Our cooktop was not designed with kids in mind. (Were kids better behaved in the 50s?) Anyways the push buttons are in the front, about 3 feet off the ground. We try to keep the kids out of the kitchen and items off of the burners, but toddlers find a way, and yesterday they could have burned our house down.
Here are the options I've thought of:
- Replacing the cooktop with a model that has knobs on top (but pricey)
- Moving the push button control panel higher (but don't have a good
place for it) - Adding a cutoff timer for the cooktop – my ideal
I am thinking a hot-tub style wall timer, so that the stove can be activated for a while but will automatically turn off, unless set to hold. I think we would forget to turn off a simple switch.
Is that a feasible idea? The only switches I can find are 20A rated and I suspect the cooktop is at least 30A, so it might be moot.
Best Answer
You may not be able to find a timer that's designed to directly switch that much, but you can find a timer that switches a lot less, and use it to switch the coil of a relay that can switch whatever load you require. Relay coils take very little power to switch, and relay contacts can be had as large as you could possible need, or larger.
However, if you are not bound up in love with your 58 year old cooker, it may be a better idea to replace it; a relay capable of switching a typical cooktop load is not generally all that inexpensive itself, unless you can find one surplus.
A newER used cooktop is generally quite inexpensive - people remodel kitchens all the time and discard or sell off inexpensively perfectly good appliances that are not the right color, etc.