Dan O. -- Sunday, 29 December 2002, at 9:17 p.m.
: I have a GE electric oven that is at least 15
: years old. The surface elements work, but I
: thought I heard sometime back about a test
: you could do to see if they needed replacing
: ... i.e. bringing ? amount of water to boil
: in ? amount of time?? Or is there another
: method to determine if they are up to speed?
An element either works or it doesn't, they will not loose there heating ability over time. If they are removable plug-in elements, their receptacles can cause heating problems though (as described at the link at the bottom of the page), which could produce slower cooking results than they should.
If the elements will never get red hot and a defective plug-in receptacle is not the cause, it could be the result of a bad switch or if you're in an apartment, it could only be supplied with 208 volts instead of the 240 volts most ranges require.
The cookware used on them also has a bearing on how well they work. For best results pots or pans with absolutely flat bottoms that contact the element fully should be used as well as ones made of a good conductor and that are not tarnished from use.
Dan O.
Appliance411
The Appliance Information Site
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