a question about very old ovens

[tarosuma]

Hi all
We are staying in a house which has an antique oven - well almost!  I figure it is the original oven from when the house was built 35 years ago.  It is rather challenging to say the least!
Anyhow, my question to those in the know is - when you are baking in an oven of that age, which of the elements should be on?  The bottom or the top?  The top one only works if you have it on a very hot grilling temp and for normal temps only the bottom one is going.
Does that sound right?
thanks!

[Bedlam]

That sounds right to me. The top element would be for grilling only. It will probably do a wonderful job. I would get a thermometer just to check the temperature in case the thermostat is out.

[tarosuma]

Thanks for that, do I buy a Thermometer like that at a kitchen shop?  Is there a special kind I would need?  I suspect that the Thermostat is out, I seem to have to have it on full throttle to get a moderate bake out of it.  The seals appear ok so maybe the Thermostat is whacky.
thanks! 

[cookie1]

I agree with Bedlam re the elements. Just look in the kitchen section anywhere and you should be able to buy an oven thermometer.

[maddy]

I've seen them at woolies, like this



If it's ancient, the rubber seal may need replacing too.....took me ages to figure that one out with my old one.

[achookwoman]

I cooked Xmas dinner for 20 for years in an old gas oven.  Use the thermometer until you get used to it.  No reason why you cannot get a good result.  It may take a while to understand it.  Sometimes a quick zap with the top element will give a nice finish to a roast chook or Bread and butter pud.  Good baking Tarosuma.

[andiesenji]

How long are you going to be in the house?

If more than two or three months, call a technician to have the oven re-calibrated.  There will be a fee but if it saves you having to toss out food that has been ruined, it can be well worth it.

I'm sure your telephone book can provide places close to you but there is also this:
list of places for oven repairs in OZ.

[tarosuma]

Thanks everyone for your ideas, off to the kitchen shop to get a thermometer.  (no woolies here unfortunately)
I will see how that goes and if looking like it is way off will get a tech in to look at it.  (we are going to be here for a while)

[Twitterpated]

Once you have the thermometer and have checked the temperature you should also be able to find a user guide on-line for it. It's amazing what you can find for old appliances. I just google the name and model followed by user guide/owner manual/instruction manual etc. There isn't one I haven't found yet. Hope you sort out your oven problems.

[Frozzie]

sometimes the most obvious solutions i tell you..didnt think of getting an oven thermostat to check my oven temps...so just went and ordered one and maybe i might be able to see if there is a huge differnce with reference gas numbers and temps needed to cook a recipe...so thankyou for those that posted that info...might just tie me over until i can get the kitchen redone and new ovens..

never had the need for anything like that before as i have previously always had quite efficient ovens and to be honest didnt realise there was an actual thermometer made for checking oven temps lol..i have a sonde thermometer that i got mainly for checking meat temps and knew of confectionary ones but not a check your oven temp one lol.....makes me wish i didnt sell my oven when we moved here..oh well    Hopefully this will help out with some baking hassles..

[andiesenji]

When I was still catering and had the big Blodgett oven, I had to have it calibrated every two years to comply with the state regulations for commercial ovens.  (It could hold 7 full-size sheet pans so the capacity was much more than regular home ovens. 
It was a gas oven (convection - and also had a steam function for baking breads and other things that benefit from steam) and they seem to go out of calibration more rapidly than electric ovens. 

Some older electric ovens have a large capacitor or a fuse that can gradually go "off" and may need to be replaced.  A friend who recently renovated a house built in the 1950s wanted to keep the two ovens (side by side) as they fit the style of the home.  One worked okay but the controls had to be recalibrated.  The other did not work at all and the problem was the capacitor - the part cost less than 20 dollars and after calibration it worked fine too. 
Technicians today have nifty testing equipment so they can isolate a problem quickly without having to take the whole thing apart, as would happen in the old days. 

I found with some helpful information