Moffat Range

[114jwh]

So I found this stove a few months back and decided to give it a home. Moffat was a Canadian company most well known for its ranges. From what I understand, Moffat was acquired by GSW in 1971 and GSW merged with Canadian General Electric in 1977 to form Camco.

Anyway, before I picked it up I found an ad showcasing this range in a newspaper from 1959. I was excited to learn it was the TOL 30" model and had many features I'd read about but hadn't ever had the chance to see in action.

 

[114jwh]

So I picked it up in late winter and it had kinda sat in the garage for the last little while until I had a chance to clean and fix it up recently.

I have to say it appears to be one of the most well appointed ranges on the market at the time. Some of the features include a deep well with a steamer insert and frying basket, thermostat controlled element, temperature probe, built in rotisserie, warming drawer, roller oven rack, external oven rack height control, outlet, time bake etc etc etc!

Here are a few pictures

 

[114jwh]

Here it is all lit up! Really like that big panel light!

 

[114jwh]

The oven is pretty interesting. Its old enough to still have an open coil broil element and it must be one of the first stoves ever made with a roller rack. It had a bit of surface rust on the wheels and so I had to spend some time with a dremel wire brush and sandpaper but it works like a charm once again!

The other thing that is really unique is the elevator control for the rack. To raise or lower the rack you simply turn the wheel on the front of the range (with the door open or closed). There is a numbered guide inside the oven so you can match the height to what the recipes call for in the instruction guide.

To preheat the oven you first turn the control to Broil and then to the desired temperature. By doing this you activate both top and bottom elements until the temperature is reached for faster preheat.

It also came with all the accessories including the rotisserie rack and spit, original broiler pan and the probe.. The rotisserie rack fits into four holes in each corner of the broiler pan. The only thing that is missing is the handle that screws onto the spit for taking it out of the oven.

 

[114jwh]

The surface units are all infinite heat but the markings are a bit different than what I've seen before. There are different sections on the dial and apparently the lower the number in that section, the higher the temperature. I think...haven't quite figured it out.

To start the element you first set it to "Start" until it heats up and then change the setting to what you want to cook at.

 

[114jwh]

But there were some problems of course. Some I've taken care of and some I'm still going to need to figure out.

First, the timer was shot so with help from Eddy I had it rebuilt and just reinstalled it. Thanks again Eddy!

Second, the panel light switch was one of those starter-less switches that had broken and so I replaced it. Couldn't find one with a white plastic button like the original so I had to use one with a metal one.

Also, the lens on the indicator light for the warming drawer was broken so replaced it with a NOS one.

 

[turquoisedude]

Wow James, that is the Cadillac of Moffat ranges for sure (or perhaps I should say the Meteor... LOL)  

 

I've seen Moffats of this era with the extra wide and high lighted back panel, the 'grillevator' and the temperature probe but never with a deep-well cooker.  Maybe it was a special model, just for the Ottawa market... LOL  

 

Two things that really brought back the memories - the Con-Rad elements and the broiler heat adjustment.  A friend of mine's mother still has (I think) a model similar to this, but sans the deep well cooker.  If I remember that family's legends correctly, their Moffat was acquired used from a family member (along with an Inglis Centennial dishwasher!!) in the Ottawa area where they lived at the time in '67 or '68. 

 

Congratulations and happy cooking!! 

 

 

 

[turquoisedude]

Oh, and perhaps the handle from one of those generic barbecue rotisseries may fit the spit rod.  Those show up at garage sales and thrift stores a lot!

 

[petek]

Tres deluxe and it ought to be for that price back then.  Growing up we had a 50's Moffat double wide (left side warming oven only) which my mom, although not a big cook, loved. I've seen variations on it with different burner placements and I think a deep well option.  They pop up occasionally on sale sites and twice now in the past 10 years at Habitat for Humanity. Built like tanks.  Dad has a bit of prob getting replacement parts in the late  80's pre internet days.  After dad died in 94 and she was having her kitchen redone she reluctantly got rid of it figuring since they don't make them anymore really, if she had to buy a new stove eventually  she didn't want a big gap where it stood and so bought a standard size stove with the cabinets redone to fit that.  

 

[kevin313]

Not real familiar with Canadian ranges, but this one is a real beauty!! Hope you enjoy many wonderful meals on your Moffat range!!!

 

[114jwh]

So I finally got this one hooked up after sitting in the garage for almost 2 years. 3 of the 4 elements appear to work, the element in the warming drawer is functional, the probe works (although the conduit is broken near the plug), oven bakes/broils, etc.

The 4th element is the deep well / thermo-guard (automatic burner). It will power up but it stays on Hi and doesn't kick out when the temperature is reached. The burner light stays on constantly too so something is open.

Appears this automatic burner setup is the same one used on Frigidaire ranges, a Robertshaw model. I took apart the sensor last night at the burner end and it appears the little spring is connected between the sensor surface and the wire/tube. My suspicion therefore is the switch.

I've attached some pics - has anyone ever tried to repair one of these? I took the switch apart and sanded the little round contacts but no dice.

Thanks guys!

 

[combo52]

Robertshaw Hydraulic Automatic Top Element control

There were a lot of these controls used in the US from 1955-around 1975.

Usually when the heat won't cut down the sensor has lost its Freon charge, it may have a broken capillary or leak in the sensor head or bellows in the control switch. I have never tried to repair one of these controls when it failed in this manor, but I guess anything is possible.

If the indicator light is on all the time the control has a closed contact, nothing is open.

 

[114jwh]

LOL yes, just re-read that, a closed contact, not an open one!

Don't know much about stove/oven controls so didn't realize they were charged with freon. If that's the case then definitely repair is out of scope.

John do you have any of these kicking around for sale? Can't locate anything on ebay but I suppose they could be under a variety of PN's if many different manufacturers used them.

 

[114jwh]

Fixed!

So I thought, nothing to lose by taking apart the automatic top element control - it didn't work anyway. The tricky thing with these is the sensor and control are permanently connected so it can't easily be removed from the stove.

As I mentioned, there were two things happening with the control: the sensor was not shutting off the heat when the pan reached temperature and the indicator light was on even if the element was turned off.

Turned out the problems were related.

I found continuity between L1 & 4 (the pilot light) when the control was turned off. This was why the light wasn't going off. I took the back off and didn't see anything obviously wrong so I moved on to trying to figure out the reason for the constant high heat.

There is a small actuator at the switch end of the thermostat line. This moves backwards and forwards with changes in temperature from the sensor in the burner. This movement mechanically opens and closes the contacts inside the switch to turn the heat off and on to maintain the temperature. I found the actuator was gummed up and stuck in its shaft, unable to move the contacts open to shut off the burner when the target setting was reached. I cleaned it up and gave it a tiny squirt of WD40 and got it moving again. The spring that pushes the contacts open when the switch is shut off was also stuck - hence why the pilot light was always on.

Once both were unstuck and free to move again, the control had to be recalibrated. This was actually the most difficult and time consuming part of the repair as the adjustment has to be very precise to make the controls work properly and it has to be adjusted in two separate spots.

Once I got the hang of the calibration I put everything back and tested it out and SUCCESS!!!

I'm really happy about this as its a really great feature and was going to be next to impossible to find a replacement.

 

[combo52]

Good News

That you were able to save this control, these were well designed and built controls and I have had good luck with several of them.

 

I added two to the front elements of my 1974 TD five burner drop in range and within a few years had problems with both, it is on my long to do list to fix these controls. James your success with yours encourages me to try fixing mine, I also bought up about a dozen NOS controls if mine can't be fixed.

 

John L.

 

[114jwh]

Yes they seem to be very well built controls and I was surprised that it was such a simple and effective design when I opened it up. They really seemed to be designed to be a serviceable part so give it a go John!

Were Robertshaw and GE the only ones that built an automatic element control or did other manufacturers also build their own? From what I've read it looks like Frigidaire used the Robertshaw, I'm wondering who else? I'd like to find one spare control like this in case mine ever can't be repaired.

 

[appnut]

James, congratulations!!!  I'm very impressed!!!  Such a beautiful range and fully featured!!

 

[supersuds]

Yes, congrats on fixing it!

Our family had a Philco-Ford range that used the Robertshaw unit. I seem to remember Mr. Controls, the Robertshaw mascot, stamped into the center button, or whatever you call it. The other burners just said Philco.

 

[combo52]

The Little Man In The Middle Of The Sensor

Was Robbie Rheostat, Robertshaw had a factory in western Pennsylvania around Johnson Pa where these controls were made. 

 

There was a sign that you could see from the Pennsylvania Turnpike as you drove by of Robbie Rheostat, does any one else remember this sign ?

 

John L.