Armed Polite Society
Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: zxcvbob on May 16, 2024, 03:16:05 PM
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We have a 20-something year old Kenmore gas range. The oven thermostat is *expletive deleted*it, and so is the oven insulation, but I really like the stovetop. (sealed burners, and it has a tiny "simmer" burner and a big "turbo" or "quick boil" burner in addition to two normal sized burners. A couple of weeks ago I pulled it out from the wall to clean under it, and ever since I pushed it back we've had an intermittent natural gas leak smell in the kitchen. I figured there's a small crack in the flexible line. I called the gas company and they sent someone out with a sniffer and said the flex line is fine but I need to replace it anyway because it's so old. It's leaking at one of the fittings at the stove itself, and maybe one or both of the left-side burner valves are leaking. He detected NG at both both of the left burners, but the NG inlet is also on the left side so it could just be seeping up from that.
We're using this as an excuse to shop for a new stove (one with a much better oven) but I don't want to be in too big a hurry for that.
I went to Home Depot and to Best Buy to look for a new flexible gas line. I took the old one with me; it's 2 feet long and has 5/8" flare fittings on both ends. Home Depot had a huge selection of flex hoses but none were even close to matching what I need. Best Buy sells appliances, and they sell cords for electric stoves but no hoses for gas stoves. They also charge about $250 to hook up a stove ($350 if it's propane), and that probably has a lot to do with them not selling the hoses 😡 When I do buy a new stove I'll have to install it myself anyway because the shutoff is directly under the stove in the basement instead of behind the stove where the installers want it, and I like it where it is because it's quickly accessible.
I haven't been to Menard's to look for a hose yet. I'll probably just buy a 3/4" x 36" NG hose from Amazon and plan on needing to buy adapters.
I'm assuming self-cleaning stoves are insulated better than regular ones since they heat up to about 600 degrees. So I'm looking for self-cleaning even tho' I may never use that feature. But the main contenders among the new stoves I'm looking at have "steam self cleaning" where you dump a cup of water in the bottom before running the clean cycle. Also they don't have a latch on the door so apparently it doesn't run hot enough to be an explosion hazard like old-fashioned self-cleaning ovens. I have no idea what that implies about the insulation or lack thereof.
This is the stove I'll probably get if (when) we get a new one. Wife has been wanting an air fryer even tho' she never cooks. I'd rather it was white, because appliances are supposed to be white damnit. But black and stainless is acceptable. https://www.bestbuy.com/site/ge-5-0-cu-ft-freestanding-gas-convection-range-with-self-steam-cleaning-and-no-preheat-air-fry-stainless-steel/6488852.p?skuId=6488852
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That looks similar to my gas stove. Mine is not GE, but I am drawing a blank on what brand it is. Prices have gone up.
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That looks similar to my gas stove. Mine is not GE, but I am drawing a blank on what brand it is. Prices have gone up.
I looked at a Whirlpool today and it's basically the same stove except the high-output burner is on the left, and the air fryer tray is included. I suspect GE, Whirlpool, Frigidaire, and Kenmore (if Kenmore still exists) are all made in the same factory, and parts are interchangeable. A GE stove that I saw at Home Depot today for the same price looked exactly like the one I linked but didn't have the convection fan, and the broiler was underneath where you have to stand on your head to use it.
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If you can afford it, Bluestar is awesome.
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Bluestar does look awesome, but it's too rich for me. I just ordered this one: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/whirlpool-5-0-cu-ft-gas-range-with-air-fry-for-frozen-foods-stainless-steel/6471516.p?skuId=6471516
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Can't help with the stove, FL is not big on gas.
On the hoses: They are hard to get for indoor appliances in the big box (idoit frequented) stores because of liability. If Cletus blows up his trailer, cousin Darla is going to sue Home Depot that sold him the gas l8ne. I've had issues finding lines like that for Army equipment because Noone wants to risk it. If you have a commercial restaurant supply house, or a business that makes (like still cuts hoses and crimps fittings on site) in your town, they can get you what you need without needing extra fittings and connections.
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If I had more time and was better organized there's a chance I have the hose you need ... somewhere.
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Mine is Frigidaire. Refrigerator also. Both are several years old and have done good service.
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You want a NEW gas stove?
EARTH RAPIST!
Self-cleaning ovens get a lot hotter than 600 deg. Normally they run upwards 800 to 900 degrees.
And yeah, the insulation tends to be a lot better on self-cleaning stoves.
I have an earlier electric GE (2016 model) that is comparable to the one you're looking at. Mine is solid surface (glass top).
I like it quite a bit.
It also has the steam clean (for light duty cleaning in between full cleaning cycles) but I've never used that, and I think I've only used the regular cleaning cycle once, as I really don't use my oven all that often.
Hint... Don't leave your oven racks in the oven when you do the cleaning cycle. It won't harm them, but it does something to the chrome finish and makes them... coarse. They're no longer slick.
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Whoops, missed the fact that you went with a Whirlpool.
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Even if Kenmore stoves were still around, I wouldn't have bought one - even before Sears folded, Kenmore large appliances were featured in Design News magazine's "Made By Monkeys" column numerous times.
It wasn't always that way - a long time ago our freestanding kitchen gas stove was a Kenmore. Upper and lower ovens, a filter vent fan on top, and 4 burners on a pull-out tray. (You'd pull the tray out to access the rear 2 burners.) One of the best stoves made. How long ago was this? Well, it was in the "hot" color for the time, avocado green. :rofl:
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At one time Kenmore appliances were considered to be the absolute gold standard.
Kenmore was a marketing name by Sears, with the appliances being made by a number of manufacturers.
My Kenmore microwave, which I bought in 1989, was made by Sharpe. The thing is still going strong.
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Kenmore stoves when I worked at Sears were usually made by GE
Refrigerators by Whirlpool
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The first three numbers in a Kenmore model number give you the manufacture. Like 110.whatever is Whirlpool laundry. Kenmore has never made anything.
The steam might help because I never saw a gas oven that would get hot enough to self-clean properly.
For the hose, check for a small hardware store or an appliance parts store. Most will sell to retail. I got my butt kicked this week rebuilding a flooded furnace and didn't see this or I could have had one drop shipped to you.
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I'm pretty lucky to have a good appliance guy in town.
Super nice and helpful. Will never upsell anything. Does the service calls.
Keith costs a few extra dollars, not many, and is worth it.
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"Keith costs a few extra dollars, not many, and is worth it."
And his store is an absolutely fascinating museum of old appliances and associated items. I like going in there just to poke around and chat with him.
When I finally move down there I'll be getting my appliances from him.
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At one time Kenmore appliances were considered to be the absolute gold standard.
FWIW, I still have and use a Kenmore canister vacuum cleaner that's about 42 years old. I've replaced a few parts like the belt in the power head, but it still sucks well.
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I'm pretty lucky to have a good appliance guy in town.
Super nice and helpful. Will never upsell anything. Does the service calls.
Keith costs a few extra dollars, not many, and is worth it.
Very few things on a stove that can't be DIY fixed fairly easily. As far as the other appliances newer dishwashers are pushing it and microwave ovens are pretty much disposable nowadays with parts often costing as much or more than buying a new one. With refrigerators it depends on the problem with some of the newer one competing with cars in being repair unfriendly.
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New stove was delivered today. I installed it myself to save over $250. Here's the weird part; I managed to hook it up without *any* trips to Ace Hardware or Home Depot. I had all the right fittings. It didn't go perfectly smoothly, of course, I had a lot of trouble getting the old fittings off the copper gas line. (5/8" flare to 3/4" IP, a 3/4" pipe nipple, and a IP to flare fitting that looked the same size as my new hose but it wasn't.) I couldn't break the pipe nipple loose, and I didn't want to just put a coupling on the end because that many fittings would look stupid. So I backed up one fitting and took it apart at the copper line -- I had wanted to leave that joint alone. I took the fitting tree to the garage where I could break it apart in a vise. I reused the 5/8 to 3/4 IP adapter, and it worked with the fittings that came with the new hose.
After hooking everything up I sprayed all the joints with soapy water to check for leaks and they seem to be fine. The soapy water was really too thin, so if Wife says she smells gas I'll need to do it again with some thicker soap, or go buy one of those $30 bionic noses.
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Here's the weird part; I managed to hook it up without *any* trips to Ace Hardware or Home Depot. I had all the right fittings.
Be afraid. Be very afraid.
Brad
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Here's the weird part; I managed to hook it up without *any* trips to Ace Hardware or Home Depot. I had all the right fittings.
Normally this would endanger your Man Card. However, since you were able to make do with parts already on hand and not break anything, you get a pass.
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"The soapy water was really too thin"
If you have ANY doubts mix up a new batch of soapy water and test it again.
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"The soapy water was really too thin"
If you have ANY doubts mix up a new batch of soapy water and test it again.
I have doubts about the effectiveness of my soapy water. I don't have any doubts about the joints being leak-free. Thanks.
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So why did you even bother with the soapy water, then, if you have no doubt about the joints?
Sorry, but your logic is flawed.
I just hope it's not fatally flawed.
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Just light a candle and leave it on top of the stove.
I wouldn't think it would take much soap to cause the mixture to bubble on a leak. Are you using Dawn dish soap or something similar?
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So why did you even bother with the soapy water, then, if you have no doubt about the joints?
Sorry, but your logic is flawed.
I just hope it's not fatally flawed.
I know my logic is flawed :laugh: The weak soapy water would show a significant leak (although I don't know how there would be a big leak) Yes, I should have mixed up some water and real soap instead of using a handy bottle of spray cleaner, or just skipped that step. I have faith in the joints and more importantly there is no gas smell.
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(https://tse3.mm.bing.net/th/id/OIP._e-kfPen9tDACaybVKAB5wHaMH?rs=1&pid=ImgDetMain)