No Buzz Timer

[mixfinder]

Mom's range continues to work well and the clock and timer keep perfect time but the timer no longer buzzes. If you jiggle the knob you catch a glimpse of the noise. With mom's Alzheimer's its really important to have a loud and long ringing buzzer to remind her there's something on the stove. Can any appliance wizard offer me advice on an adjustment or repair to make the buzzer create it's annoying din?

 

[tlee618]

Kelly I have no idea how to fix the timer other than maybe taking it apart for a good cleaning. Now those beautiful pies are another story, Wow they look so good!

 

[toggleswitch]

I'd say get her a good old-fashioned wind up timer.

When I first switched to electric cooking from gas, I made a point of ALWAYS turning on the lamp in the range-hood when an element was energized. Being that electric cooking is odorless, relatively cool, soundless and not always visual, I needed a reminder that I was cooking. The second rule I made for myself was that unless something was actually cooking, it was not allowed on the stove. It's too easy to energize the wrong burner when your head is elsewhwere.

If I were there, I'd wire the range-hood lamp to come on when a top-burner was on, as a favor to you. But alas...... [this post was last edited: 5/27/2010-19:35]

 

[maytagbear]

No idea, sorry-

but my favourite aunt on my Dad's side had that exact same stove model, and it's been the only electric I ever wanted.

Another aunt (whom I loved, but was not my favourite) had the 30" version. I wouldn't have turned it down, but....the 40......This aunt also had the Youngstown Kitchens front loading dishwasher.

Good luck about the timer.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[mixfinder]

Lamp

Toggles, you're brilliant! I have a brother in law who is an electrical engineer and having the light as a signal would be beyond the pale. Mom's wind up rings for about 10 seconds and if the house is full of people or she's distracted it gets missed. So far the record is an oven full of oatmeal cookies that baked for 3 days.

 

[mattl]

Hmmm. Interesting idea about the light. I have a little adapter pack that I plug my shop vac into along with whatever power tool I'm using if it has dust collection abilities. Any time the saw or tool is powered up the vac comes on, and runs for a few seconds after the tool is shut down.

Perhaps Toggels' idea could be make into a similar setup where the stove is plugged into it and anytime the is significant current drawn it powers something up, a light, a radio whatever. Might be a market for elderly/Alzheimer patients.

 

[toggleswitch]

Great Kelly, glad my thought agrees with you!

Just a reminder, the little indicator lights on the stove may be 220v. (the one on my stove was) so your B-I-L will need to account for that.

I'd just hang the female half of an extension cord off the back of the stove, [if he's not going to screw a metal box and a regular "switched" outlet onto the back] and wire the light/lamp of the range-hood via a regular extension cord. Let the fan be powered as is!

Another thought. Have a wall-switch timer (say one or two hours max) engage a relay that turns the power to the the entire stove circuit on and off. In theory it could also be done in 24v (Class 2)wiring, making life simpler. Class two wiring is like a low-voltage doorbell or telohone. Such plastic-sheathed wire can be left exposed, and/or surface-mounted.

In that case, I'd disable the stove's clock and leave it set for noon/midnight so as not to confuse mom.

With my ex-partner's grandmother, the gas to the stove was shut off so she could not try to cook. Eventually she just figured her stove died and there was no money to fix it. Since there was another one in the house, she was fine with that. She never knew her husband was using that very same stove. [this post was last edited: 5/28/2010-11:20]

 

[toggleswitch]

LOL. MY B.I.L. has a decree/degree in electrical engineering.

He could not properly wire the 220v replacement thermostats in his summer house for electric baseboard heat.

I HAD TO FIX THEM ALL. There would be either no heat at any setting, or heat full-time on any setting but "OFF"

Don't be surprised if book-smarts don't translate to street-smarts!

 

[mixfinder]

PUD

Pacific Utility District operates many of the dams on the Columbia River. My brother in a law is a hoopty dupe with PUD. He can honestly fix just about anything and is one of the nicest and funniest people I have ever met. We have gently moved mom to doing any stove top cooking in an electric frying pan and she rarely turns the burners on. She was a fabulous cook and they always have company. She enjoys baking and almost every meal period finds something to put in the mixer, waffles, pancakes, eggs or baked goods. The two of them live in such a fog about their surroundings it takes a lot for dad to notice anything. Their caregiver comes Monday through Friday. She took a second job and switched her schedule to later in the day. Not so good for mom's outfits and hygiene but mom is much more apt to cook and do housework since no one magically shows up until 1:00 PM. Dad fancies himself a great camp cook. When there's a fire in the wood stove he makes pots of soup/swill and lets them simmer for days. I would be surprised if he knows how to turn off the stove or even know if its on. They both depend on the fluorescent light to illuminate the nightly trips to the john or to add wood to the fire. If the light gets turned off dad has a fit until it's relit. After all these years and with all the phone council I can give he's never been successful in getting the light to come on. I give you Unka Donald in his Foster Grants and my sister.

 

[polkanut]

Methinks I spy a can of chew in his shirt pocket. My dad chews also, so I know what that round bulge in a pocket means. Don't even go there Steve! lmao!!!

 

[maytagbear]

You have a fine looking family

Kelly! All of you.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[mixfinder]

Snoose in the hip pocket

There's a joke about a New York woman on a date with a Texan. She knows everything's bigger in Texas. She thinks the can of chew is a condom......................