ahab
New member
First off, this is cross posted in the Shoppers Square forum so I apologize if this is a violation. I meant to post it here to share my story but accidentally selected the WTB option and it got posted there instead.
I've been looking for a Frigidaire Flair, preferably a Custom Imperial, for about 5 years. Due to their size I wanted one relatively close so that a couple hours in a pickup would retrieve it. In late October I located an RCIB-645 in MA that was only about 1/2 hour from a client so I made arrangements to see it, and ultimately bought it. Later that night at the hotel I thought I would check ebay to see what the spare parts market was like and found a second RCIB-645 about an hour from my house in PA. After some back and forth I purchased this one as well, intending to use it as a parts stove. Both are '61s, the parts stove is an early 61 with the two-handed drawer pull and the smooth side trim and the one is MA is the later version of the RCIB.
I picked up the parts stove in early Nov and went through the wiring, learning as I went. I surgically removed some janky bits of wires related to the conversion of the Speed Heat burner to an Infinite Heat burner and disabled it first, then powered it up. I was pleasantly surprised to find that everything save for the large oven element (missing) and the aforementioned Speed Heat burner was operational. The clock is intermittent as well so the timer functions aren't reliable but otherwise it was in pretty good order. Cosmetically it was beautiful, I don't know who cleaned it or what they used but it's shiny and unbelievably clean from top to bottom. It quickly became evident that the parts stove was in the running to be the main stove, however I still only had the one stove in my possession.
Last week I went back to MA to collect the original stove I had purchased, brought it home and started going through it. As I suspected the roles reversed and this stove will be the parts stove. Simply from a cleaning perspective there's no logic to trying to bring this one back. In addition, the finish on the sides and the cabinet is really rough so painting would be required. Luckily it did come with a working main oven burner so that hurdle is cleared, however this one also had the Speed Heat converted. At least it was professionally wired.
I had downloaded the Tech-Talk for the '61 models back when I first became aware of these ranges, which covers a lot of the particulars however I still have some questions I wasn't able to suss out. How does one tell if the Heat-minder is working correctly. The button is operational and the burner responds to the control knob however it's not clear to me exactly what the purpose is. The owner's manual describes setting it to a specific temp when using it as a griddle, what function does the button serve? Secondly, is the meat tender function dependent on the probe? The owners manual I have is from the RCIH-645 and it seems this way but the controls are different in the later model.
Finally, any suggestions (or offers) on where to find a temp probe? Is there a difference between the years? Also toying with the idea of re-fitting the Speed Heat setup if someone has known good working parts. If anyone has any other accessories for these ranges, roasting pans, rotisseries, etc, I'd be interested in hearing about them. I sent the spare clock to GEneral TIME RepairS yesterday, if it isn't a cosmetic match when it comes back I'll send the one original to this stove to be repaired as well. Looking forward to enjoying the range for years to come.
Thanks for reading!
Aaron
I've been looking for a Frigidaire Flair, preferably a Custom Imperial, for about 5 years. Due to their size I wanted one relatively close so that a couple hours in a pickup would retrieve it. In late October I located an RCIB-645 in MA that was only about 1/2 hour from a client so I made arrangements to see it, and ultimately bought it. Later that night at the hotel I thought I would check ebay to see what the spare parts market was like and found a second RCIB-645 about an hour from my house in PA. After some back and forth I purchased this one as well, intending to use it as a parts stove. Both are '61s, the parts stove is an early 61 with the two-handed drawer pull and the smooth side trim and the one is MA is the later version of the RCIB.
I picked up the parts stove in early Nov and went through the wiring, learning as I went. I surgically removed some janky bits of wires related to the conversion of the Speed Heat burner to an Infinite Heat burner and disabled it first, then powered it up. I was pleasantly surprised to find that everything save for the large oven element (missing) and the aforementioned Speed Heat burner was operational. The clock is intermittent as well so the timer functions aren't reliable but otherwise it was in pretty good order. Cosmetically it was beautiful, I don't know who cleaned it or what they used but it's shiny and unbelievably clean from top to bottom. It quickly became evident that the parts stove was in the running to be the main stove, however I still only had the one stove in my possession.
Last week I went back to MA to collect the original stove I had purchased, brought it home and started going through it. As I suspected the roles reversed and this stove will be the parts stove. Simply from a cleaning perspective there's no logic to trying to bring this one back. In addition, the finish on the sides and the cabinet is really rough so painting would be required. Luckily it did come with a working main oven burner so that hurdle is cleared, however this one also had the Speed Heat converted. At least it was professionally wired.
I had downloaded the Tech-Talk for the '61 models back when I first became aware of these ranges, which covers a lot of the particulars however I still have some questions I wasn't able to suss out. How does one tell if the Heat-minder is working correctly. The button is operational and the burner responds to the control knob however it's not clear to me exactly what the purpose is. The owner's manual describes setting it to a specific temp when using it as a griddle, what function does the button serve? Secondly, is the meat tender function dependent on the probe? The owners manual I have is from the RCIH-645 and it seems this way but the controls are different in the later model.
Finally, any suggestions (or offers) on where to find a temp probe? Is there a difference between the years? Also toying with the idea of re-fitting the Speed Heat setup if someone has known good working parts. If anyone has any other accessories for these ranges, roasting pans, rotisseries, etc, I'd be interested in hearing about them. I sent the spare clock to GEneral TIME RepairS yesterday, if it isn't a cosmetic match when it comes back I'll send the one original to this stove to be repaired as well. Looking forward to enjoying the range for years to come.
Thanks for reading!
Aaron
