Hi all,
New to this thread, but I have posted before. Actually, my husband (moose186) started a thread about our American knobs getting hot but it must have been knocked off because I can't find it. plumorchard, so glad you got your issues resolved!

Anyway, we've had our range for almost a year now. We've had quite a few problems with it. I don't even know if I'll remember them all (and I definitely won't remember the exact solutions) but I'll try:

- Installed original range in June 08. Quickly notice that front knobs get hot after oven being on ~an hour. Ridiculously hot. Post thread here to see if others' get that hot. Get mixed responses.

- American quickly sets up appointment to have it checked out. Service guy tests temp, can't touch knobs either. Thinks the door is bent out of shape, causing heat to escape. While he's here, at one point when he turns on oven, a flame shoots out of the back area. Looks at me and tells me, "Yeah, that's not right."

- Get new door and some other parts for hot, flaming range. Service Man comes back to replace. Tests the temperature. Knobs still ridiculously hot -- outer side temp is higher than previous visit (160 first visit, 170 and climbing this visit).

- American and the appliance store where we ordered (in Chicago) bend over backwards apologizing and get us a new range. Yay for customer service!

- Replacement range installed in early August.

- Knobs still get hot. Not as hot, but hot. Decide to live with it and yell at kids not to step into kitchen while range is on. Keep fingers crossed that adjacent cabinets don't melt and decide not to cook anything that takes much more than an hour.

- Notice gas smell when we turn range on. Think/hope it's burnoff for first month. Finally convince husband original range, with all its problems, did not smell like that. DREAD complaining again to American. Wonder for a week or so if we can live with gas smell.

- In Oct 08, finally email Bert at American. One week passes. Email Junior at American. Another week passes. Call Bert who assures me someone will get back me. Wait another week. Nothing. Write Junior and Chris again. Later that same day, post a comment here. Chris emails me immediately.

- Hello, Very Nice Service Man! Comes out to check gas. Yup, not right.

- Get replacement parts. Welcome back, Service Man! Replace. Yay, no gas smell. Also tells me that the window fogging up (which original defunct range didn't do) is not a problem per se, but may become problem down the road. Mention to Bert who says it's normal. Let it go.

- In Jan 09, weird sound coming from gas valve in back suddenly. Also, broiler not turning back on after opening door (manual says 1 minute; ours takes at least 5 minutes). When it does come back on, huge sound like someone lighting a blowtorch. Keep fingers crossed that its normal. Contact American a couple times again before they schedule a visit. Hate myself for being the complaining customer. Service Man comes, determines something is wrong. Order 3 parts for the weird sound and faulty broiler. Replace.

- Go to friends' house for dinner, who has had her Thermador on for about hour and half at about 375. Knobs and front are room temp. ROOM TEMP! Not even warm. Adults all hover in kitchen in front of range. Toddler walks within two feet of range, with no resulting burn marks. Get jealous.

- May 8th 2009, husband writes Junior at American. Asks if we can have warranty extended from when replacement range was installed in August. Also notice there is condensation now for ~10 minutes when oven is turned on, on back riser and a little on back burners. Maybe it's always done that, but just trying to verify that it's normal. Regardless, range seems to work fine. (Anyone else notice this? Pls tell me it's normal and I've been too oblivious to notice before!)

- Don't hear from Junior, so on May 18th, forward email to Bert and Chris; ask for help.

- Don't hear from anyone, so next day write again. Couple hours later Bert writes back to tell me he's looking into it and will have an answer soon.

- May 29, write Bert and Chris again... nothing.

- Yesterday, write yet again... nothing.

There is our saga. To be absolutely fair, I would be SO annoyed with myself too. I want this range out of our lives as much as I'm sure Chris, Bert and the rest of the gang want us out of their lives. If only it were that simple. I'm worried that it's going to crap out on us soon, and with our luck it'll happen the day after the warranty ends, extended or not. I'll live w/the fogged door, the condensation, anything else that doesn't affect the performance of the range -- I just want to extend our warranty by (less than) 2 months. I do appreciate that they replaced the range and were really great about our concerns (originally anyway). We are coming up on the original warranty ending and maybe they just want to let it run out...

Just want to add my review -- okay, saga (sorry for the long post). While it seems like everyone here has been extremely happy with theirs and I'm glad (jealous, but glad!), I personally can't recommend it. Of course, the majority here seems to favor it -- it's how I found it in the first place! Go forth with your decision and if you choose to get an American, may you not get a lemon (or two) like we did!

Oh, that sounds terrible. I am seriously considering this range. PLEASE can anyone else post about whether their knobs get hot like this.

I really hope you can get your problems resolved as it sounds like it has been a nightmare.

Best of luck.

Tina

jll30 - What a shame. While our problems were a bit more focused I do feel your frustration. You should not feel bad about calling service to report legit service & safety issues! Please do let us know how American responds. Wish you the best!

buffalotina - our knobs do not get too hot. They get a bit warm when the oven is on for long periods of time. Not hot at all on short uses. (Note from above, that Thermador I think has a cooling fan that runs when the oven is one to help keep things cool...its auto on/off.)

I have a new american range 30". Here are my problems. Please help.
1. lots of condesnsation upon preheating.
2. Condensation between the glass windows.
This all goes away upon preheating. But, this just doesn't seem normal to me. Also the customer service at American Range has been just awful. They are basically ignoring me. I do the calling and then nothing!! Bert should be fired.
Any comments appreciated

Hi everyone, Thanks for the well wishes!

After I posted this message, my husband called American and got through to Bert, who told us he was still waiting to hear back from someone else about the condensation and that in re: to the warranty, we would need to talk to Chris about it.

Also, after reading some people's comments here about the gas smell, my husband got worried about the gas smell that still lingers during preheating. So he told Bert he wanted someone to look at that too. Truthfully, since this had already been fixed and was not nearly as bad as it was before, I just accepted that it was going to smell while preheating. It definitely was not as strong and didn't last as long as before.

A short while after I posted this, i.e. the SAME DAY (and ~3.5 weeks after our original email), I got an email from Chris. My point is, it may be highly coincidental but this is the second or third time that Chris has contacted me just hours after posting here. In the past I have wanted to refrain from complaining about the service OR the range here until after I hear from them so they have a chance to fix it first, but it seems like Garden Web is the way to get their attention!

Anyway, we had the service people come take a look earlier this week, and lo and behold, something again was not igniting right away, thus, the gas smell. So, he adjusted something in the back, and that was it. Let's hope it doesn't happen again (but I'm not very optimistic). Fingers crossed!

Chris also assured me that the condensation in the back was normal, as did the service man. Why Bert needed so much time with this question if it's normal, I have no idea.

Finally, Chris did extend our warranty and was very nice about wanting to keep us on as customers. It's good that he finally responded and did so graciously, but at this point... a little too late. I really don't like that I have to complain here to get his attention; I would much rather they deal with their customers within, say, a week, but... it is what it is I guess.

plumorchard: good to know about Thermador... I hope you have continued success with your range!
chicagogirl: good luck with your range. Hopefully posting here will get your process moving...
buffalotina: to be fair, the knobs get hot after the oven's been on for ~1-1.5 hours. I can still touch them, but I don't know what would happen if I were to cook a turkey for hours. I don't think I'll ever try!

jll30 - I'm glad that you have response from American.

I also very much agree with you that it is a shame that you had to post here to get a response.

I hope that you have no issues with the range once these are resolved.

jill30 sorry to hear about your aggravation, i can only hope that you can start enjoying your range.

chicagogirl my windows get condensation upon preheating as well then it goes away.

tina my knobs get warm at best.

hi plumorchard i've been working on some outside projects and have been away for awhile. my wife is killing me! can't wait to go back to work and get some rest. i just hope mother nature is in a good mood.
john

Well....hate to say it but the gas smell is back and seems to be getting stronger again. I'm thinking it may be time to replace the gas regulator that was mentioned at the last service call? But what do I know?? Um, except that it isn't suppose to smell like gas. Along with that, the oven temp is falling off again and taking longer and longer to cook things. In the past - the two have been related. American has been contacted and is aware of the problem. Will post updates as they are available. I'm bummed out!

plumorchard why didn't they replace it then? crossing my fingers for you.let us know what the deal is!
john

John - that was mentioned by AR but it has been almost 3 weeks. I've been trying for updates but we are still waiting.

The gas smell is getting stronger in the oven - we've quit using it - luckily since it is summer we can use the grill outside or the toaster oven.

I'll be sure to post any updates when I know what's going on.

Plum-

Good Luck, I am hoping they get your issues resolved soon.

We are going through the joy of having our hardwood floors refinsihed for the second time in a row. The first original company tried to correct the issues there poor preparation created. Unfortunatly everytime they fixed one issue they created 3 more larger problems. Finally they demanded more money to correct their mistakes.

We are now trying to find another company to sand the floors down, restain (ebony), and then apply polly (Bona Traffic).

Needless to say we are very unhappy for a number of reasons. Starting over from square one with the floors, added expense, reduced life of the floors, large impact to the timeline, etc.

With all this going on we have not been checking this forum very often. Needless to say since the hardwoods are in the kitchen also we have not been able to use the range. It still has the plastic protective covering on the oven portion.

amg - we had problems with our flooring too....ours didn't "cure" right because of the weather...so we had to redo everything again once things warmed up. This was a couple of years ago - it was such a pain to move everything out again. I'm sorry for your problems! But, ebony floors - can't wait to see them!

Hang in there!

Plum-

Who did you use for your floors?

As you can imagine "once bitten, twice shy". We are very concerned that the next company do the floors right.

amg - would love to have a name to share with you but I'm not sure he's in the business anymore. He was an independent that did flooring pt & was in the national guard. I'll see what I can find out and let you know.
M -

Latest word from Chris at American is that we will be getting a replacement range. No idea when that will happen but that's the plan. More to follow.

thanks for the update : )

The new range will be delivered the 17th and installed the 18th. I'll update after we've got the new one going.

it won't be long now, yahooooooooooo : )

The new range has been delivered and installed. We are doing the burn off now. I'm afraid its a little wobbly but can't mess with right now since it is doing the 2 hour burn off. So far the oven hit the temp it was set at pretty quick - which was one my indicators something was wrong each time because it wouldn't. So, my fingers are crossed.

Notice the American Range logo is no longer a nameplate on the door but a sticker logo at the top where the knobs are. Wonder why they changed that?

Guess who's back??

Well, our broiler is not lighting once again. My husband tried to use it, it started up fine, then he opened the door to put in the chicken and it never turned back on.

Yes, we've gotten the broiler fixed before. The first time, it did turn back on -- it just took a really long time. This time, nothing.

Back to Bert, Chris, and this time Grant's Appliances as well (we bought from the Chicago location, which is apparently closed now). Without taking a look at it, they seemed to know what the problem was, assured me it was a different problem from before, and sent parts to Service All so they can come once again and fix it. In the meantime, I called Grant's and tried to exchange it for something - ANYTHING! I'm desperate for a working range that won't scare me to turn on for more than an hour, or need a service call every few months because something else has broken on it.

Grant's is not biting. They all 'agree that the best thing to do is repair this problem.' Seriously? How many problems do we have to have?

Beyond that, it doesn't even work well for us. Our old GE range was more accurate. The convection seems to make no difference as far as cooking times. I can't speak for the broiler since it's obviously pretty testy.

The burners are fine I guess.

Can you tell I'm bitter?

plumorchard: How's the new one holding up for you? Hopefully you're faring better than we have!

Well so far I've made cornbread, croutons, cake & baked chicken in the oven and no issues yet.

Regarding the gas smell - there has been absolutely none. (This was what got me concerned on the first range, it didn't smell at first and then later did - long story!) but for now not even the smallest hint of gas smelling. Which is my book is how it should be.

Also, I've commented before on the knobs not getting too hot. I'll change that a little by saying that during the burnoff (450 degrees for 2 hours and then broiler for 20 minutes) they did get pretty darn hot. But that is the only time I've noticed that - never during "normal" cooking do they get that hot.

And, I do have a wobble which will drive me crazy! It rattles the grates on the range so it makes a noise when you walk by - I'll call to see about leveling again.

The burners seem fine - no issues.

I ordered colored panels for the range a while back (one of the reasons we picked the range was because you could get colored panels) hopefully, we'll get those soon.

jll30- I'm so sorry for your troubles and completely understand where you are coming from. I'll be in that boat with you if we have any issues with this range. Please let us know how things are resolved for you. I know it is the pits to be frustrated every time you cook.

plumorchard: Wow, no gas smell? That's novel! We still have a bit of smell which is apparently normal. Then again, we had a bit of smell before that got worse and worse, then got it fixed, then again got worse and worse...

*sigh*

Hopefully you didn't get one of the ranges that have the persistently hot knobs. What I don't understand is why we are supposed to accept that they get that hot at high temps after awhile. Maybe it's not 'normal' cooking but still... I paid this much for a range with somewhat limited use. What do people do when they cook a turkey? (To be fair, I've never cooked one and at this point, I won't be hosting Thanksgiving at our house for a long time!).

I hope your wobble gets fixed soon and the colored panels arrive and look great! I've arranged for my friends, the service guys, to return and replace parts. I'm sure it will be fine... until our next problem. :(

jill30 sorry to hear about your issue & hope it gets rectified.
plumorchard glad you received your replacement and it's working well. from what i have found out in the past was some places order ther ranges with no AR emblem the reason, i forget and they probably gave you one of those to cut down the wait time.crossing my fingers for ya!
john

John,
I had heard of that too but I think maybe they changed the design? This does have the logo - just not a name badge on the oven door (not sure that is the proper term but...) Now it is just the logo lettering on the knob panel. Here's a link to the new range with two photos -the first two. The others in the album are the range that was replaced. Obviously, no impact on the function of the range but it still seems "missing" to me after seeing there all the time. Maybe a cost savings? Or like you said, maybe just one without it?

The thing that is kind of interesting to me is that all the other brands (Wolf, Viking, Blue Star, Kenmore, any really) have dominant name badges. This seems a little quiet.

And, so far so good, still seems ok.

Here is a link that might be useful: American Range

Logo:

Hello GardenWeb Members,

Yes, we have moved the American Range logo (badge) from the door to the control panel. The logo is currently laser etched, like our range top burner graphics, therein when cleaning the control panel the graphics will not rub-off.

The reason for the re-placement of the logo is so our ranges, cooktops and wall ovens match other products in a luxury kitchen; i.e. refrigeration or dishwashers, products we do not manufacture.

We have always felt that our quality and performance are measured by the end-user experience and not by a logo (badge) ; )

We do sell the logo (badge) as an after-market part. Please inquiry via www.americanrange.com

Respectfully,
American Range

American-
Thanks for the post & the update on the logo placement. Makes sense.
I've gotten use to it not being there now - just kind of noticed it not there the first few days. The marketing side of me was noting your branding strategy. The web site still shows the photos with the logo - that's great for product placement opportunities.

Another plus, seems like it will work better when we install the color panels too.

Now to play devils advocate... If someone who purchased a range wanted the optional version why not provide it to them at no cost. Isn't that like a car dealer charging for the plate cover with the dealer logo on it? I'm guessing the requests would be minimal since there is a logo there & the majority of folks aren't going to know there was another option (unless they saw photos). I know there is a cost involved but it seems a given if someone wants to brand their range more. Just my thoughts...

Also to all- glad to report all still ok with the new range. No problems at all. There is still a linger of the burnoff smell when we use the oven but it is going away. Also the knobs haven't been too hot again at all.

Hey I just noticed my whole kitchen kind of does match with the smaller logos...the dw is etched like the range, the fridge is only on the ice dispenser panel (small) & the hood doesn't have one at all. Cool!

thanks plumorchard for the update and thanks to A.R. for keeping us in the loop. best wishes to bert for a speedy recovery.i just saw the pic's of the laser etch & it looks good but i like it a little bigger. : )
john

Johnnytugs1-

What's wrong with Bert that you're wishing him a speedy recovery?

(I ask both because I've found him to be helpful and professional but also because my service person is waiting on an answer from him on a question.)

petestein - Bert was out sick a few days at the end of July. It was mentioned in another post. I think John was referring back to that in his last post. Hope you get your answer/resolution soon!

plumorchard glad everything came together.

petestein1 sorry i missed your post, i thought i had answered it. did you get your info?
thanks plumorchard for helping me out.
john

I was seriously considering an American Range. However, after reading Jll's experience with AR post-purchase problems, I can't imagine buying one.

sorry marytw, but what did you decide on?
john

I just got the 36"(6 burner) and I love this range. I first heard about AR from a friend who cooks in a restaurant. I read all the "AR" threads on this board before purchasing. I got a nice deal on a floor model. I had to move the gas valve and electrical down below 3.5" on the floor in order to flush mount. It worked out nicely. I did the burnoff and then tested oven temp. It came out exactly at 450. I wonder should I switch to the fan and keep the door open to cool the oven. Otherwise the oven doesnt seem to cool off fast enough. This oven must be insulated pretty well.

Wow I looked at the egg i made and it was browned evenly and still runny inside. Amazing burners! I would have burned the outside and over-cooked the inside with my old 20 year old GE.

Cartbaby, I'm glad you are enjoying your range. My husband's favorite thing about our AR is the way eggs, potato patties, etc cook. We are approaching two years with our range and just love it. I've never noticed how long the oven stays hot, so I just turn it off and leave it.

I got a floor model with no back. The sales guy recommended the island back. But I kind of like the 4 inch stub back from a picture I saw. Any opinion whether island or 4inch is better? Also the sales guy at Universal Appliance didnt even want to sell the 4inch. Can I order this from AR?

Hi:

I have this to add. See this thread.

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/appl/msg0711433016787.html

Jon

Here is a link that might be useful: Psient: Update on new American Range

Just got mine. It's a beast. Much better build quality and fit/finish than the Bluestar's I've seen. More comparable to Wolf in finish IMO. Everything works great.

I'm sure the burners will be enough for me. I got the wok ring with it so I'll see how that works out. The big burners seem plenty powerful.

Btw, I now am very suspicious about how manufactures measure burner BTU. My last place that I wound up selling had a brand new Kitchenaid range that was rated 18k BTU's for the most powerful burner. The 17k-rated burner on the American Range puts off FAR more heat and flame. The difference is huge. Beware the numbers game!

The BTU rating should be by input gas rate. Maybe the regulated gas pressure was lower than it should be at your last place (so less flow), or maybe they were exaggerating.

Hmm, don't know about that. Both places were brand new with the same gas utility companies in the same area. Wouldn't imagine one would be more restrictive than the other. I suppose it's possible.

We had our 30" American Range installed yesterday. I thought I'd post about our experience so far in case it may help someone else. I really appreciated being able to read through everyone's posts as we worked through making our decision.

We did the oven burnoff last night. It sure put out a lot of fumes. I'm wondering if our hood is working the way it should be. Didn't seem like it. I had the hood going full blast, two windows open, and a fan blowing. What experience did others have during the burn off?

I read through all of the threads on this range on this forum and was nervous about this purchase due to the issues with the gas smell from the oven and hot knobs , but we really wanted this range. It met our requirements better than anything else we looked at and was less expensive than a lot of the other pro style ranges. We just couldn't find anything else that we liked. We seriously considered Bertazzoni, but we didn't like the burner configuration, and I didn't think I'd be happy with the oven performance.

I called American Range before we made our purchase to query them regarding the issues owners had posted on this site. I was told that the gas problem in the oven was caused by bad valves and that they had remedied the problem and none of the current units should have the issue. They told me they hadn't heard about the problems of the hot knobs. Our appliance store hadn't received any feedback on it either, and they sell a lot of these ranges.

Here is what we found while doing the burn in. No gas smell issue, other than the first minute or two the oven was on, which is apparently normal. The sides of the oven got very hot and the cabinets next to the range were warm, but not hot. Hopefully this won't cause any damage to our brand new cabinets over time. The oven door got warm/hot. The door handle stayed cool. The shield that hangs out below the knobs got hot enough to burn skin if it was touched for more than a few seconds. The knobs got warm when we ran the oven, and were hot when the broiler was going. They weren't so hot that I couldn't use them to turn on the burners, but it was uncomfortable if I left my hands on them for very long. The longer the broiler was on the worse it got. The bullnose got pretty darn warm too after the 2 hours of running the oven and 20 minutes running the broiler. I wasn't about to touch the oven vent.

We put in the 4" riser vent. We did this because we put in engineered quartz counters and used it as our back splash. I had concerns about the heat venting straight up out of the standard vent onto the splash and possibly damaging the quartz over time. With the 4" riser the hot/warm air vents out the front and the wall stays cool. The air coming out of the vent was quite warm, particularly when the broiler was on. My husband and I are vegetarians so I don't expect we'll use the broiler very much.

I purchased a mercury oven thermometer and when set at 450 degrees the oven temp was dead on. I'll be checking lower temperatures over the coming week as I do some baking. So far we love the burners. We have a pressure cooker and the simmer on the small burner didn't go quite low enough for the pressure cooker when setting it the normal way. My husband ended up turning the knob back to the right past the light position to get it low enough. I'd read that suggestion on this forum somewhere. Hopefully there aren't any issues with doing that.

I don't know if I'd put one of these ranges in a home with small children or pets that might hang around the range due to the external heat issues. We don't have kids, dogs or cats, so it's not an issue for us. We do have a bird, but she doesn't wander around the range. We locked her up in a room upstairs while we ran the oven last night.

I am a little disconcerted about the external heat build up issues, but hopefully the function of the range will make it worth dealing with it. I may call American Range next week to see if they think all of it is normal. Since others have experienced it, it seems like it may be normal for these ranges. Although they did deny the hot knob problem when I asked about it before.

That's it for now. If anything else comes up or I learn anything new if I call American Range, I'll post again.

Thanks again to others for sharing their experiences on this forum. It was a huge help.

Does anyone have the AR wall oven? Gas or electric? Any issues/problems? Thanks!

Sebirdlover, I'm pretty sure you can have that simmer adjusted lower, so that you don't have to turn the knob back. My neighbor has the same range, and mentioned that her simmer wasn't as low as one of the regular burners, but I never really checked it out.

On many ranges, you can remove the knob to the burner and adjust the simmer with a very tiny screwdriver.

Burntfingers-am also considering either Bluestar or AR gas wall oven-I am confused by the criticism I see on these posts about both of these companies' CS. The wall ovens seem like such great products: dials (simplicity of use) & huge interior space on the 30". Also Blue Star offers many colors.
So please post your decision/ideas.
Thank U very much!

Cooks1818, I haven't made a decision yet, we're still pretty far from being ready to install anything yet. (new construction). I'm hoping to get out to the AR showroom where they have some live units in the next couple of weeks and will post what I find out...

Howdy Cooks1818 and burntfingers! I too am shopping for a gas wall oven and am hoping for some feedback from owners of Blue Star and American Range wall ovens. I haven't even seen these ovens in person yet and am hoping for some guidance to gauge whether I need to make the effort to find them to see them or move on to other options.

There's so little customer experience information available about these high end wall ovens. I'd greatly appreciate any owners' insights. Thanks in advance!

Hi Kraniem & burntfingers! I still have not done anything except bother poor hubby who says we should install a slide in gas range & be done with it. I am 57 years old & do not want to remove a large brisket or turkey from a range oven which is basically on the floor! I want a gas wall oven. I will probably go with the American Range or Blue Star. Really like the colors that Blue Star offers.
Sorry I have not posted in a while but this is the reason-no decision. And, Kraniem, you are correct there is very little consumer feedback cause so few gas wall ovens are sold.
I have definitely decided against the 30" gas Viking wall oven-it is not as large (interior cubic inches) as the AR or Bluestar 30" also the timer turns the Viking oven off. Not good. I will purchase a simple timer for my BS or AR...
Hopes this helps a little. I will announce my decision if I ever make it...

More on American Range, Blue Star etc wall ovens. Am thinking of a 30" range which will give me a large oven plus a 24" gas wall oven for daily use. I am getting closer...What do you guys think?

Does anyone have problems with the igniters on the burners? We often can't get a few of the burners to light & have to jiggle the igniter or use a butane stick lighter. It is so annoying!
Also, the white numbers are disappearing from the oven/broiler knob! Have had this stove for 3 years & really like it, but that shouldn't happen on a high end stove.

luisa at home-

I have the exact 2 same problems with the American Range I bought in the Spring of 2009. The markings on some of the oven and burner knobs is smearing off and some of the burners don't always light (usually the front burner we use the most.)

Did you resolve either of these problems?