Sabbath Mode of GE Model JB258 (and possibly other models) electric oven

The following public service announcement regarding GE Electric ovens was issued by STAR-K:

While GE appliances are not certified by STAR-K, we are providing this guidance as a service to consumers who may own this model.

In the course of recent STAR-K appliance lab testing, it has come to our attention that the GE Model JB258 electric oven has a serious issue with its uncertified Sabbath Mode feature. During testing, the electric heating element began to dim immediately when the oven door was opened.

HOW TO TEST:

Consumers may check whether they have this problem by conducting the following test:

  1. Put the oven in Sabbath Mode.
  2. Wait until the electric heating element glows FULL RED. (We suggest turning off the kitchen light to better see the glow.)
  3. Open the oven door and count how many seconds it takes for the element to start dimming. If the time elapsed is at least 15 seconds, there is no issue.
  4. Close the oven door and wait again for the element to glow FULL RED.
  5. Repeat Step 3 to confirm.

WHAT TO DO IF THE ELEMENT DIMS IMMEDIATELY:

DISCLAIMER: The following solution is offered as a public service. STAR-K has not confirmed that the Sabbath Mode in these models is halachically compliant and cannot take responsibility if there are other unknown issues.

If there is no delay, the door switch must be “fooled.” Appliance stores sell heavy-duty magnets for this purpose. The oven will have either a magnetic switch or a physical plunger that needs to be overridden.

If magnetic, place the magnet on the right side of the silver plate located to the right of the self-clean handle, as shown in the photo below. (When using a magnet, put aluminum foil on the door where it contacts the magnet. Otherwise, the magnet may be pulled off when the door is opened.)

For a physical plunger, the magnet should be strong enough to hold the plunger down.

REPEAT THE TEST with the magnet in place. The element should not dim immediately when the door is opened. There should be a minimum of a 15-second delay.

Please note this issue may also affect other similar GE models. STAR-K is still determining whether this is the case.