Hidden baking elements (cleaning) (992 views)
neptune
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Post by neptune on Feb 5, 2018 15:32:36 GMT -5
I recently got a new electric range—a Whirlpool. Incidentally, my old range went out at about 11 p.m. on Dec. 23, so I wasn't able to even cook a turkey for Christmas. (Then Home Depot was supposed to deliver a new one in time for New Year's, but they stood us up. Well, we kicked them to the curb real fast.) And several years ago, my old, old range went out I think the day before Thanksgiving. What is it about these ranges—do they purposely go out over the holidays just to spite you??? 
Anyway, this new Whirlpool has a hidden baking element. That sounded cool at first. But recently I was toasting some pumpkin seeds and peanuts in the oven on some baking sheets, and I ended up spilling some. I think a couple or a few might have fallen into the little vents at the sides of the bottom of the oven, which lead to the hidden baking element. Why do I think that? Well, because whenever I turn the oven on, I get kind of a burning smell, and I can't see anything. 
I did a search on the Web about cleaning stuff that's gotten trapped in the vents, but I found absolutely nothing. Surely other folks have had this problem as well. Crumbs, nuts, etc., can easily fall into those vents. Even worse, what if someone accidentally spilled grease or some other liquid that ended up seeping into those vents?
Personally, I think it's bad design. I would rather have the regular baking elements, not the hidden ones, but I had never heard of the hidden kind before getting this oven. Anyway, is there any reasonable way to clean stuff that falls into those little vents? Thanks for any info.
Incidentally, the instruction manual for the oven is shockingly poor. They don't tell you how to use so many of the features. Then if you call up Whirlpool, they don't know either—in fact, one of the representatives suggested I do a search on YouTube to find out more!!!
Here's an example. The instruction manual describes "Energy Save" mode in a couple of different places. But it never tells you how to turn it on. So, I called up Whirlpool to ask them. I was on the phone for over an hour with them—no joke. They told me to try various things, which didn't work. Then at the very end, they finally said, "Well, I guess this oven doesn't actually have that advertised feature after all!!!!" Can you believe that??? I guess nobody actually reads the instruction manuals before they get published.
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Post by beth on Feb 5, 2018 16:33:30 GMT -5
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.
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Post by karenw on Feb 5, 2018 18:55:40 GMT -5
Ditto what Beth said....my oven has a hidden bottom element but the bottom is solid (no vents etc...) so there has never been an issue with food falling into vents or clean up. I would ask where you purchased or call customer service for whirlpool to see if you might get some answers. and the burning smell may just be because it is a new oven. That is pretty common in the beginning but should go away with continued use as long as that is the cause. Good luck.
Karen
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neptune
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Post by neptune on Feb 7, 2018 23:17:57 GMT -5
Hi Beth, My ovens have hidden elements, but the bottoms and sides are solid. 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.
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neptune
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Post by neptune on Feb 7, 2018 23:24:25 GMT -5
Hi Karen, Ditto what Beth said....my oven has a hidden bottom element but the bottom is solid (no vents etc...) so there has never been an issue with food falling into vents or clean up. Thanks for your reply. That's interesting that neither your oven nor Beth's has any kind of vents. Yeah, I think I might have to call them, even though they'll probably tell me again to just go search YouTube.  Their attitude seems to be, "Oh, we don't know anything at all about the oven—we just work here."  Well, in the very beginning, it had a different "chemical" sort of smell. The instructions said to run the oven at 375 degrees or so for 30 minutes before the first use to get rid of that smell, which I did. This smell seems more like burnt nuts/seeds. Thanks—when it comes to dealing with Whirlpool, looks like I'm definitely going to need it! 
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neptune
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Post by neptune on Feb 15, 2018 21:19:40 GMT -5
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. 
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Post by karenw on Feb 16, 2018 19:05:24 GMT -5
That sucks about their customer service. Sorry you had to go through this with no answers. So inexcusable!
Karen
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neptune
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Post by neptune on Feb 19, 2018 1:21:04 GMT -5
That sucks about their customer service. Sorry you had to go through this with no answers. So inexcusable! 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/207107362And 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.
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applecrisp1
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Post by applecrisp1 on Feb 20, 2018 16:20:12 GMT -5
neptune -- I'm not even sure what a baking element is.. but that sounds really annoying. Just thought I would throw out this idea... i've heard when someone is not getting anywhere with a company, that sometimes posting something on their facebook page etc. or other social media. I guess the comment being "out there" often motivates them to respond/find the answer. And give the consumer perhaps more of a platform.
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Post by mcgee on Feb 20, 2018 21:30:33 GMT -5
neptune -- I'm not even sure what a baking element is... LOL - I don’t know either so didn’t comment. Glad u spoke up. Okay people - what is this baking element you speak of?
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neptune
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Post by neptune on Mar 4, 2018 0:12:29 GMT -5
neptune -- I'm not even sure what a baking element is.. but that sounds really annoying. Just thought I would throw out this idea... i've heard when someone is not getting anywhere with a company, that sometimes posting something on their facebook page etc. or other social media. I guess the comment being "out there" often motivates them to respond/find the answer. And give the consumer perhaps more of a platform. Hi applecrisp1, Sorry it has taken me so long to see your post. A baking element—voilà! www.bing.com/images/search?q=%22baking+element%22&FORM=HDRSC2It's just a fancy name for the long metal thing in your oven that gets red-hot. Thanks for the good point about the FB page—yes, my sister works for a power company, and she said that sometimes disgruntled customers will do that, getting some attention they wouldn't otherwise receive. So, I'll keep your suggestion in mind should I feel the need to contact Whirlpool again.
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neptune
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Post by neptune on Mar 4, 2018 0:24:32 GMT -5
neptune -- I'm not even sure what a baking element is... 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. 
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applecrisp1
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Post by applecrisp1 on Mar 11, 2018 19:54:16 GMT -5
Thanks neptune for the info. Weird, you'd think they would have thought about things falling thru. Uh, like the cheese that dripped in my oven when silly me was heating up some pizza right on the rack.
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neptune
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Post by neptune on Mar 16, 2018 22:01:20 GMT -5
Thanks neptune for the info. Weird, you'd think they would have thought about things falling thru. Uh, like the cheese that dripped in my oven when silly me was heating up some pizza right on the rack. 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.
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Post by emma on Mar 17, 2018 11:40:19 GMT -5
I realize that this was not your main question, but you did mention the Energy Save feature of the oven. Appliances (washers, dryers, refrigerators, freezers, even light bulbs) are designed and engineered to use less energy. The feature is built-in and is not something that can be turned on and off.
I can't quite picture nuts or seeds landing and balancing on a rod and burning each time the oven is turned on. If they fell under the element, the seeds will eventually burn to an ash. Is your oven self-cleaning, or does it have a cleaning cycle? If there is a cleaning cycle, try using that. Don't be alarmed, if there is a high heat odor.
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Post by emma on Mar 17, 2018 17:39:55 GMT -5
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neptune
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Post by neptune on Apr 6, 2018 23:54:18 GMT -5
I realize that this was not your main question, but you did mention the Energy Save feature of the oven. Appliances (washers, dryers, refrigerators, freezers, even light bulbs) are designed and engineered to use less energy. The feature is built-in and is not something that can be turned on and off. Hi emma, I was last on this board a couple of weeks ago, but for some reason I never saw your post. Sorry about that! Concerning Energy Save mode, a couple of points: 1) Here's what the manual says: "When oven is not in use, the time of day is displayed, unless the range is in Energy Save mode. During Energy Save mode, the display will be blank." That seems to imply that it can be turned on or off, and the customer-service reps took it that way too. 2) The manual is incorrect—turns out there is no Energy Save mode for this oven. So, the point is actually moot. That's a good point. But if you just left the ash alone, could it still cause a burning smell, I wonder? Apparently it has a cleaning cycle using "AquaLift self-cleaning technology," whatever that is. Actually, in reading reviews of the oven, I've come across so many that said, "Don't bother using the cleaning cycle—it doesn't work!!!"  Thanks for the suggestion. But I get the impression that the cleaning is for the internal part of the oven only, not anything underneath the floor of the oven. And so far, the internal part of the oven is already super-clean.
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neptune
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Post by neptune on Apr 6, 2018 23:59:11 GMT -5
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. 
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hollylokki
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Post by hollylokki on Jun 30, 2019 6:36:58 GMT -5
Well, if you have somany problems with the reading of instruction and further cleaning of the device, may be it is better to ask, for instance, EMOP to assist you? They will clean not only it, but all the kitchen or even a flat, if necessary. During the time you are working with it, for example.
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