GirlPiper Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 OK--Had a ham in the oven with some duchess potatoes. Took out the ham, left the spuds in to brown, and on the way to broil the self-cleaning setting triggered and locked the door. (I've never used the feature yet.) I pulled the stove out and unplugged it, waited a few minutes then plugged it back in to break the cycle since I was nervous the potatoes would burn up and start a fire, plus break the Corning ware dish. The door is still locked, but the oven is cooling down. Will the door unlock when the pre-programmed timer reaches its end? The Whirlpool book was NO help, and I cannot be the only one who's ever done this.Anybody know?Thanks in advance. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-defunct account- Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 From what I can read online, that feature is designed to stay locked until the heating and cooling process is complete. If it stays locked hours after it has cooled down, there are a few tricks online about how to get it to release too, hopefully it'll just come free. One of the common tips is that after it's cooled for hours, leave it UNplugged for a few hours in an attempt to reset it, or start trying to pre-heat the oven, mess with other settings etc, to force the program out of self-cleaning mode Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alamom Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 Hopefully, once it cools it will unlock, it should once it cools to a safe temperature. Did the cleaning stop, it is not still heating? Your potatoes are probably not going to survive but hopefully your dish will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roxxie2 Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 Yes!!! Though I did not intend to do it, I made an error and started the self cleaning feature by mistake. The oven locked and I could not turn it off. I panicked and did the only other thing I could think of........I ran and cut off the breaker to the oven and shut is completely down. I was then able to get the oven door to open and shut down the self cleaning event. Whew! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 This is kinda scary. I've often worried one of the kids would set it off to clean. Mine has to be really, really cold before it unlocks from the cleaning process so hopefully it will unlock when it reaches the programmed temp. Seems like there should be a built in safety override switch some place to stop the process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kat57 Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 (edited) Whew,I've never had a self-cleaning oven and I don't think I'd want one after reading all this! I understand the safety feature,but they need to design a (safe) way for an adult to override the lock!!Geez! Selkie,great minds think alike!LOL Edited November 4, 2013 by kat57 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chapchap73 Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 Like others have said, the oven should unlock once it cools down. I did the same thing a few years back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
me-barbie Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 My friend's husband did this. He wasn't much of a cook and thought it was a child safety lock. That lasagna was burnt offerings by the time they got the door to open agin. My friend's sister sent the story to readers digest and got 25 $ ! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GirlPiper Posted November 4, 2013 Author Share Posted November 4, 2013 Thanks, all. Left it all night, unplugged, and it's still locked. I'll try setting and fooling it--maybe that will work. I don't expect the potatos to survive--I'm worried about a fire and shattered glass. I'll try to get hold of the 800 number today, but I agree there should be a remedy in the owner's manual. Of course, it happened on a Sunday evening. My usual luck would be an incident on a major American holiday! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 Maybe it would unlock if you plugged it in now and it recognized the "cold" temp in it's normal cycle of when to unlock. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roxxie2 Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 Lesson learned.....I NEVER clean the oven with that self cleaner option!!!!!!!!!! You can clean the oven with vinegar and water or baking soda about as well if you let it sit for a while. No heat, no stinky chemicals. If you do need to clean it, they sell COLD cleaning products. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grazhina Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 Roxy, I never use the self cleaning cycle either. The oven gets up to 900 to 1000 degrees, and it's not unusual for delicate electronic parts to be damaged. Anything that spills over when I'm cooking in the oven gets burned into ash and charcoal the next time I use the oven, then I just sweep it out and wipe the inside of my oven with damp paper towels. If the spill is really bad ( and I usually place foil on the rack underneath if I think the dish will bubble over) I'll wipe and scrape some of the worst of it off after the oven has cooled - that or keep the oven on for a while after I've taken the food out and make sure the hood ventilator is turned on. My oven isn't porcelain lined. I used to use Easy Off cold oven cleaner on my old oven when I needed to. To clean racks, just stick them in a trash bag, spray with the Easy Off, flip the bag over, spray the other side and seal the bag for 30 minutes to an hour. Wipe, rinse, and the racks are shiny clean. Letting the racks sit in ammonia in a trash bag overnight works too, but I prefer the Easy Off, it's faster and not as messy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 I had a self-cleaning oven with my last electric stove, when it was just becoming available generally, and I used it twice and my oven was never as clean as when I used the vinegar and baking soda to clean it. The one I have now is the exact same model as that one I had more than 30 years ago, including the self-cleaning feature, and I'll never use it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GirlPiper Posted November 7, 2013 Author Share Posted November 7, 2013 UPDATE: After calling the "help" line at Whirlpool (hah--a major misnomer), trying some of the remedies on the reams and reams of postings on line about this issue with this oven (are you listening, Whirlpool?!) my son-in-law had to go to the appliance parts place for a customer, and he asked about the parts I'd identified. $50 to start and not in stock. (Figures--Thanksgiving is in about 2 weeks). I took the back off the stove, followed the wiring from the interior latch, and found the little motor. A nylon eliptical wheel attached to a wire lever was caught between 2 switches, and easily moved back into place. The beeping that started Sunday evening along with the flashing code lights stopped, and the door opened. This is WEDNESDAY for crying out loud. It took a whole ten minutes total to remove the back, find the problem and reassemble. I bought Whirlpool appliances because it's a Michigan company. Not sure their customer "service" is worth my loyalty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HelenV Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 Yay well done Gloria!!! I reckon a lot of those "help" lines are ticking boxes on a question screen on a computer and if your problem doesn't fit their template you're out of luck - and often pocket for a repairman to come fix it. Looks like you did a great job of beating the system!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GirlPiper Posted November 7, 2013 Author Share Posted November 7, 2013 I'm glad it worked out well. My impatience and wimpy pocketbook are an asset sometimes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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