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DIY AGA Service – Keeping Your AGA’s Performance Up to Scratch

April 5th 2011 Posted at General
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AGAs and Rayburns are marvellously solid beasts. They’re made to last… for a long, long time. So while you might not bother giving your ordinary cooker a service, keeping a range in tip top condition is well worth the effort. So how much can you do yourself? And when is the best time to get an expert on the case?

First, there’s the lovely, shiny vitreous enamel surface. Obviously it makes sense to mop up spills as they happen rather than let them mount up and form a nasty crust, both for appearance’s sake and for good maintenance.

You can clean your oven’s enamel surface when it’s cold or hot. There’s no need for fancy cleaning materials. You can’t go far wrong with washing up liquid, warm water and a soft cloth. An old square of towelling is ideal because it protects you from the heat if you’re cleaning your machine while it’s on and stays moist longer than a regular cleaning cloth. If you prefer to use a specialist cleaning fluid make sure it’s non-scratch or you’ll spoil the surface.

You can clean the chrome surfaces the same way, with warm soapy water, or use a specialist chrome cleaner. And the flue and vent cover also respond well to a warm soapy cloth. Inside, AGA oven lids are made of pressed aluminium. This comes clean with a mild non-scratch cream cleaner on a nylon – not wire wool – scouring pad.

AGA cooking tends to bake spills onto the inside of the oven. But that’s no problem. Most of the time you can easily brush crusty spills off the inside with a stiff brush. Or use your hoover when your oven is cool to scrape off and dispose of burnt-on food efficiently. The most important thing to remember is don’t experiment! Money-saving cleaners like ordinary household vinegar and lemon juice are no good and can seriously damage the enamel.

For anything other than cleaning it’s best to get an expert in for a proper AGA service. The same goes for Rayburns. An expert will know how to remove, clean and re-fit the hinged lids without damaging them, sweep the flue if necessary, remove stubborn deposits and take the central hob out for cleaning. And they’ll know how to do so safely without damage to their backs or your enamel!

Some say once a year is ideal. But in reality it probably depends on the way you use your oven. Heavy usage usually means heavier wear and more frequent servicing. Exercise common sense and you won’t go far wrong! If in doubt ask your dealer.

If you’re not sure where to turn for an Aga service, or just need some advice on Aga cooking, try Edwards & Godding for fast and reliable help and advice.

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Using Gas Fired Agas For Hot Water – Domestic Water Heating Aga-Style!

April 5th 2011 Posted at General
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Did you know that most gas fired Aga cooker models can deal with domestic hot water needs as well as delicious home cooking? Here’s some of the ins and outs of using an Aga to provide piping hot water to the home.

An Aga is an economic way of heating domestic water despite it being a little more expensive than a traditional boiler. It doesn’t affect the cooking aspect in any way because the boiler draws its heat indirectly from the burner chamber. An Aga can deliver more than 400 litres of hot water over 24 hours, no matter how much or how little cooking you do.

If a household needs more than 400L (ninety gallons) of hot water a day, it’s easy enough to fit a simple additional heat source like an electric immersion heater for times when a top up is on the cards. Alternatively you can find out whether it’s possible to connect the Aga to a shared system with another heat source and the associated special plumbing. You can’t fit a thermostat to an Aga so it’s not possible to control the temperature of the hot water. But you can always add a simple mixing valve to the cylinder to regulate the temperature of the output.

It is relatively easy to fit a boiler to a recent two-oven Aga that doesn’t currently heat water, known in the trade as a ‘dry’ Aga. Recent four-oven Agas can also be modified and adapted but it can be an expensive business and isn’t always cost effective. If you’re not sure what’s what, contact your local Aga range cooker distributor for advice. They should also be able to provide sensible feedback and give a reasonable quote for the work.

If your Aga already heats your water and you’d rather it didn’t, you can disconnect the boiler but again, it’s a job for the professionals. A good plumber or heating engineer will make the Aga safe, remove the boiler and re-insulate the Aga so it runs as efficiently as possible. The same as it is when you’re adapting for water, removing a boiler is simpler and cheaper for two-oven models than four-oven Agas.

Every home is different. If you want to explore the water heating potential of the Aga for your home, take expert advice and make sure you are fully aware of all the pros and cons for your particular property. If you’re lucky you’ll be able to revel in wonderful hot water, available 24/7 at a very reasonable cost. Heaven!

Find out more about the word class Aga cooker range at Edwards & Godding, the Aga specialists.

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Taking Care of an Aga Cooker

April 5th 2011 Posted at General
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The Aga cooker is the most durable oven on the market due to its cast iron casing and multiple layers of enamel protecting the surfaces. The Aga is such a solid construction that you’re only ever likely to own one in your lifetime (it’s highly likely that it will outlive you!). However, like most things in life, an Aga oven requires a little bit of tender loving care to keep it functioning and looking its absolute best. In this article we’ll explain what you should do to look after your Aga.

Aga maintenance

The maintenance required for an Aga is not as difficult as you may think and a bit of common sense will keep it operating with few problems. One of the main causes of damage can come from small spillages while cooking. Some Aga models work as heat storage units which means they are always on. This provides a great way to slow cook food and keep the flavours in but any spillages that haven’t been wiped away immediately dry and stain the surfaces very quickly.

Always clean up any mess before this can happen and ensure you use Aga approved cleaning products or you could damage the appearance of your oven. Be careful when cleaning the hotplates though as you could scold yourself. Any substance that spills onto the hotplate will eventually carbonise so you can simply brush it away.

As with the home, an Aga range cooker can get a bit grimy over time with grease, fat and other substances accumulating in the nooks and crannies. Make sure you give your Aga a bit of spring clean every so often but don’t tackle it all at once as it will soon become tiresome and you won’t do the best job possible. Take on a specific area each day until you’ve got it gleaming again.

Aga servicing

When it comes to servicing, think of your Aga as you would your car and have a regular service booked in. Most people choose to service their Aga cooker every couple of years but a yearly service is prudent. An Aga stove that burns oil definitely needs regular servicing due to the way pipes feed oil into the burners. Small carbon deposits can build up inside causing a drop in performance and efficiency and the potential for total malfunction.

A gas burning Aga should have a yearly service while a solid fuel burner converted oven will need a good sweep down every six months with the main chimney swept out annually. Whatever type of energy source you use to power your Aga, a regular service will keep your oven and stove running smoothly and reduce the likelihood of an expensive repair bill should something go wrong.

An Aga is for life…

With these simple maintenance tips, proper cleaning plus regular servicing you’ll be able to keep your Aga running smoothing and enjoy worry-free cooking for life. Speak to an Aga dealer to ensure you get the right products and servicing plan.

If you’re thinking about investing in a Aga cooker, visit one of the three Edwards & Godding showrooms located in Reading,Woodstock or Sunninghill.

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Agas Go Green

April 5th 2011 Posted at General
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The essential old fashioned traditional style oven for the British kitchen is attempting to become more environmentally friendly.

Over 300,000 UK households currently own an Aga with celebrities such as Jilly Cooper, Sean Connery and David Cameron all being owners.

With present concerns over climate change and recession looming the Aga is beginning to lose it’s middle class appeal. Sales of old-style wood burning Rayburns have been increasing as customers look to save money and strive towards carbon neutrality.

The response by Aga Rangemaster has been to look at improving its green credentials. They have been working towards producing a wind powered Aga and solar powered heating system.

Aga already claim that their products are already environmentally friendly because they reduce the need to use other appliances such as kettles and are made from recycled metal. They believe that the Agas ability store intermittent energy like a battery would make it ideal for use with turbines or other renewable energy sources.

New Agas include a programmable system designed to help to reduce running costs and take advantage of off-peak electricity.

The company has already tried to provide an alternative to its carbon heavy oil and diesel by making biofuel ready Agas. Although biofuels still are not easy to buy, an Aga engineer can modify a unit to work on a specific biofuel.

Aga Rangemaster will be hoping that the new models and innovations will provoke an upturn in sales. Recent figures showed a downturn in sales as customers turned their back on the £7,0000 + cookers. Chief Executive William McGrath highlighted the influence fuel costs have had and expressed optimism for Agas new economical models.

Read More About Aga Ovens at Aga Cooking

Read More About Aga Cooking, Ranges, Ovens and more at Aga Cooking

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Electric, Gas or Oil Aga? Aga Cookers for Every Situation

April 5th 2011 Posted at General
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Will an electric Aga, gas Aga or oil Aga be best for you and your home? It depends entirely on your needs. But it’s always best to get an expert on the case.

The newest addition to the range is their 13amp electric model. There’s an amazing new remote control management system too, called AIMS, which is fitted automatically to the new-style electric Aga. In effect it’s actually ‘intelligent’, in that you can set it to come on and off to suit the way you run your home. And it’s wonderfully easy to install. A two-oven Aga without water heating will probably consume around 165 KW per week. A three oven model without hot water consumes about 190 KW a week and the version with 4 ovens, also without heated water, consumes around 200 KW of electricity per week.

There’s also the traditional off peak electric Aga, the good old 30amp model that’s been a valuable and well loved member of the Aga family for more than two decades. It’s remarkably energy efficient because it acts like a massive battery, storing low cost, off peak power for you to use any time you like. You can expect to use around 224 KW per week if you fit a two oven model without water heating, around 273 KW per week for a four-oven version that doesn’t heat water.

You can also buy a gas Aga or Propane Aga. Gas Agas are famous for burning extremely cleanly. You can fit a conventional flue, a powered flue or a balanced flue, which gives amazing flexibility when installing into limited or odd-shaped spaces. Some gas Agas come with the new remote control AIMS system, via which you’ll save up to 20% on energy costs. An Aga with a couple of ovens, that doesn’t heat your water, uses about 340 KW per week, or 48L or Propane, including AIMS savings. With water heating the energy use increases to about 601 KW or 84L of Propane. A three oven no-hot-water Aga uses about 340 KW a week, 48L of Propane. The four oven family favourite uses around 422 KW a week without heating the water, 60L of Propane. With water heating included it uses roughly 718 KW a week, 101 litres of Propane.

The oil fired Aga is very similar to the original oil Aga from the ’50s, first released in 1959. Obviously they’ve tinkered with the design and technical stuff to make sure it’s as good as it can be. But otherwise it’s the same well loved oil burning Aga as ever. The oil Aga’s vaporising burner is regulated by state of the art thermostats so it’s known for energy efficiency. An Aga with two ovens, that doesn’t provide hot water, consumes around 40L oil per week. The same model with heated water uses around 60L a week. A model with 4 ovens and no hot water consumes around 51L a week, rising to 68L a week when hot water’s included.

For comprehensive information on Aga cookers, call Edwards & Godding on 01189 939 046

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