control setting. While I wouldn't make this range my everyday range it is still one of the coolest range finds of the year, Kenny, hopefully there will not be much wrong with it.
franksdad
Well-known member
Beautiful!!!!! Congratulations on this find and hope it gives you many happy years of service!
Kenny - what an awesome range! Are you planning on using it?
laundromat
Well-known member
Thanks for the correction norgeway!!!
I don't know if I can talk the wife into Coppertone. We have a Maytag gas right now, but it wouldn't take much to run an electric line. I'll probably just check it out, and store it with the rest o' the krap I'm sitting on!
Didn't get any inside shots, but the inside of the oven is as clean as the outside.
Didn't get any inside shots, but the inside of the oven is as clean as the outside.
Cool Frigidaire Self-Cleaning Range
Kenny when you are checking it out take the rear covers off and post a picture of all the wiring and other goodies, these ranges are a true testament to American engineering and manufacturing.
Kenny when you are checking it out take the rear covers off and post a picture of all the wiring and other goodies, these ranges are a true testament to American engineering and manufacturing.
Early Self-Cleaning Electric Ranges
While GE was the first to introduce the world to the wounder of a Self-Cleaning Oven [ and I am sure they held many patents surrounding its development and building ] I don't think that they were able to patent the basic principle of burning off the soil inside an oven by heating the oven to a temperature hot enough to accomplish this. I will assign the task of researching this to our resident Patent Expert Jon C.
GE did however have many patents on the way they reached the cleaning temperature related to the circuity and controls used, this is why every different manufacturer did basically the same a different way.
GE used three elements, bake, broil and a mullion element [ that was also used during bake functions for more even baking ] to do the high temperature clean cycle and during cleaning all three were operated on 120 volts. You can actually make a GESCO clean on a 120 volt cord connected to a 20 amp circuit. GE also had a 4th element for an electrically heated catalytic smoke eliminator incorporated into the oven vent to minimize smoking during cleaning.
I am not sure of the introduction dates of the brands that followed GE, but it did take most other companies a few years to get this feature, I never saw a Frigidaire before 1966 with a SCO for example and the first gas range with one was the Roper brand about 1967.
Westinghouse did the complete cleaning cycle with JUST the broiler element operating on 240 volts running 80% of the time to reach cleaning temperature.
Frigidaire used its broiler element at 80% power and ran the bake element at 120 volts. Frigidaire also used catalytic beads above the broiler reflector that were super heated by the broiler to eliminate almost all smoke, and they also used a 1/4" thick aluminum plate behind the inner panel of the oven door to transfer heat evenly which made FD SC ovens the top performers in CRs tests.
Kelvinator built ranges just ran the bake element at the full 240 volts and did not use the broiler at all [ Kelvinator built ranges really smoked a lot during cleaning, we had a K-built 1971 WP range ].
Roper built electric ranges [ also Sears Kenmore ] operated in a similar manor to Frigidaire ranges electrically but were no where as well built and did not clean as well.
While GE was the first to introduce the world to the wounder of a Self-Cleaning Oven [ and I am sure they held many patents surrounding its development and building ] I don't think that they were able to patent the basic principle of burning off the soil inside an oven by heating the oven to a temperature hot enough to accomplish this. I will assign the task of researching this to our resident Patent Expert Jon C.
GE did however have many patents on the way they reached the cleaning temperature related to the circuity and controls used, this is why every different manufacturer did basically the same a different way.
GE used three elements, bake, broil and a mullion element [ that was also used during bake functions for more even baking ] to do the high temperature clean cycle and during cleaning all three were operated on 120 volts. You can actually make a GESCO clean on a 120 volt cord connected to a 20 amp circuit. GE also had a 4th element for an electrically heated catalytic smoke eliminator incorporated into the oven vent to minimize smoking during cleaning.
I am not sure of the introduction dates of the brands that followed GE, but it did take most other companies a few years to get this feature, I never saw a Frigidaire before 1966 with a SCO for example and the first gas range with one was the Roper brand about 1967.
Westinghouse did the complete cleaning cycle with JUST the broiler element operating on 240 volts running 80% of the time to reach cleaning temperature.
Frigidaire used its broiler element at 80% power and ran the bake element at 120 volts. Frigidaire also used catalytic beads above the broiler reflector that were super heated by the broiler to eliminate almost all smoke, and they also used a 1/4" thick aluminum plate behind the inner panel of the oven door to transfer heat evenly which made FD SC ovens the top performers in CRs tests.
Kelvinator built ranges just ran the bake element at the full 240 volts and did not use the broiler at all [ Kelvinator built ranges really smoked a lot during cleaning, we had a K-built 1971 WP range ].
Roper built electric ranges [ also Sears Kenmore ] operated in a similar manor to Frigidaire ranges electrically but were no where as well built and did not clean as well.
That is very interesting about the heated catalytic converter. We had the Litton Self Cleaner in our previous house. The Litton touted its closed door broiling. It had a tendency to form condensation that would pool on the cooktop at the beginning of normal baking. It always seemed this condensate had a greasy characteristic to it. arthur
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