Oven Calibration
Thanks for all the feedback guys! I've been using this range for the past few weeks to run it through its paces and it bakes and cooks like a dream!
Have a question on the operation of the oven thermostat.
The oven appears to run a bit hot - I think. It does have a preheat cycle but I get the same result whether it is used or not so I don't think that has anything to do with it.
During preheat, the bake element will cycle off almost right at the temperature setting however the residual heat from the element as it shuts down pushes the heat about 10-15 degrees warmer.
Similarly, the oven cycles back on right about at the temperature setting. As such it seems to maintain a temperature between 10-20 degrees higher.
Should the thermostat be functioning in this way? For instance, if you set the oven to 350 should the element cycle off right at 350 or should it be somewhere between 335-340? Similarly, should it cycle back on right at 350 or should it be at a point below the set temperature?
I understand it would be impossible for the thermostat to maintain the temperature at the exact setting but what is considered an acceptable range? Using the 350 example would it be something like 340-360 or less precise than that? Or is 350 really just the cycle off/cycle on temperature?
There is an adjustment underneath the knob on the switch but it appears to be 3/4 of the way fully adjusted so I haven't touched it yet. I did check the sensor and made sure it wasn't touching the wall of the oven.
In terms of my test equipment, I'm using one of those $5 oven thermometers. I'm assuming there is also a margin of error in these but I'm not sure how much.