Westinghouse Imperial 30

[114jwh]

Hi Everyone - picked up this Westinghouse stove a few weeks ago. Model # HDA244 and appears from magazine ads to be a 1953 model. Seems to be in really good shape but I know nothing about stoves. The seller told me everything works but haven't had it plugged in yet since I got it home.

Bake element appears to be a primitive version of a hidden bake element? The broiler element is open coil as well.

Two of the original Corox elements are there, the other two (including the speed element) have been replaced by Chromalox elements.

 

[114jwh]

The range elements are controlled by 5 position switches and from what I gather, will energize various parts of the element to produce the different heat settings (in a nutshell?). And this is why there is four terminals instead of the standard two?

What I'd like to do is ideally find two more 6" Corox units so all four look the same so I'm wondering if anyone has a couple they'd like to sell?

If that isn't in the cards does anyone know what I can replace them with without having to replace the switches?

 

[vacerator]

Wow!

It has glass fuses too.
Didn't Canada originally have 220 volt household current, and have to replace everyones appliances when they decided to standardize to 110 volts?
What year?

 

[goatfarmer]

My grampa had that range, when he lived in a small lake cottage.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Congratulations!

That is a porcelain evenizer over the open coil make element.  The oven bakes very well. The open coil broil element broils beautifully. The original elements have some advantages. The medium high and low settings heat only the inner portion of the element. Back in the days of stove top percolators, it was good for using that narrow vessel  and one quart saucepans without wasting heat from the outer ring because while High, Medium and Simmer heated both rings, the two aforementioned heat settings halved the heat by shutting off the outer ring. 

 

The Super Corox speed heat element was the new single wider Corox element because it used an infinite heat switch to control it so there was one element that did not match the other three from the start. You will need to see what they did in converting that Super Corox element to see if it is still a 120 volt unit or if it is a 240 volt unit now before trying for a replacement.

 

[114jwh]

I'm not sure on the 220V thing Mike. I have seen lots of very old 110V appliances in Canada so if we were originally 220V at some point it must have been in the very very distant past but I really have no idea on that one.

Funny thing Kenny, that stove also came from a cabin at a lake! Given the looks of the cabin I think it was likely there since it was new.

Tom thanks for the information. I've never seen open coil elements in an oven before but glad to hear they work really well. The porcelain coating over the element is quite worn from the heat but I don't see any breaks in the coils so I'm thinking it should work fine.

I did have the back panel opened up exposing the switches so I'll take some pictures and post them. I recall the one that controlled the former Super Corox did look quite different than the others. Its the two left side 6" elements that have been replaced with Chromalox units and they both also have the four terminals like the two Corox ones.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Does the switch for the left front former Super Corox turn smoothly like an infinite heat switch or is it now a five heat switch with definite stops like the other units? Chromalox units perform well, better actually than the original Corox units on your range for evenness of the heating pattern through all 5 heats as well as speed. Also the tubes are flatter so more of the heated surface is in contact with the pan and less heat is wasted into the room. I replaced the front two Radiantubes on a mid-50s Frigidaire with two tube Chromalox units and was very happy with the performance. Not only were they higher wattage, but they stayed FLAT when heated.

 

[circlew]

That's a nice one!

Mike, your range is just like mine - except it has more fuses, being a Canadian version. Mine has a fuse under the left rear Corox unit for the clock, oven and control panel lights, and the receptacle. Does yours have a fuse there, or is it below with the others?

My parents bough it new when my dad came back from the Korean war in '53, and they did the kitchen over.

 

[114jwh]

I've added some more pictures of the burner switches, the burner that was used to replace the Super Corox, and a few others. The burner switch that controls the left front is definitely much different than the rest.

Let me know what you think as I'd like to either replace all of them while using the original switches or find two more Corox units to replace the two Chromalox. If I have to replace them all I'm not sure what will work.....

The other thing I might need to work out is a replacement bulb for the control panel. It is one of those old lumiline bulbs that are difficult to find and apparently very expensive.

Tom, the left front control has the same stops at the five positions the rest of them do. It does not turn like an infinite control switch.

Tom, I checked and there are no fuses under the element so I'm guessing that was maybe only on the US versions. The fuses for everything appear to be in the same place, just above where the drawer goes.

Thanks for the comments guys!

 

[circlew]

James, I'd be very surprised if the control panel lamp is a Lumiline, as the one in mine is a fluorescent. It's been a while since I looked at it, but I think it's an F15T8, being 15 watts and 18" in length. The Sylvania catalog lists several varieties in that size.

http://assets.sylvania.com/assets/onlinemedia/ihdp/Lamp-and-Ballast-Catalog/#?page=122