New cooker smells and seems to start by itself

rustywallet

Hi I have 2 problems. 1) I've been "burning in" my brand new electric cooker for a couple of days, probably had it on for 4 hours in 4 stints and it still smells like burning plastic! When it was first fitted it smoked from the grill/small oven, now it just stinks, but no smoke. With all the doors and windows open it still leaves a horrible smell in the house and a bad taste in my mouth. I've washed the interior several times with soapy water. (oven not mouth!)

Problem 2) When I switch off the cooker the small top oven starts itself back up about 5 minutes later. The small oven is part of the grill and does not have a fan. It keeps doing the same thing - I leave it on for some time, switch it off and 5 minutes later it's back on billowing out very hot air. 

I'm not sure if this is meant to happen. Does the cooling fan feel very hot on other people's ovens? Or could the fan be broken, or could the cooker be switching itself back on. 

I've rang the manufacture, they are getting back to me. I was just seeing if anyone had experienced the same. 

Ectophile

Burning soap smells pretty bad.  Are you cleaning all the soap off after washing?

rustywallet

I've been using eco washing up liquid, washing and drying the inside with a lint free cloth.

Sandtree

Problem 1 - many ovens/hobs etc come with a warning that they may smell for the first few times of operation due to coatings given to components whilst they are going through assembly etc. You already mention its getting better and maybe lay off the cleaning to make sure its not the products you are using. If it continues after another few hours use I'd contact the retailer

Problem 2 - why are you saying its on? Is the light on? How is it bellowing hot air if there is no fan and presumably the door is shut? Do you have an oven thermometer to see what temps its getting to? Does it happen when either oven has been used?

Our ovens have two fans, a big fan at the back that is for the "fan assisted" cooking options and some other unseen fan somewhere which comes on after the oven is turned off. How long it comes on for etc depends on the temps cooked at/duration etc and in some cases it instructs for the door to be opened at which point you certainly feel a lot of heat after a long high temp cook. With the door closed you dont feel anything material but then both our ovens have some level of steam function and so are possibly better sealed than most as not to steam up the whole kitchen

Alderbank

rustywallet said:

I was just seeing if anyone had experienced the same. 

What make and model is it?

rustywallet

Thanks for your replies.
Yes, it is getting better, but it has been on for hours and it still smells like burning plastic, I get in from work and put it on for an hour with the house doors open to ventilate. I don't think it's the washing up liquid making the smell.

The light is not on when it turns itself on. The air is bellowing out when I open the grill door (it's the top oven that is the problem and it doubles up as a grill). I don't have a thermometer. 

It's a Stoves freestanding cooker.

BikingBud

Who installed it? 

If as part of purchase get them back out.

Check manual to see if there is a possibility of packing left anywhere.

Chase up manufacturer for resolution and if necessary advise them you will seek independent assessment and seek to recover from them.

Did you pay via credit card or finance? The finance provider may have an obligation to rectify.

Sandtree

rustywallet said:

The light is not on when it turns itself on. The air is bellowing out when I open the grill door (it's the top oven that is the problem and it doubles up as a grill). I don't have a thermometer. 

Ours will too if you open the door and its some form of secondary cooling fan.

Its always good to have a half decent oven thermometer, they are often sub £5, and can help measure how accurate and steady the temp is -v- what you've set it to... our last oven was about 10-15C low which explained why everything took longer to cook than it should. 

BikingBud said:

Chase up manufacturer for resolution and if necessary advise them you will seek independent assessment and seek to recover from them.

Your rights are with the retailer not the manufacturer... no point making hollow threats to a manufacturer who can sit back and watch you waste your money.

rustywallet

The manufacture is coming out in exactly a month, that is a long wait. I will contact the retailer and say that is too long see what they say.

rustywallet

So this is what happens. Oven is switched on for about 15 mins. Oven is switched off - all is quiet. Then 5 minutes later the oven starts up again and gets even hotter, then after about 5 mins it switches itself off leaving the oven very hot.

Could it be that it is a fan cooling the internals of the cooker - which then makes the oven hotter?

Thanks.

FreeBear

BikingBud said: Check manual to see if there is a possibility of packing left anywhere.

Often, a thin sheet of plastic is placed over glass surfaces to protect from scratches during shipping. I wonder if one had been left in place after installation.