Perfect poultry this Christmas – is your oven OK?

As featured in the Sunday Mail TV guide – Trades & Services section 7/12/14

Don’t let your oven ruin Christmas

There is nothing to unite a family quite like a traditional Christmas lunch, and nothing like the frustration and disappointment of opening your oven door to find a raw or undercooked turkey.

Also consider that an improperly cooked meal could mean your family gets more than just presents this Christmas.

Small problems affecting your oven/stove one can soon turn into significant ones.

However, these be conveniently resolved by a trained and qualified technician.

Getting your appliances repaired will save you time and money compared to purchasing a brand new cooker or stove.

Ovens eclipse BBQS

You may like cooking on the BBQ, but with rising bottled gas prices, the costs soon start to add up.

Calculations by energy infrastructure company Ausgrid suggest that a BBQ is 2.5 times more expensive the run then a fan-forced electric oven, and over 3.5 times the cost of a conventional oven.

The high cost of using a BBQ relates to the large amount of heat lost when cooking, which is much higher than an oven due to the fact it is very poor at retaining heat.

Sharpe Electric Appliance Technician Terry has been inspecting stoves and cookers in Adelaide for over 20 years. His most common Question:

Q: Why is my oven failing to heat or reach the required temperature?

A: Usually there is a problem or complete failure of the heating element.

There are also other faults that can produce similar problems such as a faulty fan motor or burnt wiring.

Signs and Symptoms: Ovens & Stoves

Noticed your oven or stove is taking longer to heat up?
Have you noticed hotspots developing on the oven/stove element?
Oven is burning or inconsistently cooking food?
Control knobs or oven door get abnormally hot?
Oven door won’t close properly?
Heat damage to areas outside the oven?

If you notice any of these, get a professional Sharpe Technician to examine your appliance.

Only use an Accredited Master Electrician

Accredited Master Electrician If an Electrician is a member of Master Electricians Australia, this means you can be sure that the work conducted on your property is of the highest technical and ethical standards.

Master Electricians have to go through a stringent process demonstrating high quality workmanship, adherence to safety, and obey by a lengthy code of practice.

The excellence that comes with being a Master Electrician means any work conducted comes with an automatic 12-month guarantee.

Technical Secret:

Damaged door seals can contribute to a number of problems.

Having difficulty closing your oven door is a sign that something is wrong. A faulty seal will let heat escape, meaning it wastes energy and takes longer to reach required cooking temperatures.

Faulty seals can also let out enough heat to damage kitchen units adjacent to your cooker.

A MEGGER is used by Sharpe Technicians to measure the resistance within electrical circuits, helps determine the insulation quality of wiring in your appliance. Megger