1) We commonly get a frantic call from a client stating, “I spilled water on my stove” or “I just cleaned my stove and now it won’t stop clicking”.
First thing to do is to cut power to the unit, unplug it or turn off the circuit breaker. Most likely moisture has gotten down into one of the igniter switches. Provided it did not get completely damaged, leaving the power off for a few days will allow the switch to dry out and then operate properly. If it still clicks when power is restored, you will need a qualified technician to replace the damaged component.
2) Some of the stove top burners don’t always light or never light at all.
If the flame is uneven when it does light, chances are, the burner ring or cap is not properly aligned. This changes the gas flow across the igniter and will cause a delay in the ignition. Turn off the burner and align the pieces properly.
It is extremely important the burner pieces are kept clean. Normal cooking will allow grease and residue to build up creating an insulator. If you have a boil over it is extremely important to thoroughly clean all the burner pieces.
3) Oven Temperature – Things are not cooking in the right amount of time or the turkey was in for several hours and still did not cook.
Regardless of what your owner’s manual says for your oven we, at DeserTech Appliance Service, have found the ovens we service that have been produced in the last 15 to 20 years require at least 30 minutes of preheat. One manufacturer specifically states their oven requires 45 minutes to preheat to 350.
We are often called after Thanksgiving or Christmas with the problem of a turkey not cooking and 90% of the time the temperature is right where it should be. Here are a few reasons for this:
A) It’s natural, there is a lot of pressure to cook the “perfect” turkey for your guests, therefore people are constantly poking, prodding, touching, basting the bird, not realizing each time they do this they open the door for several seconds to several minutes, allowing a lot of the heat to escape and the oven is then trying to constantly recover to the set temperature. If your oven happens to have “hidden” elements the recovery time is even longer.
B) Not allowing the turkey to come to room temperature before placing it in the oven or stuffing it with stuffing that may have just come out of the refrigerator, adds more mass inside the turkey causing the cooking time to be increased.
C) One of our favorite requests: “The oven works great for me, but my friend, sister, or brother-in-law is a fantastic cook/chef and they said there is something wrong with my oven”. Keep in mind all ovens are slightly different in operation and they are just not used to how your oven operates or it is very possible their oven temperature is not correct and they unknowingly have adapted their recipes to the way it cooks.
Of course if you are certain there is something wrong, we are more than happy to come out and check its operation and calibration.
