Who doesn't love a good ole DIY!?
Well check out my adventure changing out our old oven element in a 1960's GE wall oven!
Seriously this oven is my favorite oven of all time! It's old but classy :)
So this little adventure was documented on my Facebook via live videos and stories. It was not the great success I had hoped for and actually took like a week and a half... That was part preparation error and part just taking a moment to do it..
Back Story
I first discovered my oven element was broken when I was baking something and I heard a weird noise coming from the oven. So I opened it up and boy it was sparking! It seemed a lot like when you put metal in a microwave. Not pretty!
So immediately upon discovering that I turned the oven off!
That is why the DIY project started! Here are the steps I took.
Watch the video for a quick overview:
How to Change an Oven Element
Step 1: Determine Ability
Some of you may know me. If not here is a quick description: I'm pretty handy, I like to learn, I have backup in case I fail epicly (aka my contractor dad). My boyfriend and I flip houses so we know how to do some stuff :)
When it comes to electrical things i'm not so confident so I decided it was best to see how you change an oven element to determine if that is in my wheelhouse.
Thus I did a little Youtubing to find a video of how hard this actually was. Turns out it's not that hard:
If they can get it done in less than 2 minutes - I think I can manage!
Step 2: Research
So the next step is to get the part. I found the name plate with the model information. Sadly the information was rubbed off and the etching wasn't able to be seen.
I tried researching for a model number and sadly I couldn't find anything! I asked my dad (aka landlord) if he had any info on it. He did have a manual but conveniently enough it didn't list part numbers.
So I reached out to General Electric and quite frankly - they were no help... I told them from the get go the name plate was unreadable and that I needed help from them to find the part/model number. Their response was and I quote,
"Without a proper model number, I would not be able to assist in locating parts."
So that route was shut down pretty quick!
Step 3: Trial and Error
Next option of course was just to look up GE 1960's oven elements. I happened upon Amazon and found something that looked and generally measured the same. Yay Amazon Prime because I got the part the next day.
Bit of advice for you DIY'ers look at the photo and make sure everything works like the plate you screw into the back is the same shape... It's like childhood again fitting a square into a circle hole doesn't work...
One really awesome thing I discovered though was that Amazon is awesome and teamed up with Kohl's to return items. Seriously it was sooo easy! I didn't have to print a label, pack a box, nothing! I took the part to the customer service desk at Kohls. I showed them the email Amazon had sent. They scanned the email, took the part and printed me a receipt and a coupon for Kohls!
Sooooo EASY! Love that they did this! Also the money was reimbursed like that day or the day after!
Step 4: Try Again
This time I tried again and used Amazon of course after that easy experience!
The part came in 2 days later and i'll be honest I got busy and put it off.
When I pulled the part out to try it I discovered the adapter plates weren't the right size. So I checked on Amazon again but didn't have much luck. So after reaching out to my dad he suggested we just file the adapter plates down to size.
My pops (aka Terry) got me a file and I started to file away! I got close to matching the width but needed a little more space height wise. So I took a screw driver and pliers and pried apart the adapter sleeve. I make it sound like it was a breeze but i'll be honest it took me a little while.
After sliding the adapter sleeves onto the adapter and ensuring it was secure, I wanted to check if it was working and sure enough it was! Then I slid the part back into place and screwed it back in, be warned it takes a while for the element to cool so don't touch it right away. It will burn you - speaking from experience...
Bada Bing Bada Boom we have a working oven now!
Step 5: MAKE THE COOKIES!
We had cookies to celebrate the success of changing the element!
Gratitude
All in all this 2 minute part change took right around 2 weeks, this isn't including research time. If we include that it's been months since our oven worked. Hey it is working now and it is working just as good as ever!
What I learned from this experience is don't give up - especially if you get cookies as a result!!!!
Really though this journey is about being grateful for everything in life. I am very thankful for the skills that I have been taught growing up, without them I would not have even considered trying this. I am also thankful for all of the resources easily available to me via the internet. Even though some of them didn't pan out exactly correct they were there and so easily accessible. We definitely take for granted how easy it is to Google or order something on Amazon and get it a day later.
What I am utterly surprised about was the support from old/new acquaintances via Facebook! Seriously I'm sure my live videos were boring as can be - I literally unscrewed one screw for like 5+ mins!!! Everyone was so supportive and I've never been asked that many times about an oven in my life :)
I'm just so thankful for the means of communication we have access to! It is amazing how fast information can travel and be found!
Thank you everyone for your support on this fun little endeavor!
🙏 Thank you for reading! What DIY projects have you been determined to finish? What made you grateful once the project was completed? What is your favorite cookie flavor?! 🍪