I'm giving up on my cooker!

[amtrakuk]

For the second time in as many years my cooker seemed to have burnt though yet another 15 watt T8. I'm really not sure what it is doing with them to burn though them so quickly. Normally it seems to start like an SRS. Now it just glows almost as if Its waiting for the starting gear to kick in but nothing. I did strip down the control panel once and the tube appears to tap off one of the windings in the clock transformer and what looks a cheap wire wound choke along an iron rod.

Anyone any ideas? It defiantly isn't switch start

[Nick217]

Has it got a 100w gls in the oven part of the cooker?

[amtrakuk]

I'm not sure, the oven light hasn't worked for years. The cooker is about 50 years old

[Danny]

Got any pictures like. Never seen a cooker with a tube in before although I've heard of them! I'd love to see it?

[amtrakuk]

Your kidding Danny. Most cookers had them to "flood light" the hob until split hob and oven became popular in the 80s. I'll get a pic up later when "bake off" has finished

[amtrakuk]

Ah found it. It was using one of those combination latch and make and break push switches. The short period the make to break connection is made is meant to preheat the cathodes. Substituting in a starter did the job

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[Danny]

Oh now I do like this ALOT!!! Those lamp holders are like proper awesome!!! I've NEVER seen one of these before. Ever. I know kev rescued an old Stella tube from one once but wow! I love it

I have plastic screw down starter holders if you'd like?

[amtrakuk]

Lamp lighting the cooking surface now using a starter rather than the push to make non-latching switch.

[amtrakuk]

Oh now I do like this ALOT!!! Those lamp holders are like proper awesome!!! I've NEVER seen one of these before. Ever. I know kev rescued an old Stella tube from one once but wow! I love it

I have plastic screw down starter holders if you'd like?

As long as it can stand moderate temps? I'm not sure how warm or hot it gets. Most of the wires on the control panel are hi temp cloth insulated but I';m not sure if that's purely because it was made to last rather than PVC/rubber. I don't think Thorn make cooker anymore, if they did I bet they wont last as long as this

[Danny]

I think the thorn cooker tubes had some sort of tempered / hardened / high temperature resistant glass.