Hidden baking elements (cleaning) (1,069 views)

My ovens have hidden elements, but the bottoms and sides are solid. I agree that seems like a poor design. Is there no way to lift the bottom panel or something? Maybe you should tell them no energy saving feature is a deal breaker and return it if you still can. That sounds like a headache that will only get worse.

Hi Beth,



Thanks for your reply. Really? How does the heat come through then?



Glad to know I'm not the only who thinks so.



I don't think so. I could call Whirlpool back to ask and spend an hour on the phone again, I guess.



Actually, I didn't know anything about the so-called energy-saving feature until I was reading the manual. So, it's not as though I bought the oven for that or anything. But to advertise a feature that doesn't even exist is mind-blowing. I think I'll probably keep it, because I do like a lot of other things about the oven.



I was thinking about maybe putting a metal screen over the vents, because whenever I have nuts/seeds in the oven, I'm using low heat anyway.

I finally "talked" to Whirlpool. I contacted them through their Web form, and they said they would call me in 3 business days. Well, never happened. They didn't call me until about 6 business days later. First off, I asked the guy who called why their instruction manuals are so poor. He told me that when they assemble the manuals, there's a lot of "copying and pasting" involved. In other words, it seems they don't actually read or test what they put in there. Anyway, concerning the vents at the bottom of the oven, he didn't have an answer. He said he'd do some research and then call me back. I said, "When?" He replied, "Probably today." That was on Tuesday, and he never bothered to call back.

So I called up Whirlpool today to find out what was going on. They didn't know why the guy never called me back. Anyway, I was put on hold for a long time about the vents, and then finally told, "Sorry, but we don't have any more information than what is available in the manual." I said, "Did a fifth-grader design this oven or something? Are you telling me that if stuff falls in those vents, there's no possible way to clean it out??" They basically said that they didn't know of one.

Isn't that nice? Anyway, before buying an oven, it's best to look at it in a store if you can. We ordered this oven from Best Buy over the Internet because it had excellent recommendations, but we never actually got to see it until it arrived. Apart from the vents, I like it pretty well, but to not be able to clean stuff that falls inside there (which may end up getting burnt to a crisp) is unbelievable.

Thanks for your sympathy, Karen.  Yes, Whirlpool's service/behavior here has been pretty rotten—we customers deserve so much better.  And to make it even worse, they squelched the product review that I submitted on their Web site! 

Anyway, I guess it's best to view unpleasant situations like this as learning experiences.  One reason I mentioned my experience is so that others won't have to go through the same hassle I did.  I've learned a few lessons here, and hopefully others will too.  There is a lot good about Whirlpool as a company overall, but be careful about ordering one of their ovens at least.  Here's the one I ordered, which had great reviews.  However, based on my entire experience (including the customer service and manuals), I would give the oven only 3 stars:

www.homedepot.com/p/Whirlpool-6-4-cu-ft-Freestanding-Electric-Range-with-True-Convection-in-Stainless-Steel-WFE745H0FS/207107362

And if you don't want a hidden baking element in a new oven, make sure you know exactly what the oven has.  Or if you don't mind a hidden element, at least be extra sure that anything that spills or falls can be easily cleaned—and won't say "lost in space" forever.  I really don't understand why the oven I have didn't just offer a big removable metal plate at the bottom.  That way the element could stay hidden, but still be cleaned easily when necessary. 

LOL - I don’t know either so didn’t comment. Glad u spoke up. Okay people - what is this baking element you speak of?

Hi mcgee,

In the post above, I included a description of a baking element.  Anyway, a "hidden" baking element means that you cannot actually see this hot "wire" in your oven—in my oven, it's hidden beneath the bottom.  Apparently the purpose is to keep messes to a minimum, since food/liquid can fall on the element and get burnt to a crisp.  We've all had to scrub burnt stuff off those elements at one time or another, I think.  However, ovens with hidden baking elements can take a very long time to preheat, as mine does.

So, the problem with my oven is that it has many vents at the bottom that apparently lead to those hidden baking elements.  And small things like peanuts or sunflower seeds (not to mention liquids) can easily fall into those vents and (from what I can tell) get burnt, but there seems to be no way to ever clean such a mess.  Ironically enough, in this case, "easy to clean" seems to be a code word for: "Dude, this stuff will be stuck in your oven for the rest of its life, so just deal with it!!!" 

If anybody really wants me to, I could always take a picture of the vents at the bottom of my oven and post it here—please just speak up if you do. 

No problem, applecrisp1.  I'm not sure how much "thinking" was involved at all in the creation of this oven.    I hope the cheese that dripped in your oven didn't make too much of a mess and you were able to clean it up decently. 

I found this online regarding replacing a Whirlpool heating element. It describes how to reach the element. It sounds as though they don't expect you to need to clean the element. 

www.applianceblog.com/mainforums/threads/59600-GR478LXPB1-Whirlpool-Oven-Hidden-Bake-Element-Replacement

Wow, thanks for finding that, emma.  Not even the representatives at Whirlpool could point me to such instructions!

It definitely sounds like a major undertaking.  But if I ever get in an adventurous mood, it's good to know that such an avenue exists.