Dometic oven has wildly innacurate temp settings

[mikeinca]

The Dometic oven in our 2018 30' Classic runs hot; TOO hot. Moreover, the temperature doesn't vary with the knob setting in a linear fashion. With the temperature knob set at 350, our test thermometer indicates 425. A setting of 250 returns an oven temp of 350. When set in the 9:00 position (no marking) the oven reaches 325. To get the temp down to 300, the knob must be backed off nearly to the "light" position. Our test thermometer has been checked against my wife's Bosch household oven and appears to be fairly accurate.

Has anyone experienced similar performance issues from their ovens?

[Baby Zeppelin]

Dear wife says her Dometic oven works fine.

Last night we reheated a casserole I had baked at home a month ago and had frozen.

She said she set the temp at 350, when she took the dish out the thermometer we have in the oven indicated it was indeed at 350. Food was hot without being burnt. Her only observation is that she had to get a new set of cookware sized to fit in the small oven.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Same input from "the cook" here. Set it to whatever temperature and the result is pretty much "as expected".

From testing laboratory ovens in the past ... checking a small cavity oven is not at all simple .... One "quick and dirty" approach is to put a lump of something in the oven and see what temperature it gets to.

Bob

[mikeinca]

Thanks, guys, to you and your wives for the feedback. Although with up to a 100 degree variance between the knob setting and the actual temp it seems something may be amiss, we're about to embark on a one week trip so we'll have a better chance to test the oven in real life situations.

[OTRA15]

If you can get consistent results, based on "learning" the quirks of your oven's stat, at least you can live with that for now IMO. If you need any other warranty work done, I would suggest requesting a new stat. They might even send you the part, but I don't know if this is a DIY installation.

Have a great trip! Where are you headed?

Peter

[sallye]

While you can "learn" to adjust the setting to be accurate, if it were my oven I wouldn't use it until I could get it fixed because you can't count on it to act the same way each time.

I once almost burned my house down once because of an electric oven with a broken thermostat. It just started heating and never turned off. It was a wall oven and there was a bulletin board on the side of the cabinet. The glue melted and the bulletin board fell off, alerting me to the problem. Having a run-away oven in a trailer could be a real problem real fast.

The fact the the trailer oven is gas might or might not make it worse. I guess it could also be a gas valve malfunction of some sort.

[CDONA]

My temperature probe was hanging free of its bracket. I don't know how long it has been loose. There was a change on the knob position to get my desired temp, but still misses the printed numbers vs actual. I also make sure the oven thermometer is in the middle of the oven, not close to the holes around the edge of the pan over the burner

[mikeinca]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

If you can get consistent results, based on "learning" the quirks of your oven's stat, at least you can live with that for now IMO. If you need any other warranty work done, I would suggest requesting a new stat. They might even send you the part, but I don't know if this is a DIY installation.

Have a great trip! Where are you headed?

Peter

I'll do some more testing today to see if results are consistent. And thanks for the good wishes on the trip. We're headed to a location near Lassen National Park in Northern California. Unfortunately another fire is burning about 60 miles north of where we will be so I've been watching air quality numbers, but so far it doesn't look too bad. Hoping for the best!

Originally Posted by sallye

While you can "learn" to adjust the setting to be accurate, if it were my oven I wouldn't use it until I could get it fixed because you can't count on it to act the same way each time.

I once almost burned my house down once because of an electric oven with a broken thermostat. It just started heating and never turned off. It was a wall oven and there was a bulletin board on the side of the cabinet. The glue melted and the bulletin board fell off, alerting me to the problem. Having a run-away oven in a trailer could be a real problem real fast.

The fact the the trailer oven is gas might or might not make it worse. I guess it could also be a gas valve malfunction of some sort.

Thanks for the warning. We will definitely keep an eye on it. My wife says she may be able to get by with just the microwave anyway...

Originally Posted by CDONA

My temperature probe was hanging free of its bracket. I don't know how long it has been loose. There was a change on the knob position to get my desired temp, but still misses the printed numbers vs actual. I also make sure the oven thermometer is in the middle of the oven, not close to the holes around the edge of the pan over the burner

Interesting point. The thermometer was in the center of the oven but we didn't remove the broiler pan, in fact the thermometer was sitting on it. Hmmm....more testing required.

[GM Airstream]

Ahhh.... the old oven temp controler.... I think you need to look back in the web.. as I wrote a whole article on how to set the temp clean and calibrate the oven control...etc...

Much tooo long to re-paste here again.... so look back for my name in the oven articles...

Yes it can be adjusted... most are not calibrated.. most of the time its the oil/wax that comes in the propane that gives them a hard time after setting for a while... and you need to check them every year... or else keep the oven thermo in it and forget the knob setting... we found that if you use it every so often they seem to keep themselves in range (setting) but, if you leave it for 6 months to a year... good luck in the contest as the control can and will get gummed up.. even though they say it clean propane...

[GM Airstream]

... Also get youself a pizza stone.. and put it in the bottom... to even out the heat... we use a cast iron griddle... that works as well... and some metal spacers to keep it from contacting the bottom pan... on top of the burner assy... as the oven will develop hot spots right above the flame area... don't block the holes around the side of the oven rack and hang the thermo from their...

Airstream has known about these ovens having hot spots from the flame area... and it will burn the bottom of things while the top stays un-cooked... and when confronted with the problem... you get... well use the microwave... etc... which really helps...

Once you understand what is happening... and get it to work right... the oven is really a nice item to have

[mikeinca]

Thanks for the tips, GM Airstream. I'll look for your oven calibration thread.

Quick update, I retested the oven without the broiler pan and with the test thermometer as close to the center of the oven as possible at several different temps for extended periods and the oven is still pretty consistently about 100 degrees high.

This is the second oven we've had in our less than one year old trailer. Ironically, the original one wouldn't stay lit at all and was replaced by the dealer, and this one almost won't turn itself off.

[kendrick.l.j]

The oven in my ‘17 is amazingly accurate. The oven has been one of the nice surprises as I expected to see your issues and have not. Hope you get it worked out and have a wonderful trip.

[mikeinca]

Originally Posted by kendrick.l.j

The oven in my ‘17 is amazingly accurate. The oven has been one of the nice surprises as I expected to see your issues and have not. Hope you get it worked out and have a wonderful trip.

Thanks, Lauri!

[rucos]

we had perfect oven cheese biscuits last night in our original rebuilt oven.

Ive learned were the setting are by having a thermometer inside plus I keep a pizzas stone above the burners. You could also look for some unglazed tiles...dont block the side vents.

With a bit of figuring the oven works good. Im going to look a GMAirstream article too and see if I can improve it some more.

[GM Airstream]

Originally Posted by rucos

Ive learned were the setting are by having a thermometer inside plus I keep a pizzas stone above the burners. You could also look for some unglazed tiles...dont block the side vents.

With a bit of figuring the oven works good. Im going to look a GMAirstream article too and see if I can improve it some more.

Guys the owners manual normally doesn't have the info for calibrating the oven... you have to go back in time to find the old manual from the manufacture... The new ones are not going to tell you anything about the oven temp control system due to libility...

but here is the first step

make sure the burner and pilot are clean.. and not full of crud...

Pull the temp knob... look down inside the shaft.. in the bottom you normally will see a set screw... that is the calibration screw... it works opposite to what one would think...

If their is not a screw their.. then look for a slot next to the knob shaft... their you will find two thing.. one is the pilot level.. and the other is again the temp calibration.

Be careful about messing with any of the adjustment screws as they normally are factory set... but as we said.. the propane can effect its operation...

the other hint I will give you is that the pilot flame controls the on off of the temp control... as the pilot grows... it cause the temp sensor to light the main burner... so be careful...

Start with the propane pressure on the main line... it should be 11 inchs water coll... check that first... go to youtube and see how you can DIY... but again be careful.. you don't want to get gas'ed or blow up... which would ruin your whole day. kinda thing.. .

The adventure contenues..

[GM Airstream]

Originally Posted by GM Airstream

Ahhh.... the old oven temp controler.... I think you need to look back in the web.. as I wrote a whole article on how to set the temp clean and calibrate the oven control...etc...

Much tooo long to re-paste here again.... so look back for my name in the oven articles...

Yes it can be adjusted... most are not calibrated.. most of the time its the oil/wax that comes in the propane that gives them a hard time after setting for a while... and you need to check them every year... or else keep the oven thermo in it and forget the knob setting... we found that if you use it every so often they seem to keep themselves in range (setting) but, if you leave it for 6 months to a year... good luck in the contest as the control can and will get gummed up.. even though they say it clean propane...

I post here the excerpt from the stove/oven manual of yester year talking about making the temp set right... its really touchy.... and requires that you take the time to do it right...(prob why they don't do it anymore)...

Also you can get a overhaul kit for the oven temp but, most find that a replacement one is easier and quicker to install. Magic Chef was a division of gaffer & Sattler ... which has gone south.. so parts are hard to find for them... dometic aquired the product a few years ago... and changed the operation of the oven temp control and burner to try and make improvements... for the consumer.

Attached is the pix of the way to adjust 'em... yours may be different..