I recently inherited a Smeg dual oven cooker that needed new bulbs. I thought this would be a fairly simple job, but I was wrong. The bulbs were tucked up in the top left-hand corner behind a screwed glass cover and protected by the element and the thermostat.
Since they had been in place for some time, they were stuck. After removing the oven door and lying on the floor to get in a position that enabled me to get a good grip, I managed to unscrew one but failed with the other. With a slip wrench and a piece of cloth to protect the glass, I managed with difficulty to gain access.
I cracked the glass, but I was able to remove the ring of glass still in the threaded holder. After much frustration, I contacted the service department and ordered a new assembly (you can't just buy the glass). A week later it arrived. I unpacked the unit and was ready to pop the new glass on.
It turned out I couldn't unscrew the glass from the new holder, even with full access and a good grip; it was too tight. So with the help of the trusted slip wrench and a pair of mole grips, I managed to separate the two parts and put the new glass in the oven. In the few moments I had to examine the lamp assembly, it appeared that when the glass is fully screwed home, a lock mechanism snaps in that is similar to a star washer. That’s OK for nuts, but not for this.
This entry was submitted by Andrew Tiscali and edited by Rob Spiegel.
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Yes, it is. As a matter of fact, the blooper reels for the program are called "Smeg-Ups", as opposed to "F***-Ups". I saw the name of the appliance and immediately thought of Red Dwarf, and the expletive they use.
I haven't had to replave the light in my range yet, and after reading this thread, I am dreading it. It's amazing how little thought is put into making something easier to service. My son had to remove the entire headlight assembly and loosen the grill to replace the headlight bulb.
I have to admit a prejudice in this, because I came to engineering through the back door, ie. the shop, but this is a classic case of an engineer or team of engineers who have never had to build or work with what they design.
Is it possible that there is some means to release the latch-locking tab? I have come across some surplus items that have locking collars with rachet teeth splined to the connector body, and a mating rachet splined to the other side. So they can go on finger tight but need about 90 foot-pounds to unscrew, with much destruction resulting. OR, insert a release pin to disengage the ratchet and it unscres easily. It probably added $25 to the cost of each half, but evidently the intended mission was quite important.
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