Cooker fail

[stealthwolf]

The wife was complaining that the oven wasn't working. It's an electric fan oven, with an electric mini oven/grill, and a gas hob. The cooker switch light was rather dim so I took it on myself to buy a nice new one from screwfix for £15 and swapped it over.

Still didn't work. Downloded the manual. Turns out I should have set the clock first. Once I had done that, it was working fine.

/facepalm

 

[plugwash]

neon indicators often get dim, flickery or fail completely as they get old.

If the indicator is consistently dim/flickery then it's probablly just an old neon. If the indicator works fine when the cooker is not in use but goes out when you turn the cooker on then it's more likely a high resistance somewhere in the power line.

 

[JohnD]

I managed to get some mains-voltage indicator LEDs to replace neons, but you'll be lucky to find ones that easily fit. They have a bit of electronic circuitry included, but very small.

The rated life of neons is far, far less than indicator LEDs.

 

[GeorgeNewman]

Neon bulbs, however, may last a surprisingly long time. I have some on my boiler that have been lit more or less continuously since 1980 - 330,000 hrs!

George

 

[Brigadier]

Just think how much those little sods have cost ya!

 

[rsgaz]

Just think how much those little sods have cost ya!

They are about a ¼ of a watt, so 0.00025*24*365*38*£0.17= £14.15

Although George did say "some", the above is 'per neon'

 

[plugwash]

The rated life of neons is far, far less than indicator LEDs.

However a LED running off a stable DC supply is a very different case from an LED running off a crude dropper circuit. My concern lifetime wise would be what effect spikes on the mains have on the lifetime of either the dropper circuit or the LED itself.

(I am assuming these mains powered indicator LEDs use a capacitive dropper)