I'm surprised that it doesn't tell you to burn off the shipping oil in the set up instructions--as far as I know, it's a standard procedure for all ovens. Some of what you're burning off can't be done at the factory because it's there to protect the appliance during storage and shipping.

It's terrible, of course, that you all were exposed to noxious fumes. Perhaps it would be better if there were a sticker on it or something. Do you know for sure that there wasn't something like that, thrown away by the installers?

I hope you and your grandson are all better now.

The information about doing the burn-off was on page 35 of the "online" owners manual. There should have been a tag on the oven or a flyer in the paperwork that came with the oven, but there was not, only a 3-page quick guide that refers you to go online to see the full manual. They need to find a different way to protect the appliance during storage and shipping. My husband hooked up the oven so we are sure there was nothing in the set up instructions. Thanks for your reply.

You're right. There should be both a brightly colored flyer and a tag or sticker on the oven.

My Installers informed me and told me to run it for about an hour. How were you harmed aside from a headache that went away?

On this forum we usually recommend reading the owner's manual before purchasing any appliance so you know what to expect.

It's tough to make a case against the manufacturer if you didn't read the entire manual and do the burn off in advance. The information is provided with the appliance.

That said, there should be a sticker IMO. And what are the fumes from actually? As an owner, I certainly would want to know.

Hope you can get some traction on this. You have a point, definitely.

Adequate caution was not rendered. The manual states "to speed up the process" run the self-clean cycle 2x. That's on page 35 of the "online" manual in the troubleshooting section. Not all people have a computer and would never know that this process should be done, but even so, the information given does not indicate it is necessary to do so. Plus, they refer to "an odor which is normal" but do not relay the magnitude of how bad the fumes really are. They are so bad that no one should ever have to tolerate going thru this with a brand new oven. For people with respiratory issues or other illnesses, pregnant women, and babies should never have to endure this whether if it is made clear to the consumer or not. This process should take place in the factory instead of polluting lungs and homes. Because I contacted the State of Ohio's Atty General's Office, I received a phone call on Friday from the Asst to the President of GE noting he was calling because he got notice from the Atty Gen Office. He attempted to discuss the issues with me but was very blunt, resistant to my concerns, and denied the validity of everything I reported. I am continuing to work with the Atty General's Office and shall see if anything can be done to correct the situation and at the very least mandate that a tag is attached to the oven door noting that the procedure needs to be done, how to do it properly, and to encourage people who are sensitive to such need to leave the home during the process. My personal damages was suffering a headache, preparing a meal that could not be eaten due to fumes contaminating it, and subjecting all my family including a 5 month old to fumes of which I have no idea what the chemical composition of "burning off an acrylic binding agent" is. I'll keep you posted as I progress with any outcome. Thanks for your responses. Laurie

Laurie, if the fumes were so bad why not just pack up the baby and get out of the house?

I sincerely regret not taking the baby out of the house. At the time I was thinking these fumes were normal, and I had a dinner to prepare for when his parents returned and other family coming over. It was after the evening was over when I allowed myself to become angry at how bad they truly were and that is when the fear of us being harmed by them hit me. I will never forgive myself for not getting the baby out of the house. After talking with several GE people about it and no one having a real concern over it, it has fueled me to do what I can to hopefully get these ovens tagged with proper information regarding the truth of how bad the fumes are so people can deal with the burn- off however works best for them.

Oh I didn't realized you had a meal cooking in it. I defumed my Wolf upon install for an hour at 350 with nothing in it. That's what the install tech told me to do so I did it right then and there. It was smelly but the kids and I stayed mostly upstairs. It dissipated within a few hours.

I am on the verge of ordering a GE Cafe gas range, and I am very concerned about this. I looked in both online owner's manual and installation manual and I cannot find any mention of this at all. Could someone enlighten me on where the warning is posted, and exactly what I need to do to avoid it? My range is going to be installed by a plumber, and I would be willing to bet he won't know anything about it. Laurie, I hope you and your family are okay.

faftris - You could ask the sales rep at the store where you purchased the range if they have any information about the the burn off procedure. Just make sure to do it at a time when you can leave your home if the fumes are bothering you. And don't cook in it until the burn-off is done and the oven is operating fume-free. As I've noted in previous posts, the standard procedure is to run 2 self-cleaning cycles to eliminate the fumes. Self-cleaning cycles typically take 4 hours from start to finish. There is much on the internet about the dangers of self-cleaning ovens. I find it interesting that ovens (even my new GE Profile) comes with the option to do a "steam clean" ... instead of using the self-cleaning feature that has been the way for so many years with ovens.

The steam clean is meant as an assist for the kind of cleaning you have to do before running the self clean cycle. For the daily sponge out. If you leave big pieces of stuck on food, etc., they could catch fire during self clean. Self clean is for getting the polymerized fats and other non-scrubables off. Or you could use baking soda and hydrogen peroxide plus elbow grease.

Laurie, your experience with the fumes sounds worse than normal. I wonder if there might have been some kind of packing material caught or hidden where it shouldn't be, rather than the just the usual oil stuff. Whatever it was, your big point, that there should be clearly visible instructions on the unit itself, is well taken. KD furniture comes with that big yellow caution card/stop sign saying to call the company with problems before you return it. A similar tag saying to burn off residues from a newly installed oven shouldn't be any more bother to include.

I don't use self clean either and never will. I had a rep tell me they really don't recommend it but consumers expect self clean so they are forced to include as a feature. It really isn't good for the units to be on for long periods of time on such high temps.