Yellow 40", GE Double Oven

[oldskool]

In Kansas City - for $200. Owner says one burner doesn't work. I've emailed the owner to confirm the color as the ad didn't specify - it's definately YELLOW!
I don't have room - hope somebody gets it!

http://kansascity.craigslist.org/app/4293092284.html

 

[appnut]

Looks like it might not be a P7 self-clean oven. Wonder how long that Sensi-Temp burner has been nonfunctional.

 

[combo52]

Pretty 40" Yellow GE Range

This one is differently not Self-Cleaning, we have the same model in Copper-Tone with the SC main oven, this style was the first one for GE to make a SC 40" range in. As with all early GE SC ovens there was no oven window.

 

[oldskool]

So.....

....what's the story on replacing a bad sensi-temp burner? Where can someone get one, or can you use a standard burner to replace it? Even though I don't have room, it's so tempting and would look so nice. Of the older colors, yellow is my favorite.

 

[danemodsandy]

John (oldskool)

A bad Sensi-Temp burner can be repaired; new parts are still floating around eBay and John combo52 has some used ones.

The major items are the sensor, which you can see in the middle of the burner, and the responder, which is in the control panel. Neither is cheap.

However, take it from a Sensi-Temp owner, the feature is well worth having. It is wonderful to have precise heat control selectable by temperature.

This model was available in a self-cleaning version. It was not the TOL, even with the P*7, but it was a darn nice range.

If I were you, and wanted a yellow GE range and Sensi-Temp, I'd let this one go by and wait for one with P*7 self-cleaning. The luxury of not having to clean an oven is worth it, in my view. The range you brought me from Wausau has transformed my cooking habits from nil back to normal cooking now that I don't have to worry about the chore of cleaning.

A Sensi-Temp burner can be converted over to a regular one, but you have to ask John combo52 what's involved; I'm sketchy on the details.

If you found a 1966 GE 40-incher like Dean's (robinsondm) in yellow, you would probably be deliriously happy with it. This is Dean's range and Dean's photo; it's a 1966 J 486. This was either the last or next-to-last year that yellow was available, but it was available: [this post was last edited: 1/19/2014-15:26]

 

[oldskool]

Thanks

@ Sandy - thanks - great input - will probably wait. I really like the 40" in yellow - just my preference. Other members' that I've observed seem so nice. When in Omaha last summer watching Kelly cook on Gregs Pink GE 40", really wet my appetite for one. In time.

 

[danemodsandy]

John (oldskool)

If you're enamored of Greg's Liberator range, and you can live without the self-clean, you might check with Roger (firedome). He was trying to sell his yellow '58 Liberator a while back, and I didn't see anywhere that he sold it, so who knows - it could still be available.

What's unique about Roger's Liberator is that the Automatic Calrod burner works; even Greg's has had it replaced with a standard burner, I understand. Automatic Calrod was the precursor to Sensi-Temp, but was hydraulically controlled instead of electronically controlled, if I have my facts straight. The range is/was in New York State, but sounds worth the effort. And there will be effort; this is a 300-pound range.

Here's a photo, and a link to Roger's original description:

FS: TOL yellow 1958 GE Liberator 40" dual oven color Piano Key range

THE Top of the TOL for GE 1958, as good as it gets. Sunshine Yellow 40" range with Large/Small ovens with stainless steel door liners, Floating Control Panel, Automatic CalRod Selectable Twin Coil Large Burner (works perfectly) 2 small burners, 1 regular large burner, Griddle outlet, Meat Probe...

www.automaticwasher.org

 

[pulltostart]

Sensi-Temp?

This is on Ebay right now. It appears to be a Sensi-Temp sensor.

lawrence

Pardon Our Interruption...

 

[robinsondm]

Careful

That is a Sensi-Temp sensor, but I can tell by looking that it's not the right sensor for my 40-inch GE range. The original sensor part number for my 1966 range is WB21X154, which was replaced by WB21X5207. I purchased the latter part back in 2000 to repair my range.

 

Dean

 

[combo52]

Sensor

That sensor that is for sale is for early electric sensor ranges, it will not work on later ranges with yellow leads.

 

[robinsondm]

Responder

FYI, there is a Sensi-Temp responder on eBay now. The part number (WB21X153) fits my 1966 GE 40-inch range. As Sandy said, it's not cheap -- $127.31 "on sale" -- but these parts are getting hard to find.

 

Pardon Our Interruption...

 

[bguzinski]

51 liberator

Can I ask for some clarification?

I have a (I believe) a 1951 GE Liberator with the automatic calrod burner in the left front. I've never been able to get any heat out of it.

Can someone explain to me how those burners work? What's the difference between Sensi-temp and Calrod besides hydraulic vs electronic control?

Not to sound dumb, but what is the purpose of the Cal-rod?

I was able to rewire new burner coils in the other 3 spots, the original ones were fading very fast and I think it would be great to fully understand and use the other feature!

BTW, I have the griddle and the meat thermometer that came with this bad boy!

 

[tomturbomatic]

Calrod is the trademarked name for the sealed rod element that Hotpoint invented and for which GE purchased Hotpoint. They are very responsive and usually quite dependable over decades.

Automatic Calrod, as it was first called, utilized a sensor to "feel" the temperature of the bottom of the pan on it. It was a type of infinite control with feedback from the pan. If, for example, you wished to cook vegetables in a covered pan, you would put the pan on the unit, set the control to LO BOIL and walk away. It would use high heat until the stuff was boiling and then cycle the heat to keep the pan's contents boiling until the food was cooked. The first "automatic Calrods" were 6" units. If the range had the Griddle plug on the backsplash, it coupled the Automatic Calrod to the outer ring of the 8' surface unit behind it to get even heat distribution on the griddle with thermal control from the automatic unit. If your Automatic Calrod does not work, it is easy to substitute an infinite switch for the switch and sensor if that is what's bad. That was usually the weak point. The Calrod unit itself generally lasted at least as well as the rest of the surface units.

Later Automatic Calrods were an 8" unit with a coil select for either 6 or 8 inch size. Later, these were marked in degrees Fahrenheit to match settings on electric skillets etc. The SensiTemps had three coil size selections and a GRIDDLE setting which on 40 inch ranges coupled the outer ring of the 8" SensiTemp with the outer ring of the 6" unit behind it for even heating on the griddle. On the 30" ranges, the Griddle setting just used the outer ring of the SensiTemp with the 12 inch square griddle that just sat on the 8 inch unit.

 

[bguzinski]

Thank you, I gleaned more knowledge from your paragraph than I have months of fruitless internet 'researching' and asking about at our old-timey appliance repair shops!

I may just take it all apart and see if there's a loose connection somewhere. It seems that even if the temp-sensor is bad, the coil should still put off heat when turned on - may not be able to regulate it but would get hot. I get nothing from it at all...leads me to believe that maybe it would still function but may be disconnected somewhere..

I've seen the 'Sensi-temp' sensors on ebay and other places, is there a way to retro-fit that unit in and still use the burner as it was intended (temp-sensing)? Or is the only option the infinite switch to eliminate the sensing capabilities?

 

[tomturbomatic]

It's possible that you could find a Robertshaw sensing unit and switch, but I don't know if you could mount it in the old surface unit and you would not be able to use the dial that is on the stove now. Most of these automatic units are wired so that if the sensing part of the circuit goes out, it will not operate at all.