My Dacor double wall oven (ECS230) has begun cutting off when a high temp is used for extended periods. I frequently do pizza nights for our large family, which requires max temp (555 degrees, pure convection mode) for a couple of hours. The oven has previously handled this without any problems but lately, it's begun blocking power to any of the heating elements after about 90 minutes.
The proximate cause of this is the tripping of the high-limit switch. On the chance that ours was failing, I replaced it (after resetting it a couple of times) with a new one. However, the same behavior occurred with the new switch. That's when I realized the cooling fans for both the upper and lower ovens are failing to come on as they should. Consequently, there is an excess heat buildup over time and the high limit switch is tripped.
My issue is that I need to determine if the problem is bad blower fan motors (both failing at the same time seems odd) or, perhaps, a bad relay board - or two. This particular oven features a more complex relay board for the upper oven, and a more basic one for the lower oven.
Here's my question: What is the best way to determine if the problem lies with failed cooling fans OR the relay boards that activate them? My thought was that if the fans can be shown to work, that will leave the relay board(s) as the cause, and I can replace/repair as warranted. But how do I bypass the relay boards to test the fans?
One fellow I spoke with at a big box hardware store (he was an appliance tech for several years) suggested using a "cheater" cord to bypass the relay board(s) and put 120 VAC on the fans directly. That sounds like it would work, but I have never done such a thing. I get the concept well enough and would be willing to try it if there were a decent tutorial so I don't fry an oven component -- or myself! Failing that, though, would a simple continuity test with a multimeter be sufficient to show that the fans are likely working?
I would SERIOUSLY appreciate any advice on how to proceed. I need to get back to pizza making!
The proximate cause of this is the tripping of the high-limit switch. On the chance that ours was failing, I replaced it (after resetting it a couple of times) with a new one. However, the same behavior occurred with the new switch. That's when I realized the cooling fans for both the upper and lower ovens are failing to come on as they should. Consequently, there is an excess heat buildup over time and the high limit switch is tripped.
My issue is that I need to determine if the problem is bad blower fan motors (both failing at the same time seems odd) or, perhaps, a bad relay board - or two. This particular oven features a more complex relay board for the upper oven, and a more basic one for the lower oven.
Here's my question: What is the best way to determine if the problem lies with failed cooling fans OR the relay boards that activate them? My thought was that if the fans can be shown to work, that will leave the relay board(s) as the cause, and I can replace/repair as warranted. But how do I bypass the relay boards to test the fans?
One fellow I spoke with at a big box hardware store (he was an appliance tech for several years) suggested using a "cheater" cord to bypass the relay board(s) and put 120 VAC on the fans directly. That sounds like it would work, but I have never done such a thing. I get the concept well enough and would be willing to try it if there were a decent tutorial so I don't fry an oven component -- or myself! Failing that, though, would a simple continuity test with a multimeter be sufficient to show that the fans are likely working?
I would SERIOUSLY appreciate any advice on how to proceed. I need to get back to pizza making!