Oh My - Cracked Glass in Oven Door

blueyedgirl5946

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So today I have been baking since it was too cold to do anything else. Thirty minutes ago, I notice the inner glass on the oven door is cracked all the way across. The stove is a GE self cleaning, convection oven, ceramic cook top that was purchased new in May 2002 when we built our home. The appliance repairman says $183 for the part and $90 to install it. Now I am wondering if I want to invest this in a 14 year old stove. Input needed here dear Cat Site friends.
 

jcat

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At that age, the stove is probably pretty much on its last legs. You might put all that money in a repair, only to have something else go in the next year or two.
We're in the same boat with ours (bought in 2001). The convection setting isn't working, but repairing it would cost about 1/2 as much as a new stove. When something else stops working properly, we'll replace the whole thing.
 

starryeyedtiger

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Replace it. Given the age of your unit, it'd be wiser to replace it and invest in a new one.

We just replaced ours a few months ago. Sign up for Lowe's & Home Depot coupons, and shop around for prices; we got an excellent deal because of a Labor Day sale. We looked at outlets, Best Buy, and a few other stores, but Lowes by far had the best price and a good deal on delivery/instillation, so we went with them. (Also, Lowes and Home Depot price match, so keep that In mind when looking if you find a better deal at one store, but the other has better delivery/instillation options.)

We replaced ours because the glass cooktop was cracked and dangerous, and 3/4 of the burners didn't work. We replaced our old unit with a GE Adora electric one instead. It works very well! The model we have has 5 burners (various sizes), a touch keypad in the center for the oven, and the oven has convection. I've cooked everything from roasted turkey to lasagnas in it, and it works very well. The only gripe that I have is that the burner used for boiling doesn't have the best temperature control: it seems to either be boiling, or not on at all. Other than that, the other burners work very well as does the oven. It was reasonably priced too. It comes clean fairly well with glass top cleaner.

We also looked at LG's and a few other models as well. If you want a reasonably priced unit that will work well, is look at the GE's and the LG's. Also, we were told to stay away from Kenmores as they have a lot of complaints and problems. We didn't need to be convinced, since our broken unit was a Kenmore, and it was less than 5 yrs old! Never again!

My advice is measure your pots and pans and know the diameter of them to take along with you when you shop. Also, part of the reason we chose the new unit, is the surface doesn't show fingerprints and grime like some of the other models did. I do an equal amount of stovetop and oven cooking, so I measured the cookware I normally use to make sure it would fit comfortably into the units I looked at in store. I really like the GE Adora that we decided on.
 
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Winchester

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That happened to me about six years ago. We replaced the stove as it was quite old and I got it third-hand (from my mom who got it from my brother). I was upset about it, but we replaced the stove. At that age, it's not really worth repairing.

We replaced it with a GE Profile with a double oven. I like it. One of its features is the Dough Proof cycle, which is wonderful in our cooler kitchen. 

(Remember that if you're close to a Home Depot or a Lowes, they will--or should--meet other stores' bargains. When we bought our fridge, we found it over $1,000 cheaper at an HH Gregg. Lowes matched the price and still delivered it free. It never hurts to ask. Good luck!)
 
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blueyedgirl5946

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This looks like three votes to kick it out the door to me. I wasn't expecting this right now. We just bought a new washer and a new car. But I wasn't thinking about something when I talked to the repair man. The last time I ran the clean cycle, which was this winter, when I was done, I noticed brown discoloration between the two glass panes in the door. I kept intending to call and ask, but it has been so hectic around here, to tell the truth, I forgot it., Now I am wondering if it is a broken seal around the glass that caused the glass to break, which would add more to the repair bill.
 

jcat

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Our stuff always tends to break down around the same time. We had to replace our washer, dryer, dishwasher and stove within a few months back in 2001. Now that our stove is giving us trouble, I'm half expecting the other appliances to start, too. I suspect that today's appliances have some sort of built-in self-destruct mechanism. :lol3:
 

asherdash

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You might want to look for a "scratch and dent" store in your area. One of my past apartments had a very nice brand new fridge the owner bought really cheap because it had a small black scratch on top.
 

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I agree with replacing it, if it's in the budget. Once a part breaks, it seems other parts start going, too. We had a really old (30 years or so) stove / oven that came with the house and I had a lot of problems with it - it got to where a chicken would sometimes take 90 minutes to roast, sometimes more than 2-1/2 hours. The repair person said there were 3 things wrong with the stove and one of them was a serious fire hazard. One of the heating elements had some kind of connection problem and would just get hotter and hotter. He said it could have easily started a fire, so it was replaced right away. Your stove sounds a lot nicer than ours and more expensive to replace, but I'm really wary of fire-producing things in the house that are old and starting to have problems. 

If you don't want to replace it, please make sure the repair person does a thorough check to make sure it's in good shape.
 
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Winchester

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My co-worker bought a  new Samsung white stove with black glass top for about $800 at Lowes with free delivery. He says it has everything, even features he doesn't think he'll use. Five burners with the large burner in two diameters (I think they were 9-inch and 12-inch) and including a warming burner, self-cleaning oven, dough proofing feature, three oven racks, convection, etc. He said that this was the stove he wanted. Lowes is bringing it in on Feb 1 as it was a Special Order. 

He said he checked around online at the other area stores and Lowes had the best deal for him.

The reason I'm mentioning this is because you would spend almost $300 to have your old stove repaired and it's 14 years old. And that's if the seal is OK. If it's not  OK (and I'm thinking your repair person would have caught it if it was bad), that's even more money. So you're talking about 1/3 of the cost of a new stove. If you have the money, go for it. If not, well, then fixing it is a good option. Or, if you can do without a stove for right now (slow cookers, electric frying pan, grill, microwave, etc), then go without while you're saving up for a new stove.
 
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blueyedgirl5946

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I made a mistake when I said my stove is 14 years old. I bought it in May 2002. It was installed in the house we were building later that year. We didn't move in until '03. My stove has actually been cooked on for eleven years. I haven't had any problems with the glass cook top, the self clean cycle, the convection oven or the regular oven or burners. This issue is a cosmetic one. It is a GE Profile Spectra, which was and still is part of their top of the line range. We bought it on a drastic clearance sale at Lowe's.

Anyway we went to Sears and Lowe's yesterday. Sears charge $70 to deliver. Lowe's delivery is free. I didn't find anything I liked at Sears. Then we went to Lowe's. I was thinking if I had to, I could get just the basis ceramic cook top with a self cleaning oven and that I can live without the convection cooking. I do like it however and use it frequently. I couldn't find a GE. I looked at Whirlpool, Maytag, which is now made by Whirlpool, Samsung, LG, Frigidaire and maybe some others. A big thing is I don't like the storage drawers. Most of them have no handle. or ledge type lip which makes it easy to put your hand there and open the drawer. Most of them fitted snug with the oven and you would pinch fingers trying to open it. Many of them were not sturdy feeling and would not slide in and out easily. The ovens now have two racks, not three. I don't like the five burners on the top. Many of them didn't have the true self clean feature, but the steam clean feature where you pour in a cup of water and turn on the oven. Nothing seemed to match the quality of what I have in my kitchen. I told hubby I was frustrated and ready to go home.

Then I decided to stop back at Sears and take a quick look again. He waited in the car. When I went over to the appliances, a man wearing the Sears badge walked up to me and said I am going to help you. I told him the situation of what had happened to my range and my level of frustration. He said he was an appliance technician and had been for thirteen years. He told me the average life expectancy of an appliance now is 15 years with one repair. I am four years away from that. Then he said he tells people that the quality of the appliances on the market now is not the same as older model appliances because of government input and regulations. Most of the time he said people have a better product than what they can buy new and he advises folks to fix them if it is within reason. He said you already have a top of the line product in your kitchen that has caused you no problems with actual cooking issues. If it were his, he said he would spend the money and fix it. Then he really blew my mind because he said to me that The Lord is going to give you what you need because you have been praying about it. Remember, I never saw this person before yesterday. He could not have known how I would even receive such a statement. I told him I thought the Lord jput him there at that particular time to help me get my mind at peace about what to do.

So II am going to try again in the morning to get my repair person on the phone, discuss the issue about the discoloration between the glass panes to get his opinion if this could have had any bearing on why the glass broke. Then we will make a decision for real what we are going to do. Right now, I think we both are leaning toward making the repair if this issue doesn't add another part and cost to what he told us Friday. I don't want to preach here, but I truly do believe I had some divine help::nod:
 
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natalie_ca

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She used it a lot and made all of our clothes and coats. When she died in 1978, the machine went to me.I really only used it for little things such as hems, fixing seams and making curtains etc until 1990  when I started to get seriously into sewing and started to make my own clothes and tailoring for others. 

I was having problems with the tension and took it to the Singer store for repair.  Turns out all that was needed was a good cleaning, some oil and a new presser foot. I think the total came to  around sixty something dollars. 

I looked around and some of the newer machines that were computerized, and talked about a possible trade in of my Singer 411.

The sales guy could have taken advantage of the situation, but he was honest and told me that I had in my possession, probably what was Singer's best ever Sewing machine. By the way,  I know the year my Mom bought it because he looked up the information from her purchase. I thought that was so cool!   Anyway,  said that in all the time I (and my Mom) had this machine, that it only cost sixty something dollars to maintain and that the average life of a machine sold today is about 3 to 5 years with regular use.

So I still have my little work horse though I still would like a computerized machine, but I'll still hang onto the Singer 411 because it can actually sew through leather and thick seams!

So your sales guy is right, they don't make things like they used to and if you have something of quality, it's always better to invest in the repair.  You can't get a new oven for $150, and once repaired, your oven is likely to last you much longer than 5 more years.
 
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blueyedgirl5946

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Sage advice!  My Singer sewing machine repairman told me the very same thing! 

My sewing machine was my Mom's. She bought it in 1963. 





She used it a lot and made all of our clothes and coats. When she died in 1978, the machine went to me.I really only used it for little things such as hems, fixing seams and making curtains etc until 1990  when I started to get seriously into sewing and started to make my own clothes and tailoring for others. 

I was having problems with the tension and took it to the Singer store for repair.  Turns out all that was needed was a good cleaning, some oil and a new presser foot. I think the total came to  around sixty something dollars. 

I looked around and some of the newer machines that were computerized, and talked about a possible trade in of my Singer 411.

The sales guy could have taken advantage of the situation, but he was honest and told me that I had in my possession, probably what was Singer's best ever Sewing machine. By the way,  I know the year my Mom bought it because he looked up the information from her purchase. I thought that was so cool!   Anyway,  said that in all the time I (and my Mom) had this machine, that it only cost sixty something dollars to maintain and that the average life of a machine sold today is about 3 to 5 years with regular use.


So I still have my little work horse though I still would like a computerized machine, but I'll still hang onto the Singer 411 because it can actually sew through leather and thick seams!


So your sales guy is right, they don't make things like they used to and if you have something of quality, it's always better to invest in the repair.  You can't get a new oven for $150, and once repaired, your oven is likely to last you much longer than 5 more years.

Thanks Natalie. You just boosted my confidence. While talking to this sales guy, I told him the aggravating situation I had when my 22 year old Maytag washer quit. Thinking I could just replace with another Maytag, I made the decision to put the old one out the door. I replaced it with a Maytag and then learned they are no longer Maytags but made by Whirlpool. I bought a matching set, the new high efficiency one and discovered it would not wash the soap out of the clothes. After much fussing and probably high blood pressure dealing with it, I called Lowe's to come get it, put my six year old Amana dryer back in the laundry room and finally found a Speed Queen washer with an agitator. The salesman said he only has one washer now with an agitator that he can sell to a customer and in a years time it will no longer be available. I have decided that I am doing the right thing to listen to this person who gave me the benefit of his good experience. I do think there are some honest people left in the world.
 
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