Oven Timer Problem

This is our kitchen, sort of. The house was built in the 1960's. The built-in range, range hood, and oven were the original installation from when the house was built. After forty years, the old clock dial oven timer stopped working. My wife considers an oven timer essential for having a hot meal when we come home from church services on Sunday. But, when I went to an appliance parts supplier, he informed me that timer is no longer available. He knew of no substitutes. We either needed an alternative plan or we would be spending $2,000 US for a new oven, range, and range hood.

Step 1 My Plan

I decided to run our old oven from a common timer. I chose a digital timer from Radio Shack with a seven day program and multiple event capability. A common timer like this one shown here is sold everywhere and used to control lights when people are away. It would have worked nicely, too. This one is programmed with insertable cams (red and green here) reliable to the nearest 15 minutes. My digital timer was accurate to the minute. With both styles of timer, the timer plugs into a 120 volt wall receptacle. The device to be controlled plugs into the side or bottom of the timer.

Comments

[russ_hensel]

This could work. But becareful. Ovens use a lot of current and 120 to 240 volts. You need a heavy duty relay ( a lighter duty one may work for a bit and then either stick on or off ) You do not want any of the high voltage climbing back the relay wires. This may also turn off everything on the oven like the light and the clock when it is off, and require that the timer always be used to turn on the oven. All this depends a bit on where the relay is placed in the circuit. Will it meet code? who knows

[Phil B]

It worked quite well for several months. Then my wife decided she wanted a major remodel in the kitchen, including all new cooking equipment. My point was that you are not necessarily dead in the water just because the timer for your oven is no longer available.

[Warlrosity]

Noooooooo

[vernors]

if the timer brook then get a new one. but if the timer was hooked up to the heat you would just have to turn it off your self.

[Phil B]

As I mentioned in the first panel of the Instructable, a new oven timer is no longer available for that oven. There is no suitable substitute for another oven that is available, either. Also, we are not always home from church at the time the oven should shut off. We needed a way to control the oven's on and off cycle, or we needed to spend an entirely new oven, range, and range hood.

[vernors]

O^{how do you say "O"}so does contrl temp. ok i get now.

[vernors]

i remember know its "oh".