Cavity Bulb Replacement

Anova Precision® Oven
1

Hi, my first post in the community!

Over the last few days I have been discussing an issue with Anova Support.

After six months ownership my cavity bulb has blown. I have sourced a replacement and fitted it but have had some worrying issues that I believe are fatal flaws with the oven.

Anova have offered to replace the oven however I believe the flaws will still be present in the new oven so it is pointless to replace the unit.

One issue is that when I changed the bulb, I noticed that the black rectangular seal between frame and oven lining was damaged from factory and one of the screws was stripped from factory.

The bigger issue is that when re-assembling, because of the very poor fixing (i.e. a sort of self-tapping screw into a very thin oven lining), I was unable to achieve a 100% seal between cover and lining. I suspect the oven from new did not have a full seal hence the bulb blowing after only a few months. Just opinion.

Anova stated that I could dispose of the oven myself so I decided to take the back off and inspect the oven’s internals.

I found that there is no other watertight barrier between the oven cavity and the oven’s electronics - so steam getting past the seal firstly enters the bulb cavity then finds its way into the rear of the oven to find the electronics. Moisture and electronics are seldom a good mix.

I am of the opinion that this creates a risk to life and property from fire or at best, a reduced lifespan for the oven.

Because of the poor fixing detail, the oven’s lifespan is essentially that of the bulb.

Some of you may have already changed a blown bulb so I would suggest that a quick check for condensation on the inside of the bulb cavity glass is wise - perhaps even if the bulb hasn’t been changed this is worthwhile too since mine was flawed from factory.

If condensation exists, this is a sign of an inadequate seal and moisture is indeed getting into the rear of the oven containing the electronics. At this point it may be wise to unplug the oven and seek a replacement/refund from Anova.

2

I have the oven for a year now and have not had issues with the lightbulb up to now. The oven is used a lot in our household, and we love the thing!
The diversity of cooking technique is fantastic!

1 Like
3

Hi, thanks for the reply.

When getting close to your end of warranty it may be worthwhile to check if you can in fact take off and replace the cover without issue so achieving a condensation-free seal. Once out of warranty, I doubt they will replace the oven.

I too think the APO is absolutely brilliant and I am loathed to be without it. I spoke to a friend who’s an electrician and he said absolutely don’t use it if the seal has failed as there is a risk.

He feels it can be repaired using a high-temp gasket sealant but at the moment I have a case against Anova with the UK Trading Standards Authority.

The ovens are junked when the bulb blows unless you’re lucky and manage to achieve a 100% seal. IMHO of course.

4

I would think that unauthorized disassembly would obviate and void any warranty.

5

The bulb replacement is described on P.22 of the User Manual (here in the UK). No impact on warranty.

6

Thank you. This has been very informative. Are there any other countertop ovens with the versatility that the APO offers?

7

Ok, time for an update.

Anova have replaced the oven and the new one is up to date with a reinforced tank and floor gasket delete so that’s great.

I haven’t swapped out the old one yet tho.

I replaced the bulb in it and sealed the glass retention frame to the oven roof with some high-temp gasket sealer. It looks to have sealed the interface however my bulb has blown again this morning after only a few more cooks.

It may have been a bad bulb, there may have been steam ingress - it popped while I was cooking on 100% steam.

The new oven has the same poor fixing detail.

My dilemma is either to continue using the old oven without a light keeping the new one as a spare or to throw away the old oven and install the new one.

The good bit - Anova replaced the oven without a quibble. The bad bit - I don’t know how long either oven will last going forward.

8

Thanks for the info on the light globe seal. My globe failed almost immediately but I put off replacing it until now. I cannot see any obvious damage to the seal or the screws, but worry they were not right since the globe blew so early in the ovens use. I also not in the instruction manual the globe is listed as a g9 quartz 120V, 25W. My power in Australia is 240V, could this be the cause?

9

Anova should be replacing ALL the ovens because of this. There’s a fire risk due to steam ingress, it may be small bit it’s a risk all the same. People will say I’ve not had a problem but they always do - until they have a problem.

UK voltage is 240V, I presume there’s a voltage step down to allow the bulbs to be used.

10

Incidentally, I’ve been bemoaning to myself that there’s no bulb on/off switch on the front end of the app - it’s hidden in settings . . . but . . .

I’m an idiot and there is indeed an on/off switch for the bulb - it’s the little orange button with the bulb in it.

D’oh!

I switch the bulb off for longer cooks.

11

My bulb burned out after the first week, not sure if that means my oven is at risk or not. I can live with the light frankly so if it’s going to ruin the oven by changing the bulb it’s not worth it, although it would be nice to have a light for sure.