My oven has needed to be cleaned for a while now. With all the breathing problems I've been having, Easy-Off is out of the question. Fortunately, my oven has a self-cleaning feature. However, the cleaning feature really heats up the kitchen and I'm sure some of that heat leaks out into the rest of the house. So, in that it has cooled off and I don't need A/C any more, I decided tonight would be a good time for the cleaning thing.
I started it at about 4:50PM. Somewhere around 6:30 I went out to the kitchen. I'll be darned if the bugger wasn't blinking with "PF" on the screen. Power failure........ But, it was still hot as buggers in the kitchen. I was scared to death that somehow the oven (the stove is gas but it has computerized (electrical) controls) would just keep on getting hotter and hotter and burn the place down. But, no matter what I tried, I could not cause the oven door to unlatch nor cause any change in the blinking "PF" nor find any assurance that the cleaning cycle had been interrupted.
I had no clue what to do. I tried to call Mr. Fixit. Not only did he not answer but I kept getting messages that he had not yet set up his voicemail. So, not going to get any advice from him, assuming I could get him to shut up and actually listen to the problem. Then I tried to call Mr. Fixit2. No answer there either. Holy Toledo!
Finally I decided to try checking the fuse box. I went out to the van and got my itty bitty flashlight. (Just last week I was thinking I really should get myself a REAL flashlight, not that itty bitty thing I told folks to buy last year for stocking stuffers. Now I'm wondering: was that the Holy Spirit talking to me and I just didn't recognize it????)
And I found my way to the fuse box. Most of the fuses are unlabeled. Maybe they were labeled in 1983 when the house was built, but whatever was written there has mostly worn off. I could see the fuse marked "garage". I also saw one marked "DR" which I assume meant Dining Room. I'd have been thrilled to find a "K", but no such luck. I ended up flipping every stinking fuse from where it was to off and then back. I'd flip one and go peer through a window to see if the flashing display on the stove reset to 12:00. Finally, it did. And, when I came back into the house, I found the oven unlocked and I was able to make sure the cleaning cycle was no longer running and the risk of the oven continuing to heat up had been averted. Believe me, you wouldn't have wanted to check my blood pressure during all this!
My next concern is whether or not the freezer is still working. Remember, the "PF" on the stove was blinking when the freezer stopped running too. I tried to check but it's still plenty cold so I can't tell. I guess the freezer will be my first stop come morning...........
Well, I wonder what comes next...........
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