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Grrrr... Fault code on my E'lux induction range during self clean

pudgybaby
12 years ago

Very angry.

I ran the self-clean feature on my Electrolux over for the first time today. I chose the 3-hour 'medium' cycle. I did all the prep as instructed in the manual. The cycle did not finish, but displayed 'F10' or 'F11' sometime after 2 hours but before 3 hours. The oven lights came on. I can't remember if it was F10 or F11 (kicking myself for not writing it down!), but I hit the cancel button and it went to F15. At that point I called E'lux customer service. The guy actually told me that it might not be a problem. What? That it might just go away if I kill power to the range, which I did. Still has the F15 code. Also, the oven door is locked, but it's still really hot.

Of course I took delivery on it 13 months ago.

The E'lux customer service guy told me that they would cover the parts if a repair was needed, but not the installation cost.

Does anyone have any advice on what to do? Has this happened to anyone?

TIA

Comments (24)

  • dodge59
    12 years ago

    I suspect that the original error which was probably f11 was caused by a tripped thermal fuse. Error F15 (on some model ovens) is said to be caused by a faulty control board, but I would try resetting that fuse first, On the ovens it is a red button you press, be sure to DISCONNECT the range from POWER FIRST.

    More than likely this resettable fuse is in a different location than it was on the oven where I got this info, so if you post the model # of the range, I can check for any posts about the possible location of the fuse on your range.

    Anyway click below, so see that switch and the write up about same.

    Good Luck!!

    Gary

    Here is a link that might be useful: Thermal Fuse on Elux Oven

  • attofarad
    12 years ago

    Still really hot? After how long? If it is still heating, I would shut off the circuit breaker to try to prevent more damage.

    Not sure whether this one applies (see link), but it may.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Some Elux tech manual

  • dodge59
    12 years ago

    For $50, I would let the service company fix it, but watch what they do to fix it, that way if there is ever a reoccurence of the problem, (and we hope there never is), at least you or Hubby will then know how to fix it, or at least you will know if it is something you even want to attempt?

    Good Luck with the repair!

    Gary

  • weedmeister
    12 years ago

    IIRC, the door won't open until it cools down.

    Dodge is referencing a wall oven. Yours is a range.

    The door latch will not release with just cycling the power. If you tried to force the door, the latch may have failed. Let the service company look at it.

  • chac_mool
    12 years ago

    Pudgybaby, with regard to your model number, EW30IS65JS:

    There have been reports here of different problems with some early models of this range -- I think having to do with the timers' display, so maybe also related to an early control board (that's just a guess). [If you search this forum (use the search form at the bottom of your screen) you'll find a thread on this.] I have the same model induction slide-in range as you.

    I'm thinking this might be a good time to replace the control board on your range, and if they do that it might be good to see that they put in a newer / current version.

    Please let us know how this turns out for you.

    And once your oven door opens again, you'll see a month & year date on a sticker, inside the left oven wall. The oven door covers this up when closed. Can you tell us the date when your induction slide-in range was manufactured?

  • patrick_808
    12 years ago

    Pudgybaby, You wrote, "I have turned off the power to the range a few times, but each time I turn it back on, the door is still locked and the lights are on."
    This is probably way too simple. But, I would cut the breaker for a fairly long time, before turning it back on. Just a hunch, but, maybe the range has a "memory," sort of like a cache on a computer. Good luck!

  • warmfridge
    12 years ago

    I have the same range, and I've had to have the control panel replaced twice already. The first time, the buttons for the induction top weren't working correctly, and the second time, the oven temps were off. No error codes though. I watched the service tech do the replacements, and this is not something I'd try myself without very detailed instructions.

  • chac_mool
    12 years ago

    Warmfridge, have you used self-clean with your range yet? Any problems with that?

  • pudgybaby
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    chac_mool: I think you might be referring to my post about not being able to set a one-hour time as 60 minutes with the 'cook time' feature. And, yes, mine range was one of the first off of the line. I was thinking the same thing about just replacing the control board since mine was such an early model. From my old thread mine manufacture date was March 2010 made in Canada.

    warmfridge: thanks for that info. I remember reading here that you had some trouble with your range early on. I hope it's working well for you now... I wouldn't have tried to replace the control board by myself, but I might have attempted the fuse reset thing. But now that Electrolux is paying for it, I will just let the service company do it.

    Patrick: I left the power off to it for about 10 minutes one of the times, and at lease one minute the 3 times that I cut power to it. Do you think that was long enough?

    weedmeister: I never forced the door. The door light was blinking and I knew that something was up. Now that everything is totally cool, the door is still locked and the oven lights are on.

    Has anyone else done the self-clean on the same model?

    Here is a link that might be useful: My old thread about the 60 min / one hour problem

  • warmfridge
    12 years ago

    cm,
    I haven't used the cleaning function yet. To be honest, I'm a little scared to try it, after my previous problems and hearing about mb's error codes. I gather that the high temps used in the cleaning cycle can play havoc with the electronics in any range, not just this model.

    pb,
    My induction top and upper oven now work fine. The lower oven still has issues with uneven, fluctuating, and high temps, rendering it pretty useless for actual baking.

  • weedmeister
    12 years ago

    look in the back of the manual under the 'troubleshooting' and see how long they suggest leaving the power off. I remember it being a fairly long time, like 20 minutes.

  • pudgybaby
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    weedmeister: I looked in the troubleshooting section, but I don't see any mention of cutting power to the range. It just says to hit the cancel button.

    Range is all fixed now after the service visit. The thermal fuse needed resetting, just as Gary suspected. It was not necessary to replace the control board, so they would not pay for that, and therefore I did not have it replaced. The repairman said something about it being a $600 part. I was pleased with the fix and thought the repairman did a good job with it. The fix was easy enough that I will probably try it myself (with DH's help) should this happen again.

    Here are the details of what he did:

    1. Raised the rear of the range with the screws located behind the front of the lower drawer oven. Pull the drawer out, and the screws are on the sides with instructions.

    2. He put floor protection strips down, carefully tucked them under the front feet, and the slid the range out about 1 or 1.5 feet.

    3. He unscrewed the back panel.

    4. The thermal fuse reset button is located below the cooktop but above the oven cavity, under the largest hob (the right front hob). The button is red and you can see it if you look in there. You simply need to push it.

    5. Test the oven and range before reversing all of the steps.

    In my case, after pushing the reset button, the oven and cooktop functioned fine but the door was still locked. The serviceman started the self-clean cycle and then canceled it, which unlocked the door.

    He said the charge would normally be $150, including the trip charge (a guesstimate). It took him 1/2 hour.

    I'm thinking that I will not use the self-clean function anymore (or self-destruct, as I now call it). It never occurred to me that a function on the oven could cause itself problems. There are still areas of the oven that will need to be cleaned manually, and I will use an oven cleaner on those parts (the glass part of the door, the bottom oven, and where the door meets the oven). So if I have to do that anyway, I will probably just use the chemical cleaner on the whole thing next time.

    Good luck to everyone, and wishing you NO fault codes!

  • dodge59
    12 years ago

    Thanks for the update, pudgybaby, I know you have the range from the title of your post, but since I could find no info on the range, I was pretty sure it would be like the oven info I posted for you.

    Like most here, I rarely self-clean my single Elux Oven, just to many stories about problems regardless of the brand, Elux, Miele, Dacor, KA and Wolf ,although rare for the Wolf and like the Elux it has a resettable fuse.

    Gary

  • weedmeister
    12 years ago

    FYI: The manuals for the slide-in and freestanding ranges are different. In the troubleshooting section for the freestanding range it says (when getting an 'F' code) to unplug, wait 5 minutes, repower and reset the clock.

  • dadoes
    12 years ago

    PudgyBaby --

    A warning regarding use of chemical oven cleaner: DO NOT run the self-clean function again if oven cleaner is used. Chemical residue is left that generates toxic fumes at the high temperatures reached during a self-clean cycle. If you sell the range, or sell your house and leave the appliance for the next owner, BE SURE to advise them accordingly that oven cleaner has been used and the unit can no longer be self-cleaned.

  • warmfridge
    12 years ago

    Glad you got the problem solved. But what's the point of buying a range that's self-cleaning if you can't use that feature? Ridiculous.

  • chac_mool
    12 years ago

    Yes, its ridiculous. Sad, too.

    I'm afraid to try it, myself. But I suppose I really ought to run self-clean before the warranty runs out, rather than waiting until afterwards.

    I wonder if the repair guy had anything to say about running self-clean again, or not. I also wonder if, like the updated manual for the newer free-standing induction range model, there have been changes (e.g., in a revised control board, or the thermal fuse, etc.) making this self-clean feature more usable in newer models.

    So, has anyone run self-clean in either of these two induction ranges without problems? If so, do you have a newer or older model (built before or after March 2010)?

  • pudgybaby
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    cm: I asked the service guy if I should avoid the self-clean, and he said go ahead and use it, but didn't explain why this would be ok to do. I figured he just wanted $$ for the service call again.

    If you plan to ever try the self-cleaning, you really ought to do it before the warranty runs out.

    It sounds like this is a problem for many brands, so while I'd like to believe that they are making improvements to their products, I'm doubtful that the new ranges are much better.

  • chac_mool
    12 years ago

    Yeah, it looks like self-clean is a tricky thing for ovens to get right -- kind of like ice & water dispensers is a tricky thing for fridges to get right.

    But why is self-cleaning so hard? Seems like this should have an easy fix -- either setting the thermal fuse to handle a few more degrees or to stomach a few more minutes of heat before it blows, could prevent your error code. Conceivably that could mean a new fuse, a change to the control board (making the oven less hot, or shortening its cleaning cycle), or both. And we know the control boards were revised after the March 2010 ranges were built...

    It will take me some time to work up the nerve to do this, but I'll try to get my oven to clean itself once at least before August, when its one year warranty expires. I'll report back whatever happens here, after. Ugh.

  • attofarad
    12 years ago

    The thermal cutouts are likely there to protect the electronics/display. If they made the oven heavier and more insulated, with a stronger fan (cooling the electronics and/or enclosure), it would fix the problem, but cost more.

    Proving that the self-clean works during warranty seems to be a necessary, but not sufficient, action to show whether it will continue to work. Electronics fail as a result of getting too hot for a short time, or not quite as hot for a longer time (repeated clean cycles).

  • warmfridge
    12 years ago

    I've had 3 different control boards after March 2010, 2 definitely appeared defective, and my lower oven still doesn't work right since the third one was installed. I don't think you can assume that the newer ones are fine.

  • dadoes
    12 years ago

    A suggestion for people who have had confirmed overheating problems, and perhaps for those who are running self-clean for the first time and want to avoid potential trouble --

    When running self-clean, aim a portable desk fan at the unit. If it's a free-standing range with control panel on top, set the fan on a chair or stool and direct the airflow toward the controls and such that some air blows down behind it as well. If a wall oven, try to determine where is the intake grill and direct the fan there rather than at the unit's exhaust flow. The point is to get some additional cooling happening.

    Sure, this shouldn't be necessary, but it's a small concession to make for the convenience of self-clean.

    I've run self-clean on my GE Profile range several times to no ill effect. I typically set it to run at night so it's finished in the morn and thus had not monitored how much heat is involved. Last time I ran it during the day and found that the control panel did get quite hot. There is no cooling fan on my range, and although no problems had occurred as a result of previous runs, this time when I noticed the heat buildup, I set a small deskfan blowing at the panel and it cooled noticeably within a few mins.

  • peaches12345
    12 years ago

    I've been self-cleaning for 11 yrs on my KA double ovens and never had a problem. I also do it quite often so have given it more than a good test. However, I would never ever ever run self-cleaning at night when I am asleep or when I am not at home. When I self-clean I am near or in the kitchen throughout. Common sense to me, but just my opinion.