Westinghouse HDA-244 Imperial 30 Super Corox Problem

Automatic Washer - The world's coolest Washing Machines, Dryers and Dishwashers

Help Support :

B

blackislandbrew

New member
Joined
Oct 2, 2021
Messages
0
Location
TACOMA
I just got an early '50's Westy with the Super Corox burner, but it seems to have a problem. The burner is arranged with one wider element ring on the outside, and narrower element rings in the center. The problems is that even on Simmer, the outer ring heats to red hot. So, I'm hoping this might be problem with the switch that could be repaired. Anyone have experience with this?

blackislandbrew-2015101216533805256_1.jpg

blackislandbrew-2015101216533805256_2.jpg

blackislandbrew-2015101216533805256_3.jpg
 
Congratulations on your beautiful range!

Does the inner part of the unit heat at all? It sounds like the switch is shorted. Whether the element is still any good or is just suffering from a broken wire will have to be determined.
 
You also might try changing out the burner with another one (assuming it's not a unique size among the rest of them or has different wiring) and see what happens with both in their new locations.

 

It was very common for wires to break and detach from the burners on Westinghouses from this period.   The large 8" one on my mom's '49 Westinghouse did that so many times over the years that there was almost no slack left in it by the time I passed it along to another member here in 2008.
 
Thank you all! The interior coils are NOT heating, so I will check them for continuity and check the wires for voltage. Other than this and checking for broken wires, any suggestions?
Poking around the interwebs, it sounds like finding a replacement burner or switch could be nigh impossible. Do you have and favorite suppliers for vintage Westy range parts?
One more question: are these "infinite switches"? Or, more relevant to my need, can these be safely used in positions between the settings, like by turning the knob between medium-high and medium?
 
IF the switch for the Super Corox can be smoothly rotated through the heat settings, it is an infinite switch as I think all "flasher" type unit controls were. The rest of the switches on your range are 5 position switches and cannot be used in any position but the 5 heats.

As I said earlier, you can buy generic switches at an appliance parts store, but you have to know if you can save the 120 volt Super Corox unit or if you are going to replace it with a similar 120 volt unit and purchase a 120 volt infinite heat switch to make it operational or if you can take the two leads to make it a 240 volt unit which would need a corresponding 240 volt switch.
 
Nice range!

It's just like mine. My parents purchased it in 1953, after my dad returned from the Korean War. The Super Corox unit on mine has not worked for many years. It had to be replaced when the range was about 5 years old, and then the new unit went bad a few years later.

Hope you can get yours back in working order soon.
 
Miraculous Healing

So I checked the continuity on the inner coil, and it was fine. Then I checked the voltage, but wasn't really thinking about the outer coil, and as I was checking the inner and being surprised by a 117v reading, I heard a click from the switch. I checked the outer coil and found a 130v reading, and a quick spritz of water found both elements hot. Shut the burner off, let it cool, turned it on high, checked the outer coil - 240+v, inner coil 117v, and then after the switch clicked, the outer coil dropped back to 130v. The only "repair" I can contribute to the miraculous healing was that my wife has steamed the oven with water/vinegar for cleaning, and steam was soon escaping from several places, and steamed up the clock on the inside as well. Yikes! I don't recommend steam cleaning your wiring...
 
As an eBay Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Yet another burner question

Okay, so the Super Corox burner is working great, but I have a question about the others. All three remaining Corox burners (with 5-position switches) do something that just doesn't seem right. When set to medium, they all heat up much more on the outer coil, leaving the inner coil much cooler, to the point that the outer coil will glow red, and an egg, cooked on a cast iron pan on medium, will cook at the edges but not in the middle - the white remains translucent. But if I set them to medium-high, the ring heats evenly,and none of the coils turn red. So is this a feature or a flaw on these stoves?
 
On my mom's '49 Westinghouse, only two of the five positions on the switch produced red coils:  Med-Hi (inner coil red) and High (both coils red).   On settings of Med or lower, the coil(s) didn't get hot enough to glow red.

 

Others will have to report in here and advise if Westinghouse changed their scheme or if there are other factors contributing to the strange behavior of your burners.  I agree with you that just the outer coil glowing red does not provide an even heat source under a skillet.
 
There are wiring or switch problems. Here is what is supposed to happen:
On High, both coils are energized in parallel at 240 volts.
On Med. Hi only the inner coil is energized at 240.
On Med. both coils are energized in parallel on 120.
On Low, the inner coil is heated on 120.
On Simmer, both coils are in series on 120.
 
Okay, so I've tested all three of the standard Corox burners. The only setting that is not working as expected is Medium. Instead of 120v to both the inner and the outer, it's sending 240 to the outer and nothing to the inner. Thus, glowing outer element. So for now, if I want to tend to my pots, I can set it between medium high and low and maintain some semblance of even heat.

Looking at the switches themselves it looks as if there is a place for another wire, but nothing there. Maybe this is a wild goose, but I thought I'd mention it (and include the pics).

So, my next question: am I missing some wiring at the switch, or are the switches just bad. Any help is greatly appreciated!

Oh, and the Super Corox stopped working properly. I still get 240v for several seconds, but then all settings revert to 120v/120v (high)

blackislandbrew-2015101414530607472_1.jpg

blackislandbrew-2015101414530607472_2.jpg
 
On a more deluxe range that extra terminal on the surface unit switches would be for a connection to the light which would come on when a surface unit was switched on to illuminate the different colors for each heat.

The Super Corox only gave 240 for a fraction of a minute, but it's probably on its last leg. There should be instructions on the back of the range on how to remove the wire that the switch uses when it supplies 240. If you remove that wire, you will have a normal speed 6 inch unit. The switch and unit might last for many years yet if only operated on 120 volts. On the other hand, it could short out the next time you turned it on.
 
Tomturbomatic, thank you for all your help! Looks like I'm in the market for three new switches. I'll check the wiring diagram on the Super Corox switch and see if I can make the modifications you mention. I'm heading over to our local guru to see how I go about getting and installing switches. From what I gather, the corox burners can be used with the infinite switches, but are wired differently. But, I'm approaching the point where the knowledge required exceeds my pay grade, so the help here or from the local guru will be mandatory.

I found these switches, which SAY they work, but there isn't enough info:

 

Latest posts

Back
Top