Burned up oven light rocker switch.

[WillVT]

So, the other day, my wife and I were in the kitchen, and smelled an electrical burning smell. After looking and smelling all around, I discovered that it was the little rocker switch on the electric range that turns the oven light on and off. It's a Tappan TEF361GS. I unplugged to stove, popped the switch out, and found this:


The OEM part is $26 shipped. Seems a little steep for what feels like a very cheaply made part. My question is,
if I can find a simple rocker switch that's close enough in size, is there any reason not to go that way?
The original says 8A-125vac, 4A-250vac, 3A-277vac. I don't quite understand the multiple ratings.
Would something like this from Mouser work? The price is definitely better.

And why would the original burn out like that? Contacts too close? Maybe it was left sort of half switched? Maybe some food or grease go in there?

 

[petehall347]

switch was arcing inside by the looks of it . may have got liquid inside from a spill or cleaning the stove .
so long as new switch fits and is equal or greater on the specs it should be fine .

 

[darg]

Make sure it’s temperature rating is equivalent. Not sure how close it is to hot surfaces

 

[gadget73]

Switches is switches. If it fits and meets or exceeds ratings you're good. I've had a number of those type switches fail in similar ways. They are not amazingly well built.

The different amps at different volts is just a wattage thing. 8A 125v is the same wattage as 4a 250v.

 

[Billy D.]

an oven bulb that draws 8 amps? ya no.

 

[WillVT]

So if that Mouser switch says 10A-250vac, it should be good?
The temp rating is 131F, so that should be ok. It's on the top of the back panel, so about a foot from the element.

I haven't found the exact size. I'm not afraid to grind out the cutout a little, but would only be worried about moisture and stuff getting into an imperfect fit.
The hole measures 1/2 inch x 3/4, or 12.7mm x 19mm.

 

[WillVT]

I think I found the right one. Same manufacturer as the original. Same size. Under $7 shipped from Digikey.

It's amazing, the OEM part is $18.60 plus shipping, and the same part from Digikey is $0.98 plus shipping. I wonder how much it would cost to have a repair person come out and do it!

 

[usedto]

an oven bulb that draws 8 amps? ya no.

Decimal missing.

I have switches like that but 24v DC wouldn't do much good.

 

[old_tv_nut]

A general parts jobber has much less overhead per piece than the manufacturer's service department. Back when TVs were repairable, the cost of replacement parts from the TV manufacturer would be about 10 times the cost for the assembly line. Just a fact of life - stocking relatively small quantities that just sit on the shelf waiting for the need is expensive.

Glad you found something reasonable.

 

[NAD80]

Nice work finding a replacement switch. Have had to find replacement burner switches for stoves myself.

 

[JohnT123]

Failures like that are usually caused by a loose connection and the resulting arc that generates heat. While you're in there check any other connections that you can access to see if they are loose.

 

[KingBubba]

To me it looked like switch of the type that the wire is slid into some kind of pincer that holds the wire in contact. A lot of household electrical outlets are designed that way and they suck.

 

[dly66]

You can install other switches. I had to use a Dremel tool to round out the hole on my mom's 1965 vintage Westinghouse oven when its oven light switch died about 15-20 years ago. Used a new push button metal switch - they quit making the original switch many years before.

My mom is still using the old original to the house Westinghouse cook top and oven, now about 55 or so years old. A few replacement parts have been put in over the decades - but not many.