Replacing a Diplomat Electric Fan Oven Element - Model: Diplomat Pelgrim APL5706

Before I start - a warning - STOP! Don't trust all the online how-to resources and video how-to's that claim you won't need to remove the back of the cooker. They may be not entirely accurate, as I found out at the weekend.

I'm not the world's most competent, enthusiastic or machine minded person when it comes to mending home appliances (anything for that matter) but the online tutorials I'd watched made it look pretty easy and I was sure the hardest part was going to be removing the oven door (more on that later).

All the versions I read and watched showed clearly that if you were replacing an oven thermostat or a grill element - even the fan motor, then you needed to remove the back of the oven to access the required bolts.

They all showed / stated that the oven heating element was exempt from such actions and merely required (once the door and inner shelves / covers had been removed) the removal of two or three self tapping screws - pulling the element carefully forward and removing the trailing wires, replacing the wires on the new element and re-fitting.

Simples!

So I removed the door - a tip here - the online resources just spoke of flipping the little hinge cover up - YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE IT FLIPS RIGHT BACK AND ENGAGES WITH A SIMILAR 'LUMP/LOCATOR' AT THE TOP OF THE HINGE 'ARM'.

Only then when lifting the door up will the hinges disengage and come out on the door.

Now to removing that oven element. I located the two screws and tried undoing them - no good - they just spun in their holes. I quickly realised that they had nuts on the back of them - I was going to have to pull out the oven (a heavy range type design) and remove the back of the oven.

Of course taking care not to trap the electric cable or stretch or break the gas piping to the rear (for the hob which included a lovely fish pan style burner).

Once pulled free of its built in 'old chimney' location, removing the back cover involved 3 screws down each side (closest to the rear panel) - the panel then fell backward (it seems to be fixed at the bottom - I couldn't see but the metal was flexible enough to fall back and allow access).

There were the two screws (with nuts) holding the oven element in place amidst a sea of yellow insulating fir.

I undid the nuts and removed the cables - I'd already isolated the electricity supply - then I hit a snag - the old bolts were threaded though the bracket of the old oven element but wouldn't turn out - they were stuck and I had no replacements supplied with the new oven element.

Luckily, Mandy's craft draw came to the rescue with a suitable replacement bolt and nut set - reusing the earthing crinkle washer, the new element was quickly fitted and wiring re-attached.

Back cover replaced, it was time to put the oven/hob back into its space but first a clean up of the back and sides with some stainless steel cleaner and a wipe of the walls and floor. It may be a long time (hopefully) before it comes out again.

Re-fitted the inner covers of the oven from the front and re-attached the door.

Done! And if it hadn't have been for the messing with screws that were bolts and trying to use old bolts that wouldn't come free, then the job would have been a quick one. As it was, it took the best part of two hours.

Now the oven works but the door doesn't quite shut properly - it sticks at the top when closing (although it will close with a shove).

I think the problem might be the oven frame is twisted slightly - i.e it's not standing level - so I'm going to try some packing under one or more of the feet and see if that improves the situation.

I thought iI'd fitted the door incorrectly but it seems to only fit one way so that rules that out.

Wished I'd taken more note of the space between the bottom heating drawer and the underneath edge of the door - that might have given me a clue as to the lining up of the oven door following the successful DIY replacing of the oven heating element.

If you've got a phone camera, then a few snaps before you start (or to remind you as you go along) is a good idea. Wished I'd have used my iPhone4 - I'd have had some shots to illustrate what I'm talking about.

Infrastructure first - green cars afterwards - in Brighton & Hove

http://solarpanelquoter.blogspot.com/2010/11/infrastructure-first-green-cars....

New London Congestion Charge rules will clobber green prius

http://solarpanelquoter.blogspot.com/2010/11/new-london-congestion-charge-rul...

Bucks Fizz Truffles - review.

Picture the scene - it's a cold, dark, wet, Autumn Sunday afternoon, but it doesn't matter because you're snug inside, curled up on your comfy deep sofa, with a warm fire and a classic matinee film on the television.

And of course, a box of chocolates nearby to reach into at any opportune moment.

Such a delicious moment deserves something a little bit special in the chocolate department and I've discovered the very thing.

Charbonnel et Walker Bucks Fizz Truffles from the Chocolate Trading Co.

Quite simply, the most delicious truffles I have ever tasted. So good in fact that it's bit like eating a lollypop when you were a kid - trying to make it last as long as possible? Well you'll want to do the same with these truffles.

When I say Bucks Fizz Truffles, I mean they really do have Champagne in them and not the usual 'suggestion' that they've been wafted over an open bottle. These Truffles have the kick of a champagne cocktail!

Of course the trick is making something that tastes so divine last longer than a couple of bites - one of the benefits of being an adult (supposedly) - but resist the temptation to gobble it up you must, because the taste sensation from each bite is akin to a lingering warm summer breeze - the kind you don't want to ever end.

I'd offer you one of mine, but chances are they'll be all gone by the time you call round. Why don't you order your own (click here)?

Oh and if I were you, when they're delivered, don't bother waiting for a cold, dark Sunday afternoon before you open them. There'll only be football on the TV then anyway.

Charbonnel et Walker Bucks Fizz Truffles - lightly dusted milk chocolate truffles with a Marc de Champagne and an orange centre.

http://www.chocolatetradingco.com/moreinfo.asp?ID=524

Griffin iTrip - iPhone FM Transmitter device - review (non affiliate)

GRIFFIN ITRIP REVIEW. (this is a non-affiliate review)

Now that I've moved to Buxton, the daily commute is at least an hour each way. For such long journeys, I much prefer my own music to the radio but it got a bit of a bind having to remember to swap the CD's in my car each week.


So I invested in a tiny fm transmitter device called an iTrip which plugs into the bottom of my iPhone and allows me to play my music via my car's stereo.

I'd looked at these clever devices before but always been put off by the hoard of negative comments, ranging from "too much interference to listen to the music" to "can't turn the music up loud enough to hear it" etc etc.

So it was with some trepidation that I bought mine, via Amazon (and no, I'm not an affiliate before you ask) in a bundle that came with a duel jolt usb charger (which plugs into the cars one cigarette lighter socket but provides two usb outputs - handy with the kids) and a micro usb cable to plug it in with. The whole lot came to about £37.

So, well and good it arrived a few days later and I spent a lunchtime tuning it in. The iTrip gives you 3 settings per 'tuned' frequency so you can easily switch between frequencies if you encounter interference from another local station on your journey.

Anyway, I thought i'd found a handy free station and tuned it it, looking forward to the journey home that night.

Sadly, I'd only just turned out of the driveway when the interference got so bad I switched it off and began to curse myself for buying something that so many commentators had pronounced as unfit.

But I stuck with it - pulling over into a lay-by and trying the re-tuning tips.

I hit upon a frequency which in over 6 weeks, between Derby and Buxton and even Derby and Coventry has had no local competition.

True the music isn't the loudest ever to be produced - I've had to turn my car stereo up a couple of notches above the usual radio setting but I can still hear all the rich tones of my classical as well as '80's pop playlists perfectly well.

If you've got an iTouch or iPhone, then there's a handy free app that allows you to retune via the device screen rather than use the rather fiddly buttons (in a moving vehicle) on the iTrip itself.

The Griffin power adapter and lead are faultless.

I use my Kensington Car Mount to hold the iPhone and connected iTrip when i'm driving - a slight modification, because the iTrip's buttons 'hang over' the bottom edge means you can't use the bottom 'rests' built into the car mount. You have to really pinch the holder's foam sides together to hold it all in place and fold the bottom 'shelf' out of the way. So far, the grip has been superb and on some pretty rural bumpy roads, it hasn't slipped or fell at all.

Take care though - I forgot I'd folded the 'rests' in and in the dark, just put my iPhone into the holder - where it promptly fell straight through and landed on the soft car mats (phew!). I shan't do that again.

So, all in all I'm delighted I did buy the iTrip - it does exactly what it says on the tin and aside from the slight modification to the way my car mount holds the device, and the novice tuning issue, I've had no other issues at all.

Based on my experiences, I can recommend the Griffin iTrip FM Transmitter for iPhone and in my case, the power adapter and cable it came with (sold separately).

Downside: Volume could be a little higher, button design on iTrip means you can't use most car mounts with a bottom 'ledge'.

Upside: Uninterrupted playlist music direct from your iPhone, iTrip is small and unobtrusive enough to take anywhere, easily transferred from vehicle to vehicle

Verdict: Try it, stick with it re: tuning but if you really can't get on with it, buying online should mean you can return it for a refund. Once you've used it successfully, you'll never listen to your car radio again.

To view this product on Amazon.co.uk - click here (non affiliate)

To read my previous review of the Kensington Car Mount - click here (non affiliate)

A quick walk into town...

Two or three times a month, I have occasion to visit the town centre for banking and shopping purposes.

I work in Derby on Pride Park, so it's a 20 min walk (at a fast pace) which gives me 20 mins to get done what I planned and 20 mins to walk back to the office.

Unless it's raining, the walk is quite pleasant - through the back of the industrial park, over the railway station walkway and down a leafy pedestrian / cycle lane involving an underpass into the main shopping mall.

Taking the bus is impractical as I'd have to wait to long for the bus to arrive and then it's got to weave through traffic lights to get to it's stop.

I could take the car but to be honest that's no quicker and this is what really set me thinking.

I'm not a green person by any means. I forget to take my own shopping bags when visiting supermarkets, I run a 2litre petrol car (which is surprisingly frugal) and I run lots of energy consuming gadgets. I recycle most glass, cardboard and tin (only the odd one finds its way into the normal refuse), but I don't consider these anything more remarkable then the actions of any normal person whose presented with the means to recycle from his doorstep.

I digress - back to the lunchtime walk into town.

I could take the car and if it was really urgent and raining, then I might well do that but to be honest, and I'm sure many of you will agree with me, it's a bit of a pain taking the car.

Firstly, you get stuck in all the other traffic doing the same thing, making an early school run or just driving through to another destination.

When you've negotiated the queues, you've then got to find some where to park. Remember, in the back of your mind you'll be thinking "I could have walked it by now". When you've finally driven around the block 3 times to park in your 'unknown of' secret parking spot (because it's not really that secret and everybody else also knows it), you've burnt a gallon of fuel and wasted precious minutes.

It's not exactly a hare and tortoise situation but I bet if you weighed up carefully (and truthfully) then it would probably take you about the same amount of time to walk as it does to drive, queue and park.

I appreciate I'm lucky - I don't work so far out that walking isn't an option. Truth be told, I've often thought about taking a bike in the boot of the car or practising on one of the kids fold up scooters before trying it out to speed up the journey.

No, I am lucky.

Of course, walking also has other benefits. I get a little exercise (walking at a brisk pace is required to not run over my allotted time) and there are more than a few tasty pie and pasty shops on the route so if I need a little sustenance, then provender is at hand.

Which really leaves just one question. Why aren't you walking into town?

photo credit: tela chhe