Stove died

[MissMillie]

can't believe it. It keeps trying to go into "clean" mode, and then it turns itself off and gives an error message. We've tried resetting it by pressing the buttons suggested in the manual (that didn't work) and also by unplugging it (and that didn't work).

And what ever is wrong with it is affecting the stove top as well.

I managed to get dinner on the table last night, but there's only so much you can do with a microwave and a small toaster oven.

Worst possible month for this to happen. ALL of the yearly bills come in at this time... the vehicle excise taxes, the dog licenses... and let's not forget now is when the heating bills get insane.

Been looking on Craigslist for a used one, but I still don't know how we'd pay for it.

[gab13by13]

1. I suggest going to Google,

put in your stove brand and model and state your problem. Many times I have learned how to fix problems from Googling it.

You may need a new board, check what that costs.

I had a printer that kept saying it couldn't find the printer head. I Googled it and an employee from the company, took it upon himself to spell out a series of buttons to push to get the printer to reset.

It's worth a try.

Maybe there's a Maytag repairman here who can give you better advice?

[Karadeniz]

20. Good idea! My husband finds videos on how to fix things all the time!

[dem4decades]

2. Where about in the country do you live?

[MissMillie]

5. New England

North Central Massachusetts

[PJMcK]

3. Oh, no!

Although I have faith in your culinary abilities with the microwave and toaster oven, MissMillie, it's always a terrible time when your stove doesn't work.

Our stove is fueled by propane and when we built our mountain house, we bought it used for $40! It has given us 2 decades of reasonable service but it has its quirks. The front-right burner almost never lights automatically and we need to use a lighter. When using the oven or broiler, if ANY juices from the food spill onto the inside of the oven, it will set off every smoke alarm in the house. The clock has never worked. Still, we've cooked a great many meals with it.

Alas, all things come to an end and as a mutual Christmas present, the Landlady(!) and I bought a new oven that will be delivered this week. Want our old one? (wink)

Your problem sounds like it might be a software issue. Can you contact the manufacturer or a local distributor? Have you tried YouTube for suggestions? It's amazing the number of repair videos we've watched this year trying to fix things without having service people come to the house.

Good luck!

[MissMillie]

6. Thanks, PJ, but

we're not hooked up for gas or propane. (*wink*)

I get the feeling it IS some sort of software or computer issue. It's a Kenmore. I have a feeling that if we call Sears for help, it will take them a week or two to get here, then they'll charge us $100 just to walk through the door.

A used replacement is probably the best option. I may have found one, but I'll need to be sure it fits into the space where it has to plug in, and then we'll have to figure out what we'll have to do without in order to buy it. (We almost always find a way to make ends meet--it's just that I'm SICK OF THIS!!!)

[SheltieLover]

4. Get an Instant Pot?

They aren't the answer to everything, but I think Walmart has one for $50 or so & they are electric.

So sorry to hear you are having this problem!

I'll ask a repair person a bit later, to see if there might be a simple do it yourself fix.

What brand is stove & how old?

Could just be a faulty knob?

[procon]

7. Try a repair service before buying a new stove.

Sometimes it's an cheap fix, but even if you have to pay more it's still less than a new stove.

[Springerjjhicka]

8. Really good toaster oven

Sorry you're having stove problems we've been there too. Until you can get a stove there are really good toaster ovens for a couple of hundred bucks that air fry too. Good temporary option. You can fix just about anything in one of those.

[Trueblue Texan]

9. Rice cooker to the rescue!

MissMillie, your post reminded me of the book, The Egg and I where the author refers to her monstrous wood-burning cookstove as "Stove." Stove is a minor, but important character in the book.

Until you find an affordable stove, you may be interested to know there are tons of good things you can cook in a rice cooker: Meat loaf, stuffed peppers, chicken and rice, tuna casserole, etc. Just go google it.

[LSFL]

10. Air fryers work great as stop gaps

My soft touch buttons became unusable on my last stove. The part cost half of what a new stove cost. Given that the stove was 23 years old, we made do with a counter top air fryer oven and microwave until we could save for a new stove.

We ended up going to a scratch and dent store and got a really nice Samsung for 500 dollars . The only flaw was the enamel was a bit thin on the very top of the stove. I am work neighbors with the store so that may have saved me some money.

Also try internet classifieds like Facebook's "What ya got (town name)." There is one for most towns or counties. Just be safe if you get one this way. You don't want to end up in a sex dungeon.

Good luck MissMillie.

[CentralMass]

11. Will it actually go into clean mode ?

[MissMillie]

13. Yes,

which I thought would be okay. I figured we'd just let the clean cycle run and that would be it.

But about 5 minutes it, the cleaning mode stops, the door remains locked, and another error message. (I hate to be vague about the error messages, but my guy (Al) was dealing with it and I admit I wasn't paying attention.)

[CentralMass]

15. Ok that's where I was heading. To have you try and let it run

in clean mode for awhile. Is there a timer on the clean mode that is set ?

A generic suggestion was to press and hold the stop or pause button for 3 seconds and that may allow the door to unlock. I'm not sure if you have to let it go into clean mode or not to try that.

[mn9driver]

12. What is the error message?

[MissMillie]

14. My guy would know (he's still in bed)

he was using the owner's manual to work with the error messages and I admit I wasn't paying attention. I'll ask him when he wakes up.

[dreamland]

16. Sounds like it needs a reset. Try turning on and off the circuit breaker for that oven

Turn off breaker switch to oven for 10sec. Turn it on and maybe the computer will reset itself.

[Phoenix61]

17. Check if there is a Habitat Restore in your area.

You can find anything and everything there. Sometimes high-end stuff at incredible prices.

[LunaSea]

18. Sounds like a chip has failed on the control board

Assuming your unit is relatively modern. Find the model number and search "repair" with it and see what turns up.
You might be able to replace the small control board for 60-100 dollars.

You can get a small convection oven for the same price.
(note: an "Air Fryer" is simply a convection over with a higher price.)

[Kali]

19. you can get by with a microwave and toaster oven for a while

I would hunt around for a cheap camp stove for that cooking mode. this is likely a good time of year yo find a used one.

[MagickMuffin]

21. One year we had to use an electric wok and we had a single hot plate used for chemistry

Because we had a gas leak and our gas got turned off until we could afford a plumber to come and fix it.


I would like to also add google for videos, hopefully hubby can fix it.

[TygrBright]

22. You can get a countertop electric burner inexpensively, or even a pair.

With that, the microwave, a good toaster oven, an electric kettle, an Instant Pot and perhaps a countertop grill, you have all cooking modes covered for meal preparation for two people.

It's a stopgap, of course, but you can get by for quite a while and tabletop/countertop burners can be had for anywhere in the $50 - $100 range.

helpfully,
Bright

[Mr.Bill]

23. When we had power outages,

we used a cast iron frying pan on the small propane grill we have on the deck. It really worked well. We cooked breakfast on it. Fried eggs, bacon and hash browns.

[Vinca]

24. Does it have one of those miserable digital number pad thingies instead of old-fashioned

controls? Ours has died twice and when it does you're left at the whims of the broken pad for what you can do. I buy new number pad parts online and a guy has come both times to hook it up. There are videos out there to do it yourself, but I figured it was over my head. The stove works fine after it's replaced. The guy told me this happens because the pad is affected by cleaning products. Whatever. If it happens again this sucker's gone in any case. As a backup I bought a toaster oven, plus we have the microwave.

[dem in texas]

25. Electric Skillet

Our house was struck by lighting years back. Blew out our A/C. Dryer and Stove. Had to have the AC fixes $$$$$. plus a new dryer. so no money for new stove. Bought the elctiric skillet from Walmart, really liked. Got new stove but I am still using the electric skillet.