Thanks for the info, John.


-john

Folks,

The smell a new range oven makes has been an perennial complaint; We have seen this for years. We smell the fumes in our lab when we first use the ovens. We have no information that anyone has ever been harmed by the fumes a new oven makes. We especially hear about it in the winter when the house is closed and sealed and smells tend to linger.

Regards,

Angelo Mannino

Folks, I can't believe none of you have been told that the obnoxious hazardous fumes coming from these ovens in their initial use and during the cleaning cycles are "FORMALDEHYDE".  This is a toxic "irritant" gas and is considered to be an "industrial accident" when released into the air.

I was one of the unlucky people to experience the horrific  burning fumes. I had just moved into a brand new home with KitchenAide gas range. In NY State we have a law protecting children from falling out of windows so we can't open the windows more than 4 1/2 inches. Therefore, I was unable to ventilate my apartment and was left to breath the fumes for several days. It wasn't until a month later that I learned these fumes were formaldehyde, a toxic hazardous gas which affects the eyes, mucous membranes and respiratory system. I ended up in Doctor's offices and was immediately put on numerous medications to relieve my symptoms. 30 days of antibiotics, steriod drops and internal cortizone amongst other medications. I was not a happy camper. My eyes were burned the color of beets for several weeks.

KitchenAide said a Consumer should not be using the cleaning cycle if they can't ventilate their home. i.e. open all windows and doors and leave the house for many hours.

I can't believe these fumes have been a problem for many years and nothing has been done to stop this. KitchenAide/Whirlpool offered to purchase my oven back and left it up to me to purchase another range. It's still under Warranty. It's obvious this is their way of avoiding the main problem. These ovens should be prevented from reaching the healthy Consumer. I've read 100's of stories across the country where people had the same or similar issues.

What do you suggest? As Consumers purchasing these appliances, we deserve the rights to be "made aware" of this potential health hazard. I think these manufacturers deserve a class action lawsuit!!! They've been getting away with it for years and it seems no one is doing anything about it.

You had my sympathy almost all the way thru your post until *BANG*---you mentioned C-A-L.

Class Action Lawsuit + (Lawyers) = Easy Money    ( whatever is left after law firms *reward* themselves)

I used to scoff at the phrase "Money Is The Root of All Evil".

I guess it's correct after all.

And what about NY ?  New York State isn't liable for the 41/2 inch rule---which would permit consumers to adequately ventilate the fumes ??

What must a New York homeowner do to escape from a home that is on *fire* but cannot exit thru a window ?? How are the windows restricted ??

Have you read the USER MANUAL before using the Self Clean Cycle ? Was there a section in it or the OWNER MANUAL which *warns* of danger to birds and that fumes can & will irritate HUMANS ?

 

We had a GE self-cleaning oven, model JGB290 for just a few days.  When we turned on the broiler, the fumes were so noxious that my wife had an asthma attack.  There were other problems with the oven so we called the GE repair people during the first week of use.  After 3 hours, the repairman told us the range was unrepairable.  Only with the help of the local repair company, and NO assistance from GE or Home Depot , where we bought the range, could we get a replacement.  However, the replacement oven was just as bad in terms of noxious odors when in self-cleaning or broiler mode, although it didn't have the other defects that led to our getting a replacement...so we were out of luck. The fumes were horrendous and my wife had another asthma attack, even though she had been out of the house for 4 hours while the installer tested the oven.  I had trouble breathing too, despite opening every window in the house on a cold upstate NY winter day.

We decided to simply take the loss, since no one at GE or Home Depot would stand by their product.  We bought a top-rated dual fuel Bosch...gas cooktop with electric range.  We know there can be unpleasant smells at the beginning of the so-called break-in period but the fumes on the GE were absolutely unbreathable.  When we called GE to complain about the noxious fumes, the automoton-like rep told us if we were thinking of suing, they have a crew of lawyers who would fight us tooth and nail.  We replied that we didn't call to discuss doctors or lawyers; we just wanted a range that was usable and safe.  Our final reply was that the last time we were treated so horribly was when we had a 1982 Oldsmobile lemon that GM refused to help us with, and we know where Oldsmobile and GM are today.

I am just  now doing some research to buy a new kitchen range.  I have been reading about people complaining about the smell that ovens give off when they are new and I am concerned about that.  I don't like chemical smells at all.  In your email you mentioned how bad the smell was from the GE that you bought.  Was that a gas or electric oven?  Then you said you bought a Bosch duel fueI.  Did that one also give off an odor from the oven or broiler when it was first used?

Just got a new Electrolux Double wall oven.  The installers told me that before using it for food, run it at 350 for at least an hour.  They said to expect smoke and stink from the oil that the oven is coated in and it needs to burn off.

I let it run for about an hour and a half with the ventilater working and it really wasn't too band in my case.  As for the future, we will see.

 

Hello everybody, I'd like to give my two cents to this discussion.

Last Oct 2008 I bought a 30" GE Profile JB968SL5SS double oven, electric smoothtop, free-standing range.  When I first tried to use the oven around 350 degrees F for a short amount of time (20 minutes) I noticed a chemical, burning smell, so I looked to the manual.  I found these two pieces of info:

"1. Troubleshooting Tips:
a)Problem: "Burning" or "oily" odor emitting from the vent.
b)Possible Causes: This is normal in a new oven and will disappear in time.
c)What to do: To speed the process, set a self-clean cycle fora minimum of 3 hours.  See the Using the self-cleaning oven section.

2.Using the self-cleaning upper oven: IMPORTANT: The health of some birds is extremely sensitive to the fumes given off during the self-cleaning cycle of any range.  Move birds to another well-ventilated room."

Given all this info, I opened up all the windows and door in my 800 square foot condo and proceeded with the self-clean cycle for 3 hours.  The smell was horrible--almost unbearable-- for all those 3 hours and the smell lingered in my place for 2 days.  After those 2 days I ran the self-cleaning cycle again, for 2 hours.  The burning smell was less but still intense and I'm waiting for the weather to get warmer before I do another self-clean.

I'd like to echo the sentiment of others who have posted here who said they're surprised that Consumer Reports hasn't pushed to have manufacturers disclose this.  Even better is if the manufacturers would "break-in" their ovens so that this smell isn't in our homes!  I work in a laboratory for my job and can tolerate many smells, and I can tell you that the kind and quantity of chemical odor that my oven put was offensive to me--it burned my eyes and nose.  OSHA would not approve.

On a positive note, I have to say that this GE Profile range I bought is wonderful--it's solidly built and performs well.  I agree with Consumer Reports finding that this range is a winner.

Larry,

All ranges that I know have the burn-in smell problem as far back as I remember. I don't know of any way around it.

I was agreeing with you until the big CAL word came out. Everyone wants money for nothing.

The biggest problem with your oven smells is oil. Oil is in the manufacturing of metal! That's how they get it to bend, not break. and help keep parts from rusting. I'm sure they clean what they can off before it is assembled, but it still soaks in.

To help reduce the smell you can get some oven cleaner and clean away. But it will still smell.

You have two options to avoid oil fumes. 1. Buy a used oven. 2. Buy a microwave.

Manufactures can't make smells go away. Your heater in your house smells when it's first turned on. Your car engine smells when it is first turned on. You dryer smells when it is first ran. Your computer smells when it is new!

Anything that heats up will have a smell. The best precaution you have is fans and windows.