Whirlpool RF315PXD User manual

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UseAndCare
Table of Contents
(complete) ..................2
A Note to You ................3
Range Safety .................4
Getting to Know
Your Range ...................7
Using Your Range ........8
Caring for Your
Range ...........................23
Troubleshooting .........29
Requesting
Assistance
or Service ....................31
Index ............................35
Warranty ......................36
1-800-253-l 301
Call us with questions or comments.
STANDARD-CLEANING ELECTRIC RANGE
PART NO. 3189078 Rev. A 44
MODEL RF315PXD

Table of Contents
A Note to You ............................................ 3
Range Safety ............................................ 4
Getting to Know Your Range ................... 7
Using Your Range ....................................
8
Using the surface units ......................... 8
Positioning racks and pans ................
10
For best air circulation ........................
10
Using aluminum foil for baking ...........
11
The electronic oven control ................ 12
Setting the clock ................................ 13
Using the electronic Minute Timer ...... 13
Starting a function .............................. 15
Canceling a function ..........................
15
Baking/roasting .................................. 15
Adjusting the oven temperature
control ............................................... 17
Broiling .............................................. 18
Broiling tips ........................................ 20
Energy saving tips ............................. 20
The oven vent ....................................
21
The storage drawer ............................ 21
The anti-tip bracket ............................ 22
Optional door panel pat ..................... 22
Caring for Your Range ...........................
23
Surface units and reflector bowls ........ 23
Lift-up cooktop ................................... 25
Removing the oven door .................... 25
Cleaning chart ...................................
26
The oven light ....................................
28
Troubleshooting ..................................... 29
Requesting Assistance or Service ........ 31
Index ....................................................... 35
Warranty ................................................. 36
2

A Note to You
Thank you for buying a Whirlpool@ appliance.
Because your life is getting busier and more complicated, Whirlpool ranges are easy to use,
save time, and help you manage your home better. To ensure that you enjoy years of trouble-
free operation, we developed this Use and Care Guide. It is full of valuable information about
how to operate and maintain your appliance properly and safely. Please read it carefully.
Also, please complete and mail in the Ownership Registration Card provided with your
appliance. The card helps us notify you about any new information on your appliance.
Please record your model’s information.
Whenever you call to request service for Model Number
your appliance, you need to know your
complete model number and serial number. Serial Number
You can find this information on the model Purchase Date
and serial number plate (see diagram on
page 7 for location of plate).
Please also record the purchase date of
Dealer Name
Dealer Address
your appliance and your dealer’s name,
address, and telephone number. Dealer Phone
Keep this book and the sales slip together in a safe place for future reference.
I
Our Consumer Assistance Center
number is toll-free 24 hours a day.
1-800-253-1301 1
3

Range Safety
Your safety is important to us.
This guide contains safety statements under
warning symbols. Please pay special
attention to these symbols and follow any This symbol alerts you to such dangers
instructions given. Here is a brief explana- as fire, electrical shock, burns, and
tion of the use of the symbol. personal injury.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
To reduce the risk of fire, electrical shock, injury to
persons, or damage when using the range, follow
basic precautions, including the following:
General
ORead all instructions before using
the range.
4nstall or locate the range only in
accordance with the provided
Installation Instructions. The
range must be installed by a
qualified installer. The range
must be properly connected to
electrical supply and grounded.
l WARNING: To reduce the risk
of tipping the appliance, the
appliance must be secured by a
properly installed anti-tip bracket.
To check if the bracket is install-
ed properly, see “The anti-tip
bracket” on page 22.
*CAUTION: Do not store things
children might want above the
range. Children could be burned
or injured while climbing on it.
@Do not leave children alone or
unattended in area where the
range is in use. They should
never be allowed to sit or stand
on any part of the range. They
could be burned or injured.
.Do not operate the range if it is
damaged or not working properly.
@Do not use the range for warming
or heating the room. Persons
could be burned or injured, or a
fire could start.
*Use the range only for its intended
use as described in this manual.
@Do not touch surface units, areas
near units, heating elements, or
interior surfaces of oven. Surface
units and heating elements could
be hot even though they are dark
in color. Areas near surface units
and interior surfaces of an oven
become hot enough to cause
burns. During and after use, do
not touch or let clothing or other
flammable materials contact
surface units, areas near units,
heating elements, or interior sur-
faces of oven until they have had
sufficient time to cool. Other sur-
faces of the range, such as the
oven vent opening, the surface
near the vent opening, the
cooktop, and the oven door and
4

window, could also become hot
enough to cause burns.
43
‘\
*Do not wear loose or hanging
garments when using the range.
They could ignite if they touch a
hot surface unit and you could be
burned.
aUse only dry pot holders. Moist or
damp pot holders on hot surfaces
could result in burns from steam.
Do not let pot holder touch hot
heating elements. Do not use a
towel or bulky cloth for a pot
holder. It could catch on fire.
l Keep range vents unobstructed.
~DO not heat unopened contain-
ers. They could explode. The hot
contents could cause burns and
container particles could cause
injury.
muse only utensils approved for
oven use. Follow utensil
manufacturer’s instructions,
especially when using glass or
plastic utensils.
ADO not store flammable materials
on or near the range. The fumes
could create an explosion and/or
fire hazard.
When using the cooktop
*Make sure the reflector bowls are
in place during cooking. Cooking
without reflector bowls could sub-
ject the wiring and components
underneath them to damage.
@Do not line reflector bowls with
aluminum foil or other liners. Im-
proper installation of these liners
could result in a risk of electric
shock or fire.
*Select a pan with a flat bottom that
is about the same size as the sur-
face unit. If pan is smaller than the
surface unit, some of the heating
element will be exposed and could
result in the igniting of clothing or
pot holders. Correct pan size also
improves cooking efficiency.
@Check to be sure glass cooking
utensils are safe for use on the
range. Only certain types of glass,
glass-ceramic, ceramic, earthen-
ware, or other glazed utensils are
suitable for cooktops without
breaking due to the sudden
change in temperature.
ONever leave surface units unat-
tended at high heat settings. A
boilover could result and cause
smoking and greasy spillovers
that could ignite.
over other surface units. This will
help reduce the chance of burns,
igniting of flammable materials,
and spills due to bumping of the
pan.
continued on next page
5

When using the oven
aAlways position oven rack(s) in
desired location while oven is
cool. If a rack must be removed
while oven is hot, do not let pot
holder contact hot heating eie-
ment in oven.
grease outside of pan can be
extinguished with baking soda or,
if available, a multipurpose dry
chemical or foam-type extin-
guisher.
Care and cleaning
@Do not soak removable heating
elements in water. The element
will be damaged and shock or fire
could result.
@Use care when opening oven
door. Let hot air or steam escape
before removing or replacing
food.
Grease
aGrease is flammable. Do not
allow grease to collect around
cooktop or in vents. Wipe
spillovers immediately.
@Do not use water on grease fires.
Never pick up a flaming pan.
Smother flaming pan on range
by covering with a well-fitted lid,
cookie sheet, or flat tray. Flaming
l Do not clean door heat seal. It is
essential for a good seal. Care
should be taken not to rub, dam-
age, or move the seal. Clean only
parts recommended in this Use
and Care Guide.
*Do not repair or replace any part
of the range unless specifically
recommended in this manual. All
other servicing should be referred
to a qualified technician.
@Disconnect the electrical supply
before servicing the range.
- SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS -
6

Getting to Know Your
Range
This section contains captioned illustrations of your range. Use them to become familiar with
the location and appearance of all parts and features. To help you find information on specific
parts and features quickly, page references are included.
Control panel
Plug-in surface
Model and serial
bracket, see p. 22)
Automatic oven
light ;;it$
I
Control panel
- Broil element
(P. 19)
- Bake element
(P. 1’3
Left front Left rear
burface unit marker
(P.6) I
Surface unit
indicator light
(P.6) 7

Using Your Range
To obtain the best cooking results possible, you must operate your range properly. This
section gives you important information for efficient and safe use of your range.
Using the surface units
Push in &ntrol knobs before turning
them to a setting. You can set them any-
where between HI and OFF.
Surface unit markers
The solid dot in the Surface Unit Marker
q
shows which surface unit is
00 turned on by that knob.
0
Surface unit indicator lights
One of the Surface Unit Indicator Lights on
the control panel will glow when
a surface unit is on.
Until you get used to the settings, use the
following as a guide. For best results, start
cooking at the high setting; then turn the
control knob down to continue cooking.
I
6-8
l To hold a rapid boil.
l To fry chicken or pancakes. I
5 l For gravy, pudding, and
icing.
l To cook large amounts of
veaetables.
Fire Hazard
Be sure all control knobs are turned to
OFF and all indicator lights are OFF
when you are not cooking.
A fire could start or someone could be
burned if a surface unit is accidentally
left ON.
Cookware tips
l Select a pan that is about the same size
as the surface unit.
l NOTE: For best results and greater
energy efficiency, use only flat-bottomed
cookware that makes good contact with
the surface units. Cookware with rounded,
warped, ribbed (such as some porcelain
enamelware), or dented bottoms could
cause severe overheating, which damages
the cookware and/or surface unit.
You can, however, use the newer
cookware available with slightly indented
bottoms or very small expansion channels.
This cookware is specially designed to
provide the good contact needed for best
cooking results.
Also, woks, canners, and teakettles with
flat bottoms suitable for use on your
cooktop are now available in most stores
that sell housewares.
l The pan should have straight sides and a
tight-fitting lid.
l Choose medium to heavy gauge (thick-
ness) pans that are fairly lightweight.
8

l The pan material (metal or glass) affects
how fast heat transfers from the surface
unit through the pan material and how
evenly heat spreads over the pan bottom.
Choose pans that provide the best
cooking results.
l Handles should be made of sturdy,
heat-resistant material and be securely
attached to the pan.
NOTES:
l If a surface unit stays red for a long time,
the bottom of the pan is not flat enough or
is too small for the surface unit. Prolonged
usage of incorrect utensils could result in
damage to the surface unit, cooktop,
wiring, and surrounding areas. To prevent
damage, use correct utensils, start
cooking on HI, and turn control down to
continue cooking.
l Do not leave an empty utensil, or one
which has boiled dry, on a hot surface
unit. The utensil could overheat and
damage the utensil or surface unit.
Home canning information
To protect your range:
l Use flat-bottomed canners/pans for best
results.
l Use the largest surface unit for best
results. Also, use a canner/pan which can
be centered over the surface unit and
which does not extend more than one inch
outside surface unit area. Large diameter
canners/pans, if not properly centered,
trap heat and can cause damage to the
cooktop.
c
l Do not place canner on two surface units
at the same time. Too much heat will build
up and will damage the cooktop.
l Start with hot water. This reduces the
time the control is set on high. Reduce
heat setting to lowest position needed to
keep water boiling.
l Keep reflector bowls clean for best heat
reflection.
l To prolong the life of the elements:
- Prepare small batches at a time.
- Do not use elements for canning
all day.
l Refer to your canner manual for specific
instructions.
Optional canning kit
The large diameter of most water-bath or
pressure canners combined with high heat
settings for long periods of time can shorten
the life of regular surface units and cause
damage to the cooktop.
If you plan to use the cooktop for canning,
we recommend the installation of a Canning
Kit. Order the kit (Part No. 242905) from
your Whirlpool dealer or authorized
Whirlpool service company.
9

Positioning racks and pans
For baking/roasting with one rack, place
the rack so the top of the food will be
centered in the oven.
Rack placement for specific foods:
FOOD RACK POSITION
Frozen pies, large Lowest level or 2nd
roasts, turkeys, level from bottom
angel food cakes
Bundt cakes, most 2nd level from
quick breads, yeast bottom
breads, casseroles,
meats
Cookies, biscuits,
muff ins, cakes,
nonfrozen pies
2nd or 3rd level
from bottom
When baking on two racks, arrange racks
on bottom and third level from bottom.
To change rack position, lift rack at front
and pull out.
NOTE: For recommended rack placement
when broiling, see “Broiling rack position
chart” on page 19.
Personal Injury Hazard
l Always position oven rack(s) in
desired location before turning oven
on. Be sure the rack(s) is level.
l If rack(s) must be moved while oven
is hot, use pot holders or oven mitts
to protect hands.
Failure to follow the above precautions
could result in personal injury.
For best air circulation
Hot air must circulate around the pans in the
oven for even heat to reach all parts of the
oven. This results in better baking.
l Place the pans so that one is not directly
over the other.
l For best results, allow 1l/2 to 2 inches
(4-5 cm) of space around each pan and
between pans and oven walls. There must
be a minimum space of 1 inch (3 cm).
l Use only one cookie sheet in the oven at
one time.
Use the following as a guide to
determine where to place the pans:
One pan
Place in the center of the oven rack.
Two pans
Place in opposite corners of the oven rack.
Three or four pans
Place in opposite corners on each oven
rack. Stagger pans so no pan is directly over
another.
10

Using aluminum foil for baking
Use aluminum foil to catch spillovers
from pies or casseroles:
l Place the foil on the oven rack below the
rack with the food. Turn up foil edges and
make sure foil is about 1 inch (3 cm)
larger all around than the dish holding the
food.
l Do not cover the entire rack with alumi-
num foil. It will reduce air circulation and
cause poor cooking results.
l Do not line oven bottom or entire oven
rack with foil or other liners. Poor baking
will result.
Fire Hazard
Do not allow foil to touch the heating
elements.
Failure to follow this precaution could
result in fire or electrical shock hazard
and damage to the elements.
11

The electronic oven control
Electronic display
Oven I Temperature Clock Minute Hour Minute Start/ Off/
selector pads pad Timer pads pads enter cancel
pads (p. 13) set and pad pad
off pads
(P. 15) (P. 15)
(pp. 13-14)
Display/clock
l When you first plug in the range,
everything on the display will light up for
l-2 seconds, then a time of day and “PF”
will appear on the temperature display. If,
after you set the clock (page 13), “PF”
again appears on the display, your electric-
ity was off for a while. Reset the clock.
l When you are not using the oven, the
control is an accurate clock.
l When you are using the oven or Minute
Timer, the display will show times,
temperature settings, and what command
pads have been pressed.
l When showing the time of day, the
display will show the hour and minutes.
l When you are using the Minute Timer,
the display will show minutes and seconds
in the following sequence:
- For settings from 1-59 minutes, the
display will count down each second.
- For settings 1 hour or over, the display
will count down each minute.
Command pads
The command pads tell the oven what to do
and in what order. A few examples:
-Clock tells the oven you are going to set the
(-1 clock.
CLOCK
I I
-Off/Cancel tells the oven to turn off.
Each command pad (except Off/Cancel and
Start/Enter) has its own Indicator Light. The
Indicator Light comes on when you press
the command pad.
Using the control lock
The control lock prevents unwanted use of
the oven by disabling the control panel
command pads.
NOTES:
l Control lock is only available when oven
is not in use or control has not been set.
l Set control lock when cleaning the control
panel to prevent oven from accidentally
turning on.
To lock or deactivate the control panel:
Push and hold the Start/Enter pad for 5
seconds. A single tone will sound
and “Lot” will appear on the tem-
perature display.
To unlock the control panel:
nd hold the Stat-t/Enter pad for 5
seconds. A single tone will sound
and “Lot” will disappear from the
temperature display.
\ I
12

Setting the clock
1. Press Clock pad.
2. Set time.
Press the “up” (A) or “down” (v) pad(s)
until the correct time shows on the
display.
PRESS YOU SEE
(example for 530)
3. Start clock.
Using the electronic Minute Timer
The Minute Timer does not start or stop the
oven. It works like a kitchen timer. It can be
set in hours and minutes up to 12 hours,
59 minutes. The Minute Timer will display
minutes and seconds for settings under one
hour. You will hear four 2-second tones
when the set time is up.
1. Press Timer Set pad. PRESS YOU SEE
2. Set time.
Press the “up” (A) or “down” (V) pad(s)
until the correct time shows on the
display.
PRESS YOU SEE
-
(example for ten minutes)
continued on next page
13

3. Start Minute Timer.
PRESS YOU SEE
The Minute Timer will begin counting
down immediately after the timer is
started.
(display counts down)
When the time is up:
You will hear four 2-second tones, then
four 1-second reminder tones every
minute until you press one of the two
Timer pads.
YOU SEE
NOTE: To display the time of day while
the Minute Timer is counting down, press
the Clock pad.
4. Turn off Minute Timer. PRESS YOU SEE
(time of day)
To cancel the Minute Timer:
Press Timer Off pad.
PRESS YOU SEE
3
“EF
(time of day)
14

Starting a function
After programming a function, you must
press the Start/Enter pad to start
the function.
Canceling a function
The Off/Cancel pad will cancel any function
.
Illi
except for the Clock and Timer Set
functions. When you press the Off/
Cancel pad, the display will show the
time of day or, if Minute Timer is also
being used, the time remaining.
Baking/roasting
1. Position racks.
For more information, see “Positioning
racks and pans” on page 10.
3. Set temperature (optional).
Do this step if you want to set a tempera-
ture other than 350°F. Press A to raise
the temperature or V to lower the temp-
erature in 5°F amounts. Use these pads
until the desired temperature shows on
the small display.
PRESS YOU SEE
(example for Bake at 375°F)
4. When roasting or cooking
casseroles, put food in oven.
You do not have to preheat the oven
when roasting or cooking casseroles.
continued on next page
15

5. Press Start/Enter pad.
A preheating time will count down on the
display. The oven control automatically
sets preheating times depending on the
oven temperature you select:
l For 320°F and less, the preheating
time is 6 minutes.
l For 325”F-375”F, the preheating time
is 6 minutes.
l For above 38O”F, the preheating time
is 10 minutes.
The oven is preheated when you hear a
1-second tone and “PrE” on the display
changes to the set temperature.
NOTE: You can change the temperature
setting any time after pressing the Start/
Enter pad. However, you must press the
Start/Enter pad again.
PRESS YOU SEE
(example for set temperature
of 350°F)
YOU SEE
6. When baking, put food in oven
after oven is preheated.
During baking/roasting, the elements will
turn on and off to keep the oven tem-
perature at the setting.
NOTE: The top element helps heat
during baking/roasting, but does not
turn red.
7. After cooking, turn off oven.
PRESS YOU SEE
(time of day)
16

Adjusting the oven temperature control
Although your new oven is properly adjusted NOTE: DO NOT measure oven temperature
to provide accurate temperatures, it may with a thermometer. Opening the oven door
cook faster or slower than your old oven. will lower the oven temperature and give
If, after using the oven for a period of time, you an inaccurate reading. Also, the ther-
you are not satisfied with the baking/roasting mometer temperature reading will change
results, you can change the offset tempera- as your oven cycles.
ture by following these steps:
1. Press and hold Bake pad for
5 seconds.
PRESS YOU SEE
The display will show the current offset
temperature, for example “O”, if you have e
not previously adjusted the temperature. I
(factory setting of .‘O”)
2. Set new offset temperature.
PRESS YOU SEE
Press A to raise the temperature or v to
lower the temperature in 10°F amounts.
You can set the temperature change to
as low as -30°F or as high as +3O”F. A
minus (-) sign will appear before the num- (example when making oven
ber when decreasing the temperature 10°F cooler)
setting to show the oven will be cooler by
the displayed amount. There is no sign in
front of the number when increasing the
temperature setting.
3. Enter the adjustment.
PRESS YOU SEE
(time of day)
How to determine the amount of a
The chart at the right tells you how much to
adjust the offset temperature to get the
desired cooking results. You can determine
cooking results by the amount of browning,
moistness, and rising times for baked foods.
ldjustment needed
ADJUST BY
THIS NUMBER
TO MAKE OF DEGREES
FOOD... (FAHRENHEIT)
A little more done
Moderately more done
Much more done
A little less done
Moderatelv less done
+lO
+20
+30
-10
-20
1 Much less done -30 I
17

Broiling
NOTES:
l Preheating is not necessary when broiling.
l Leave the door partly open whenever
using the oven to broil. This allows the
oven to maintain proper temperatures.
1. Position rack.
See “Broiling rack position chart” on
page 19.
2. Put food on broiler pan and
place in center of oven rack.
3. Position door.
Close the door to the Broil Stop position
(open about 4 inches [lo cm]). The door
will stay open by itself.
4. Press Custom Broil pad.
5. Start oven.
PRESS YOU SEE
NOTE: You can change the temperature
setting any time after pressing the Start/
Enter pad. To change the setting, see
“To custom broil at a lower temperature”
on page 19. After changing the setting,
you must press the Start/Enter pad again.
6. When broiling is done, turn off
oven.
PRESS YOU SEE
(time of day)
18

To custom broil at a lower
temperature:
l If food is cooking too fast, press the
Custom Broil pad and press the v Temp
pad until “325°F” shows on the small
display. Press the Start/Enter pad.
l If you want food to broil slower from the
start, press the Custom Broil pad and
press the v Temp pad so a temperature
between 170°F and 500°F (77°C and
260°C) shows on the small display. Press
the Start/Enter pad.
Lower temperature settings allow the broil
heating element to cycle and to slow cook-
ing. The lower the temperature, the slower
the cooking.
NOTE: Fish and chicken are some foods
that may cook better if you use lower broiling
temperatures.
Broiling rack position chart
RACK POSITION TYPE OF FOOD/
FROM BOlTOM DONENESS
4 Hamburger patties and
thin steaks, 1/2”thick
or less
3 Quickly searing food,
rare and medium
steaks, medium patties,
ham slices, fish steaks,
frankfurters
2 Well-done steaks and
patties, lamb chops,
split chicken, pork
steaks and chops,
whole fish
1
Not used for broiling
Ii!
(example shows Broil at 325°F)
PRESS YOU SEE
H
(example shows Broil at 400°F)
19

Broiling tips
l Use the broiler pan and grid for broiling.
They are designed to drain excess liquid
and grease away from the cooking surface
to help prevent spatter, smoke, or fire.
l After broiling, remove the broiler pan
from the oven when you remove the food.
Drippings will bake on the pan if you leave
it in the heated oven.
Fire Hazard
l Place food about 3” or more from the
broil element.
*To ensure adequate grease drainage,
do not use cookie sheets or similar
pans for broiling. Also, covering the
broiler grid with foil is not recommen-
ded. If foil is used, cut slits in foil to line
up with all openings in broiler grid.
Grease can then drain away and cool
in pan.
Failure to follow the above could result
in fire, burns, or other personal injury.
Energy saving tips
Although the energy used for cooking is
usually a very small percentage of the total
energy used in the home, cooking energy
can be used efficiently. Here are some tips
to help you save energy when using your
cooking product:
l Use pans with flat bottoms, straight sides,
and tight-fitting lids.
l Match the pan to the surface unit size.
l Cook with a minimum of liquid or fat to
help shorten cooking time.
l Preheat pans only when recommended
and for the shortest time possible.
l Start food on higher heat settings, then
set surface unit control on low or off to
finish cooking. Use retained heat for
cooking when possible.
l Use the more efficient surface units
instead of the oven when possible.
l Turn on the surface unit only after placing
filled pan on the unit.
l “Oven peeking” may cause heat loss,
longer cooking times, and unsatisfactory
baking results. Rely on your timer to keep
track of the cooking time.
l Bake cakes, pies, or cookies when oven
is warm. Best time to bake is right after a
meal has been cooked in oven.
l Preheat the oven no longer than necessary.
l Plan your meals for the most efficient use
of the range. When using the oven to cook
one food, try to cook the rest of the meal in
it also.
l Do not preheat when broiling, roasting, or
cooking items such as casseroles.
l Keep reflector bowls clean for best heat
reflection.
20