2 Attachment(s)
2018 UL regulation cripples electric ranges
This is a long post, but if you're in the market for a new electric range, or may be in the future, have a look at this. Just another example of a nanny state.
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In the 1990’s there were alarming cases of toddlers accidentally falling into 5 gallon utility buckets (filled with water and left unattended) and drowning. People were outraged, and rightfully so. A solution was proposed to save lives. It was suggested that all 5 gallon buckets have a small hole on the bottom. This would allow the water to drain out, thus avoiding any drowning. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed as this solution would render the bucket useless for its intended purpose.
Fast forward to the 2010’s. People are being killed and homes destroyed by people accidentally leaving pans of oil unattended on electric stoves. Again, people were outraged. A solution was proposed to save lives. It was suggested that all electric stoves have a sensor that would detect if a pan was on the heating element and if the temperature was too high. Unfortunately, cooler headed did not prevail. In mid-2018, Underwriters Laboratories (UL) mandated that all electric coil stoves be fitted with a sensor (this includes radiant-heat stoves too). “When the sensor detects a pan temperature near the limit (450°F), the burner will shut off automatically until a lower, safe pan temperature is reached. At that point, heat will resume to the burner.”
Most stoves last a very long time. Ours lasted over 23 years. When shopping for a replacement, all electric stoves (possibly with the exception of induction ranges -- but then you can’t use aluminum cookware) have this sensor. This includes coil top as well as radiant heat cook tops. Now, by avoiding grease fires, the industry has rendered the cook top useless for its intended purpose. Cooking pasta? The heating element will cycle off several times during the boiling process to the point that the pasta is sitting motionless in a bath of warm water. Searing a steak? The heating element will cycle off, leaving your medium-rare steak to slowly heat to medium and medium-well before you can sear the other side. Canning jam? The steady 15 minute boil required to safely seal the jars cannot be achieved. Use a moka pot? The small moka pot must be placed in the center, over the sensor, where there are no coils, so the handle gets dangerously hot before the coffee is ready. Got older pots and pans with concave bottoms? They will not depress the sensor at all and the coil will never heat. Oh, and the coils cannot be replaced by older style coils nor can the sensor be deactivated.
So, with a hole in every bucket that cannot be plugged, what’s my alternative?
1) Buy a used electric range manufactured before 2018.
2) Have natural gas plumbed to my house and buy a gas range.
3) Move to a home that already has a gas range.
It looks like we’ll be going with option #1 for now. Luckily, someone already paid to have gas run into our neighborhood, and it’s on my side of the street, so we’ll get an estimate next week and will plan for a gas range when we remodel the kitchen in 2022 which will require us to reconfigure the cabinets to accommodate a 36" range. Consider this a public service announcement if your electric range dies and you’re in the market for a new one.
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Here's the YouTube video
Understanding new Sensi-Temp range coils
Here is my comment along with one of GE's responses. You can read the rest if you go to the video.
Vic Galante 1 month ago
I just installed a new GE range (model JB258DM1WW) with these Sensi-Temp coils today. I then put on a large pot of water to make pasta. Just as I saw tiny bubbles start to form in the pot (no way near a boil, mind you), the coil cycled off. Shortly after it must have restarted and a few minutes later my water was boiling. In went the salt and pasta. About half way through the cooking process, with the water at a proper full boil, the coil cycled off again. I watched as ALL of the bubbles subsided and my pasta was just sitting still in a bath of warm water. About 60 seconds later, the coil cycled back on and cooking resumed until the pasta was fully cooked. This performance in unacceptable. Before my 30-day return policy expires I'll be searching for a solution to "defeat" this Sensi-temp technology. With the overwhelming number of complaints out there I'm sure that someone has devised a solution...possibly a ceramic disk permanently affixed to the sensor will keep the sensor below it's turn-off point of 450°F.
GE Appliances 1 month ago
Thanks for reaching out to us, Vic. We certainly apologize for these issues with your new range and we want to assist further. Have you tested your pans? If not, we suggest you check them with a ruler or straight edge for a flat bottom. Also, heavy cookware will give you the best performance. I hope this helps! -SF
Note: All of my pots and pans are top of the line All-Clad and are perfectly flat and heavy enough.
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This may seem tame, but those that have these new electric ranges build after 2018 are going bonkers. Lots of people have posted complaints and GE just replies with the same statements. Every make and model has some implementation of these UL regulations and stores no longer carry the older models. Let's face it, your stove lasts a very long time. Mine lasted 23 years. So very few households are buying new electric ranges each year, but when they do they'll have it installed only to find this same issue with the burners cycling on and off while they're trying to cook. I think because so few households buy new electric ranges that the outcry has been small. In 5-10 years when more homes realize that this UL regulation has rendered their cook top inadequate, the outcry will grow louder and lawmakers will come to there senses.
I eventually found the current model GE electric range in a seedy used appliance store, but this one was built before 2018 and had the standard coil burners. After laying out $400 for the range and another $175 for brand new GE coils, drip pans, and 2 oven racks (my wife was so creeped out by having an old, dirty, used range that I replaced all the used parts and cleaned it like-new to make her happy) that it looks like it came off new out of the box. When we remodel the kitchen in 2022 we'll have natural gas plumbed to the house and buy a 36" Bertazzoni Heritage range (which, by the way, is the nuts).
