Caloric pilotless oven cleaning

Hi,

I'm hoping someone here can help me. We have a VERY old Caloric Pilotless gas oven in our kitchen. Not sure how old though. It has an analog clock and analog start/stop timers and the brolier is a separate "oven" directly below. The inside hasn't been cleaned in years by the looks of it - kinda gritty and dry looking, not sure if it's supposed to be smooth and shiny when it's clean or what. Other than "Caloric Pilotless" there's nothing else on the oven. Is this a self-cleaning oven or no? There aren't any cleaning settings or knobs. I'm trying to find out if it's okay for me to use a baking soda and water paste to get it clean, which is not supposed to be used for self-cleaning ovens. Any help you can provide is appreciated. Thanks!

 

From what you are describing chances are it is not a self cleaning oven. Self cleaning ovens generally utilize the top and bottom burners during the cleaning cycle. Since yours has a separate broiler draw on the bottom it is not the case.

Maybe someone else will chime in to confirm my suspicions.

 

Thanks for your reply Hank. Yes, the broiler is a separate unit (about the same size as the oven) directly beneath the oven.

 

Hello ckkpbx. Welcome to Gas Appliances topic and our Do-It-Yourself Web Site.

A "Self Cleaning" oven will have a door locking device. A handle that moves horizontally from left to right which locks the door shut. Also a setting on the temperature control knob or on the display panel, that is titled "Self Cleaning" on the front panel. That setting is used to clean the oven.

The baking compartments interior lower removable panel/plate will have a visible noticeable sprayed on coating which absorbs spill overs. The surface of this lower plate will be a rough coating which may have some stains already on it.

Some, most and/or all self cleaning ovens have removable side panels in the oven baking compartments also. If any of the above are in the oven you have, then it is a "Self Cleaning" oven. If not, the surfaces will be smooth.

Cleaning the lower and side panels on a self cleaning should only be done using soapy water and NO sprayed on oven cleaning chemicals. The panels in self cleaning ovens are suppose to "Look" spotted and or "Stained." Those spots or stains are evidence (proof) the surface coating is working as intended.

By The Way: Even ovens with separate baking and broiling compartments (oven above with broiler below using one burner between them) can be self cleaning models. Without separate burners for each.

Since it's the baking compartment that gets spill over stains during baking and not the lower broiler compartment.

Hope the above helps and answers your question.