Aga ranges

[geordief]

Any one on this forum have much experience with agas?

There used to be a forum (agacentral dot com) that was very helpful but it shut down some years back.

 

[ericmark]

The Aga has changed over the years. Mothers was installed in 1954, and son had one in a narrow boat, and as well as coke, there are also oil and electric versions, so much depends on what you want to know.

 

[Exedon]

Installed them serviced them was a agent for the lookalike the Nobel and the much better Stanley.
Now have zero to do with aga's and similar and feel very much better, they are the work of the devil.

 

[Mottie]

Every person I know that has an Aga, has a second 'regular' oven that they actually cook most of their meals in!

 

[geordief]

Every person I know that has an Aga, has a second 'regular' oven that they actually cook most of their meals in!

Not me.I have a second gas oven that is very much auxiliary to the Aga.I even use it (the Aga,that is) for drying wood logs (even green ) and kindling which burn like the devil on the open fire (put them in hot!)

It does take an age to heat up but you can get a fierce heat if it is set up right and there is the simmering oven too .It is easy to have loads of things on the go ,esp if you have the gas stove as an "overflow".

Installed them serviced them was a agent for the lookalike the Nobel and the much better Stanley.
Now have zero to do with aga's and similar and feel very much better, they are the work of the devil.

I should introduce you to my service engineer.He is similarly uncontactable.

 

[fixitflav]

Not me.I have a second gas oven that is very much auxiliary to the Aga.I even use it (the Aga,that is) for drying wood logs (even green ) and kindling which burn like the devil on the open fire (put them in hot!)

It does take an age to heat up but you can get a fierce heat if it is set up right and there is the simmering oven too .It is easy to have loads of things on the go ,esp if you have the gas stove as an "overflow".

I should introduce you to my service engineer.He is similarly uncontactable.

I don't know the first thing about Agas, but you still haven't said what fuel yours uses, and what you want to know

 

[geordief]

I don't know the first thing about Agas, but you still haven't said what fuel yours uses, and what you want to know

It uses kerosene.
I have done my own "servicing" on it for the past 25 years and generally just get a service wen there I something I worry about doing on my own ,or if I want a better job done (or advice from what is quite a small - and dwindling -circle of experts)

The now defunct site I mentioned used to be very helpful and successfully "talked " me through the odd procedure (its archive is no longer on the net) .

 

[geordief]

The Aga has changed over the years. Mothers was installed in 1954, and son had one in a narrow boat, and as well as coke, there are also oil and electric versions, so much depends on what you want to know.

That is older than mine.(the 60s)We actually have an old small (one hob) solid fuel one that is never used now but this one has 4 ovens and would probably sink your son's narrow boat.

 

[ericmark]

The Aga was fitted as a steel works town, and they sold off small coke cheap. When the coking ovens closed, that was the end of the Aga. We had single glazed louvred windows to get rid of the heat in the kitchen. Today we use an induction hob and air frier as they cost less to run, and also don't get the kitchen like a sauna.

I know some farms went to kerosene, but not a clue how controlled, could use TVO if stuck, so made sense. The problem I found, was someone has altered Mrs Beaton cook books, they did tell you how to set the dampers, and with the new fan ovens we have elements top, side and back so similar to the old dampers, but it had gas mark setting, and she was dead and buried before the gas oven came out.

So sorry things have moved on, and the range cooker is something we look at in wonder in the Beamish museum.

 

[oilhead]

So we still don't know what is your problem. Is this a bespoke oil Aga or a converted one? I had lots of customers who always 'serviced' their own appliances but was called in to 'service' it when their efforts failed. The biggest problems with self service occurred with blocked filters, air locks in contrived oil feeds, greased up metering columns and fiddled with flow settings.
I recall one farmer who called me in on 23rd December who could not light his and was getting understandable grief from his other half. He had never had any bother for 25 years. On arrival, I asked to see his oil tank and was assured it was full. so no need. I persisted, and when shown, loosened the outflow bleed on the filter. I could sense the frustration that he was having to pay me to change a filter, but following through the rest of the service, he had never checked flow rates, and did not realise there was a further filter in the BM valve and that the metering stem neede cleaning. I got the job every 6 months after that, I suspect through the earache from his long suffering spouse.
Aga's are simple appliances but that doesn't mean they should be left to the advances of simpletons.

 

[Exedon]

I got out of servicing myself years ago (never liked doing it)
Ive 2 excellent service engineers one oil one gas , sub contract for me.
The oil guy loves aga's but he's really well set up for them.
Has a load of spare burner base's so changes them at ever service they then go for shot blasting .
No sitting there chipping crud of burner.
Some aga owners can be a pain the world really ends if cooker goes out!

 

[geordief]

I got out of servicing myself years ago (never liked doing it)
Ive 2 excellent service engineers one oil one gas , sub contract for me.
The oil guy loves aga's but he's really well set up for them.
Has a load of spare burner base's so changes them at ever service they then go for shot blasting .
No sitting there chipping crud of burner.
Some aga owners can be a pain the world really ends if cooker goes out!

The world does indeed end.These machines function as both cookers and as 24 hour "central heating" if you live mostly in the kitchen.

It is one reason I don't like calling out the serviceman as they ask for you to turn off the range the night before -which makes the house barely liveable.

 

[geordief]

So we still don't know what is your problem. Is this a bespoke oil Aga or a converted one? I had lots of customers who always 'serviced' their own appliances but was called in to 'service' it when their efforts failed. The biggest problems with self service occurred with blocked filters, air locks in contrived oil feeds, greased up metering columns and fiddled with flow settings.
I recall one farmer who called me in on 23rd December who could not light his and was getting understandable grief from his other half. He had never had any bother for 25 years. On arrival, I asked to see his oil tank and was assured it was full. so no need. I persisted, and when shown, loosened the outflow bleed on the filter. I could sense the frustration that he was having to pay me to change a filter, but following through the rest of the service, he had never checked flow rates, and did not realise there was a further filter in the BM valve and that the metering stem neede cleaning. I got the job every 6 months after that, I suspect through the earache from his long suffering spouse.
Aga's are simple appliances but that doesn't mean they should be left to the advances of simpletons.

No I don't understand your technical terms either and am surprised that they apply to the aga I have.

It is not a converted one.I think it is an OE model but I can't lay my hand on the manual just now although there seems to be an identical pdf version online.

I did have a problem but ,annoyingly I managed to fix it myself and so put off the serviceman.

When I cleaned it out it would only last a few weeks and would not appear to need a clean when I opened it.

On the phone the service engineer told me to get the tank cleaned and the pipes blown through -something that had never been done in recent or ancient memory.

By judicious knockings and flushings I was able to bring the machine back and working better than ever and so I never called the engineer for definite.

Always the case that when you want to diagnose a fault the fault itself disappears!