Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Oven Repair

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A couple months ago the latching mechanism on our oven broke and the oven door would not stay shut. That makes it hard to cook. I was able to solve the problem on a temporary basis by propping the door shut with a small board.

Oven door propped shut.

Although this method worked, it was a pain to put the board back in place each time you opened the oven door. So I went on line and ordered a replacement latch. Today I fixed the oven. Here's how.

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After turning off the power I removed the oven door and then unscrewed the oven from the cabinet and pulled it out. I set it on some 2x4s so as not to damage the floor.

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I had to remove part of the frame (the dark metal strip on the left) to get at the latch.

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The metal brace came off after removing lots of screws. I arranged the screws on the floor in the same pattern they were located on the oven. Great system as long as no one kicks them out of place.

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Now with the side of the oven pulled away I could get at the latch. Out came the oud broken latch.

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The old latch and broken part are in the top of the photo and the new replacement latch is on the right.

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After replacing the latch and reassembling the oven I gave it a good cleaning and got it all ready for Thanksgiving tomorrow. Total time for the repair, a little over three hours. It will be a pleasure cooking now that the door works!

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