Whirlpool RF386PXD User manual

UseAndCare
Table of Contents
(complete) .................. 2
A Note to You ................. 3
Range Safety ...............4-6
Getting to Know
Your Range ....................7
Using Your Range .........8
Using the Self-
Cleaning Cycle .............35
Caring for Your
Range ............................ 43
Troubleshooting ..........47
Requesting
Assistance
or Service ..................... 49
Index ............................. 51
Warranty ....................... 52
1-800-253-l 301
Call us with questions or comments.
SELF-CLEANING ELECTRIC RANGE
PART NO. 3189073 Rev. B lo/
95
MODEL RF386PXD

Table of Contents
A Note to You ............................................ 3
Range Safety ......................................... 4-6
Getting to Know Your Range ................... 7
Using Your Range .................................... 8
Using the surface units ......................... 8
Positioning racks and pans ................ 10
For best air circulation ........................ 11
Using aluminum foil for baking ........... 11
The electronic oven control ................ 12
Setting the clock ................................ 13
Using the electronic Minute Timer ...... 14
Starting a function .............................. 15
Canceling a function .......................... 15
Audible signals .................................. 15
Baking/roasting .................................. 16
Adjusting the oven
temperature control ............................ 18
Broiling .............................................. 19
Broiling tips ........................................ 21
Energy saving tips ............................. 22
Using the electronic
MEALTIMERTM control ....................... 22
The oven vent .................................... 33
The storage drawer ............................ 33
The anti-tip bracket ............................ 34
Optional door panel pat ..................... 34
Using the Self-Cleaning Cycle ............... 35
Before you start ................................. 35
Before setting the controls .................. 36
Setting the controls ............................ 36
Special tips ........................................ 42
How the cycle works .......................... 42
Caring for Your Range ........................... 43
Cleaning the cooktop ......................... 43
Cleaning other range parts ................. 45
The oven light .................................... 46
Troubleshooting ..................................... 47
Requesting Assistance or Service ....... .49
Index ....................................................... 51
Warranty .................................................. 52
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 informa-
tion 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
Serial Number
complete model number and serial number.
You can find this information on the model
Purchase Date
and serial number plate (see diagram on
Dealer Name
page 7 for location of plate).
Please also record the purchase date of
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
instructions given. Here is a brief explana- dangers as fire, electrical shock,
tion of the use of the symbol. burns, and personal injury.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
General
@Read all instructions before using never be allowed to sit or stand on
the range. any part of the range. They could
l Install or locate the range only in be burned or injured.
accordance with the provided *Do not operate the range if it is
Installation Instructions.The damaged or not working properly.
range must be installed by a
qualified installer. The range must .Do not use the range for warming
be properly connected to electri- or heating the room. Persons
could be burned or injured, or a
cal supply and grounded. fire could start.
muse the range only for its intended
use as described in this manual.
*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 installed
properly, see “The anti-tip
bracket” on page 34.
l 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
*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,
4

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
window, could also become hot
enough to cause burns.
4s
‘\
@Donot wear loose or hanging
garments when using the range.
They could ignite if they touch a
hot surface unit and you could be
burned.
@Use 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.
ADO not heat unopened containers.
They could explode. The hot
contents could cause burns and
container particles could cause
injury.
*Use only utensils approved for
oven use. Follow utensil
manufacturer’s instructions, espe-
cially when using glass or plastic
utensils.
*Do not store flammable materials
on or near the range. The fumes
could create an explosion and/or
fire hazard.
When using the cooktop
ADO not cook on a broken cooktop.
If cooktop should break, cleaning
solutions and spillovers could pen-
etrate the broken cooktop and
create a risk of electrical shock.
Contact a qualified technician
immediately.
@Select a pan with a flat bottom
that is about the same size as the
surface unit. If pan is smaller than
the surface unit, some of the heat-
ing element will be exposed and
could result in the igniting of cloth-
ing 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 break-
ing due to the sudden change in
temperature.
@Never leave surface units un-
attended at high heat settings.
A boilover could result and cause
smoking and greasy spillovers that
could ignite.
l Turn pan handles inward, but not
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 @Small amounts of formaldehyde
@Always position,oven rack(s) in and carbon monoxide are given off
desired location while oven is in the Self-Cleaning cycle from
cool. If a rack must be removed fiberglass insulation and food
while oven is hot, do not let pot decomposition. Significant exposure
holder contact hot heating ele- to these substances could cause
ment in oven. cancer or reproductive harm. Expo-
muse care when opening oven sure can be mini-mized by venting
door. Let hot air or steam escape with a hood or open window and
before removing or replacing wiping out excess food spills prior
food. to self-cleaning.
Grease
@Grease is flammable. Do not
allow grease to collect around
cooktop or in vents. Wipe spill-
overs 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
grease outside of pan can be
extinguished with baking soda
or, if available, a multipurpose
dry chemical or foam-type
extinguisher.
Care and cleaning
@Do not use oven cleaners. No
commercial oven cleaner or oven
liner protective coating of any kind
should be used in or around any
part of the oven.
*Before self-cleaning the oven,
remove broiler pan, broiler grid,
oven racks, and other utensils.
Do not use your oven to clean
miscellaneous parts unless you
are instructed to do so in this
Use and Care Guide.
ADO not clean door heat seal. It is
essential for a good seal. Care
should be taken not to rub, damage,
or move the seal. Clean only parts
recommended in this Use and Care
Guide.
~DO not repair or replace any part
l Clean cooktop with care. Some of the range unless specifically
cleaners could produce noxious recommended in this manual. All
fumes if applied to a hot surface. other servicing should be referred
If a wet paper towel is used to to a qualified technician.
wipe spills on a hot cooking area, *Disconnect the electrical supply
be careful to avoid steam burns. 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 or features quickly, page references are included.
Model and
serial number
P. 34)
Removable
(P. 33)
Oven vent
(P. 33)
CLEANTOPQ
ceramic
- cooktop
(PP. %43)
Automatic
oven light
switch
(P. 46)
Broil element
(P. 20)
.,..
- Bake element
(P. 17)
Control panel
Left front Left rear
control control
knob knob Electronic
oven control
Rlght rear
control
knob
Right front
control
knob
(pp. 8,45) (PP. 8,451 (P. 12) (PP. 8945) (PP. 8,451
S&face unlt marker
(P. 8) Surface unlt indicator light
(P. 8)
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 control knobs before turning them I
Fire Hazard
to a setting. You can set them anywhere Turn all controls off when done I
between HI and OFF. cooking.
Failure to do so can result in death,
fire, or burns. I
Surface unit markers
The solid dot in the surface unit marker
00
q
0
shows which surface unit is
turned on by that knob.
Surface unit indicator lights
One of the Surface Unit Indicator Liahts on
the control panel will glow when
a surface unit is turned on.
Hot swface indicator lights
One of the Hot Surface Indicator Light(s) on
the cooktop will glow when a
surface unit becomes too hot
to touch. The Indicator Light
will continue to glow as long
as the surface unit is too hot
to touch, even after it is turned off.
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.
SElTING
HI
5-8
RECOMMENDED USE
l To start foods cooking.
l To bring liquids to a boil.
l To hold a rapid boil.
l To fry chicken or
Dancakes.
5
2-4
LO
l For gravy, pudding, and
icing.
l To cook large amounts
of vegetables.
l To keep food cooking
after starting it on a
higher setting.
l To keep food warm until
readv to serve.
8

Using the ceramic glass
cooktop
Cooking on the ceramic glass cooktop is
almost the same as cooking on coil surface
units. There are, however, a few differences:
l The surface unit will glow red when it is
turned on. You will see the element cycling
on (glowing red) and off - even on HI
setting -to maintain the proper tempera-
ture setting you have selected.
l Sliding metal pans on ceramic glass
cooktop surface could leave marks. Wiping
off the cooktop before and after each use
will help keep the surface free from stains
and provide the most even heating. See
pages 43 and 44 for care and cleaning
suggestions.
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 uneven heating and poor cooking
results.
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.
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.
l With your hand, feel the bottom of your
pans while they are cool for nicks and
scratches. Nicks and scratches on pan
bottoms will scratch the ceramic glass
cooktop.
l Make sure bottoms of pans are clean and
dry before using on cooktop.
l Avoid spillovers on cooktop. Use pans
with tall sides.
l Do not cook food directly on cooktop.
NOTE: 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.
9

Home canning information
I
center over , I
wface unit
l Start with hot water. This reduces the
;
1 inch
q .-
. I t-
time the control is set on high. Reduce
,-: Pan heat setting to lowest position needed to
maximum , keen water boilina.
i~~~“-e unit inStJUCtionS.-
l Refer to your canner manual for specific
-1111-
l Use the largest surface unit for best
results. Also, use a canner/pan which can
be centered over the surface unit.
Positioning racks and pans
General guidelines
l Always position oven rack(s) in desired
location before turning oven on.
l To move rack(s), lift rack(s) at front and
pull out.
l 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.
l For baking/roasting with one rack, place
the rack so the top of the food will be
centered in the oven.
l When baklng on two racks, arrange
racks on the bottom and third level from
the bottom.
Rack placement for specific
foods:
FOOD RACK POSITION
Frozen pies, large Lowest level or
roasts, turkeys, angel 2nd level from
food cakes bottom
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
NOTE: For recommended rack placement
when broiling, see “Broiling rack position
chart” on page 21.
10

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/z 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.
Using aluminum foil for baking
Use aluminum foll 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. 11

The electronic oven control
Electronic Timer set and
display off pads
(p. 14) Clock pad
(P. 13)
Manual oven
- light pad
(P. 46)
- Off/cancel pad
(P. 15)
Oven
selector
pads
Temperature Electronic Hour Minute Start/enter
pads MEALTIMERTM pads pads
pad (P. 15)
control pads
(P. 22)
Display/clock
l When you first plug in the range, every-
thing 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 electricity
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, temp-
erture 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.
l When you are using Cook Time and/or
CID
Stop Time, the display
COOK STOP
will show hours and
TIME TIME
minutes.
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
0
the clock.
CLOCK
-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.
12

To lock or deactivate the control panel: To unlock the control panel:
Press and hold the Start/Enter pad for 5 Press and hold the StarVEnter pad for 5
seconds. A single tone will sound seconds. A single tone will sound
and “Lot” and fi will appear on the and “Lot” and fi will disappear
temperature display. When the from the temperature display.
control is locked, “START?” will
appear on the display and three tones will
sound if you press any command pad.
Setting the clock
NOTE: If you do not want the clock time
displayed, press and hold the Clock pad for
5 seconds. To display the clock time again,
press and hold the Clock pad for 5 seconds.
You should not have to reset the time.
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.
13

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.
The Minute Timer will display minutes and
seconds for settings under one hour. You
will hear four 2second tones when the set
time is up.
1. Press Timer Set pad.
PRESS YOU SEE
2. Set time.
PRESS YOU SEE
Press the “up” (A) or “down” (V) pad(s)
until the correct time shows on the
display.
(example for 10 minutes)
3. Start Minute Timer.
PRESS YOU SEE
When the time is up:
You will hear four 2-second tones, then
four 1-second reminder tones every
minute until you press the Timer Off pad.
YOU SEE
NOTE: To disable the reminder tones,
press and hold the Timer Set pad for
5 seconds. To reactivate the tones, follow
the same step.
4. Turn off Minute Timer.
PRESS YOU SEE
(time of day)
14

To cancel the Minute Timer:
Press Timer Off pad. PRESS YOU SEE
(time of day)
Starting a function
After programming a function, you must
press the Start/Enter pad to start
the function. If you do not press
the Start/Enter pad within 5
seconds of programming,
‘START?” will show on the display
as a reminder.
Canceling a function
The Off/Cancel pad will cancel any function
D
except for the Clock and Timer
l
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.
Audible signals
Audible signals tell you if a function is
entered correctly or not. They also tell you
when a cycle is completed.
To shut off all signals except for the
end-of-timer and error tones:
Press and hold the Stop Time pad for 5
I\ seconds. A short tone will sound
I I
STOP to tell you the signals have been
TIME changed.
Repeat the above step to turn the signals
back on.
To choose between high and low volume
signals:
Press and hold the Delay Start Time pad for
5 seconds. A short tone will
sound to tell you the signals
have been changed. Either “HI”
or “LO” will appear on the time
display to show the volume
you chose.
15

Baking/roasting
1. Position racks. I I I/
For more information, see “Positioning
racks and pans” on page 10.
2. Choose baking/roasting
setting.
3. Set temperature (optional).
PRESS YOU SEE
4. When roasting or cooking
casseroles, put food in oven.
You do not have to preheat the oven
when roasting or cooking casseroles.
5. Press the Start/Enter pad.
A preheat time will count down on the
display. The oven control automatically
sets preheat 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 8 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.
16
(example for set temperature
of 35oT)
(display shows set temperature
after preheat)

NOTES:
l You can change the temperature
setting any time after pressing the
Start/Enter pad. However, you must
press the Start/Enter pad again.
l The display will show “door” and a
tone will sound once every 5 seconds
if the door is latched (Lock Lever set
at the clean position) when you try to
bake/roast.
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 tempera-
ture at the setting.
NOTE: The top element helps heat
during baking/roasting, but does not
turn red.
7. After cooking, turn off oven.
17

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 PRESS YOU SEE
2. Set new offset temperature.
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
number when decreasing the tempera-
ture 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.
PRESS YOU SEE
(example when makfng oven
10°F hotter)
3. Enter the adjustment.
PRESS YOU SEE
(time of day)
To display temperatures in “C
instead of “F:
Press and hold the Custom Broil pad
for 5 seconds. A short tone will
sound and the temperatures
displayed will be converted. To
switch back to “F, repeat the
instructions above.
18

How to determine the amount
of adjustment needed
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.
ADJUST BY THIS
NUMBER OF
DEGREES
TO MAKE FOOD... (FAHRENHEIT)
A little more done +lO
Moderately more done +20
Much more done +30
A little less done -10
Moderately less done -20
Much less done -30
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 21.
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.
NOTE: You can change the temperature
setting any time atier pressing the Start/
Enter pad. To change the setting, see
“To custom broil at a lower temperature”
below. After changing the setting, you
must press the Start/Enter pad again.
PRESS YOU SEE
6. When broiling is done, turn off
oven.
PRESS YOU SEE
(time of day)
To custom broil at a lower temperature:
l If food is cooklng too fast, press the
Custom Broil pad and press the V Temp
pad until “325°F” shows on the small
display. Press the Stat-t/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 325°F (77°C and
163°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.
PRESS
Iii
PRESS
.
IllI
:-.
(example shows Broil at 325°F)
YOU SEE
(example shows Broil at 400°F)
20