The model number is what's needed for parts identification. The serial number is coded for date of factory production.

Hotpoint has been a part of GE for many years (1918). GE appliance division was sold to Haier in 2016.

Replace it with an induction range, if you can afford it. And buy it from someone else, because apparently Home Depot's delivery service is doing something wrong. I had 3 dishwashers delivered from Costco because each was delivered damaged -- I finally gave up and bought it from someone else.

Does it help if I submit to you a photo of the serial number? And a photo of this old beast? I realized GE was bought, and I understand that they make their appliances in Lafayette Georgia, Which I like because I was hoping to buy something made in America! But now that I can't get even a proper simmer/low setting on the griddles, and it takes a long time to heat up on highs, etc, is there any way to tell how much longer it will last? Maybe those are indications that it's going to totally fail tomorrow?

PS. The manager told me that these faults are due to the manufacturer and that he had a customer that they had to send 4 Whirlpool dishwashers to before they got one that was not defective!

One last point about parts. Since we couldn't completely read the serial number and based on the age, GE said the parts were not available

When was the condo built? That will tell you the real age if you aren't the original owner.

This condo was built by the Swedes in 1940. I moved in in 1993. The owner prior to me I'm quite sure completely renovated it for sale, Though I'm not a 100% sure because I can't remember if the appliances were brand new. The Refrigerator that came with my purchase already failed and was replaced. Does that help you tell me whether to ditch the hot point? :)

The bigger question now on my mind is whether hot point or GE is a better model? Does anyone have an opinion on that? Thank you so much!

I do want to add a comment that home depot's management completely went above and beyond taking care of any mess-ups that their delivery service made, so I can't say enough right now about home depot! I'd probably buy there again if somebody told me that the problem here was due to my buying the basic GE model.

Translation of the serial indicates probably manufactured Nov of 1996 (or 1984) ... or (unlikely) 2008 or 2020 ... GE repeats serial coding on a 12-year cycle.

Search parts on model RB735GXA5.

Cooktop Burner Element 6" = WB30X218

Cooktop Burner Element 8" = WB30X219

Oven Bake Element = WB44X5082

Oven Broil Element = WB44X173

Regards to where GE has production facilities ... depends on which specific appliances and models. Manufacturers typically have multiple factory locations and may close or open a given location depending on market demands, or move production to/from a given location. Long-time (1950s) GE Appliance Park facility in Louisville KY continues to operate.

In Consumer Reports testing, the GE JB256DMWW coil range didn't score very well, brought down largely by its low baking and broiling scores. Some have been recalled due to possible tip-over hazard. Check here. For a few hundred bucks more you can get a Frigidaire GCRI3058AF induction range (Home Depot, Best Buy). If I were going to swap ranges, that's what I would do.

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Hotpoint RB735G0A5AD parts (click "Heating Element" in left-hand menu): https://www.appliancepartspros.com/search.aspx?model=rb735g0a5ad

Hello RL N. I thought I would throw in my 2 cents for why I would keep that Hotpoint and guard it with my life! Many folks are tempted to think "Out with the old and in with the new". But before you make that tempting leap, I would consider the following:

1. Your range was built better than any new coil top range. This is because before the advent of Smooth top electric ranges (not induction), coil tops were the standard for electric ranges and could be purchased in both basic models AND fancy ones with various features that might surprise today's consumer. Coil tops were NOT cheap, low budget affairs. The gauge of the steel even was heavier than the new ones.

2. Unlike any new replacement coil top range, yours appears to possess analog type controls which are less vulnerable to power surges, heat failure, and discontinued parts.

3. The quality of the porcelain coatings on your range is superior to new porcelain formulas

4. The baking and broiling elements on your ranges are easier to service and replace because they can be replaced from the front and because the baking element is not hidden underneath the oven floor like on many newer ranges, you should not have the porcelain failures that so many new models have.

5. Lots of new ranges have cooling fans to prevent early failure of electronics. YOUR range should be mercifully quiet just like those of our grandparents generation.

6. New coil top ranges come standard with "Temp Sense" heat limiters that can drive a person crazy when they shut off on their own based on high temps or cookware that is not perfectly flat. Your range uses the older style coils that are still very easily purchased. Search online for owners frustration with the new Temp Sense coil burners that you wont have to use since replacements for your range are still like the older types.

7. New Smooth top electric ranges have been touted for years as "Easy to clean" but I have found them maddening due to how food burns (and bonds) to the glass surface. With your range, consider the Coil Top burner to be the "OPEN BURNER" version of an electric ranges. You can remove the various pieces to your burners and clean them fairly easily by comparison.

8. As was mentioned above, Hotpoint is a sub brand of GE and was one of the largest selling range brands in history (especially the electric ones) and so parts are remarkably inexpensive AND available as you can see by the link someone shared above.

9. At least some of the maintenance of a range such as yours can be performed by yourself if you so choose. There are no "Codes" that you have to hire someone to come by and interpret. And if you DID have to have a repair done as you suggest in your description, any solid repair technician should smile and enjoy working on your range. This technology has been around for generations and is very well understood by service companies.

10. When you DO need service, it should not be often. Both my grandmother and my mother cooked for DECADES on a range such as this and in 30 years, they each might have had two repairs not counting the occasional coil element or oven element both of which are not expensive and take very little time to replace so even if you hire someone, the labor charges should not be as high as with the more "modern" ranges. Oh, and if any service tech tells you that you cannot get parts for or its too impractical to repair, do NOT believe them. They are either not capable or lazy or both!

11. I suggest that you would be throwing out something that can and likely will outlast any new range you purchase. If you should decide to purchase an induction range, you could potentially enjoy cooking on its smooth top surface with less burnt on food given the lower temps that induction creates on the glass. But induction is highly digitized (will have the cooling fans) and when they fail, the failure is often catastrophic and often requires total replacement of the appliance. The service life of induction has NOT been shown to be anywhere near electric coil cooking appliances.

12. You KNOW this range as I believe you purchased it new. As with any used car, you have all the provenance/history on this range and so you know it well. I would have it gone over fully by a service technician and have the repairs made. There are Hotpoint and GE ranges on the low price end that will temp you and they may even cost the same as fully repairing your older Hotpoint. But they are not made with the same quality anymore. (due to their low price points, they are made in Mexico, not in the US). It gets harder and harder for me to specify appliances with little digital tech anymore and I regret that knowing the history and forecast that so many of the new appliances will require more service, more costly service, and will become too costly to repair and will end up in landfills way before their time. Good luck in what you decide, but honestly, you have one of the best ranges ever made for common household use. In spite of all of the appliance brand's marketing 'HuHa', a range should be able to do what it has always done; roast the chicken, bake the cake, broil the seafood. After making a pretty good search for a new range, when all is said and done, I believe you had the best range right under your nose the whole time; the one you bought all those years ago!!

I am so grateful to you WDCcruise as well as all of the others who added important comments because it really got me thinking about these 2 defective units that showed up to my condo! So I went back to The Home Depot Website and I started reading every single review on that model and there were so many people who did not like this so-called sensi-temperature coil and the way it turns off at high temp that I was alarmed by these comments And started to think that this is not the model to buy. And found others whose delivered units came with the exact same fault where the top control panel was ajar from the top of the unit, Which got me even more concerned whether I should reinvest in this model. I also read that people hated the flimsy pullout drawer. When the installer who brought the Unit pulled out the drawer and couldn't get it back in, showed this problem I hadn't even considered until then. All in all I think I better keep looking and I'm wondering if the Hotpoint is better made than the GE? A hot point replacement white looks like an equivalent to this GE model but doesn't have the sensi technology. Any opinion on hotpoint? I will check out the Frigidaire but it might be out of my price range. Thank you!

CR Reviews of GE, Hotpoint, and other Coil Ranges ($10/month digital).

For comparison, the Frigidaire GCRI3058AF induction range is $1098 at Home Depot.

Oh my God Mr. HU... It is like you are reading my mind! I could not believe when I called around and some people told me I could not get parts! I never went further to figure out should I call in a technician! Now I see my gut hunch is correct that this beautiful maserati that I have... this huge heavy weighted Bessie... is exactly what I want to keep! I know these cheap prices of GE just keep tempting me but I've had 2 already and when I find them coming in where the top control panel is ajar from the top of the unit, and then I read these reviews on the sensi temperature I just say this is c***. Literally the guys who came in to look at my unit all made comments about how dense and significant this unit is and that they don't often see ones like these and that they don't make them like this anymore ...and you know I didn't know which way to take that... but my gut hunch was yeah it's like a vintage! a vintage! you know Cadillac! I mean they just don't make Em like this anymore! OK my friend you have pushed me over the edge. I am going to find out if there's somebody in Seattle here Who can actually do a look at this thing and assure me it's not gonna blow up and maybe there's something he can fix. I'm assuming parts I can Buy some new coils and maybe that's really all I need cause I am basically a cook top girl with a couple baked items per week. I am just grateful because the GE almost looked too good to be true. and now I see it was was. Thank you so much!

PS. I also want to make a comment that it was It's clear to me to see that the porcelain on my unit was unlike anything I was seeing on anything!

I so appreciate your comments, HU, even if they confirm my suspicions that I'd be buying a unit that wouldn't last me even half as long as the one I've got. That would infuriate me!. I also appreciate your saying (as I suspected) that because GE now owns Hotpoint that it won't be any better than buying the GE base model...so what's the point? If my current stove had already gone kaput, maybe I'd have to go that direction....but as my headline asked, is it worth ditching this amazon now? I think you and the other comments have helped me see my ambivalence about doing that - - especially since I've already had 2 rounds of defective units to examine - - show me the best path. As my mama would say "FIX WHAT YOU'VE GOT!" THANK YOU!

One last question to you, dadoes: my search took me to this site:

https://bit.ly/3Nh4sHt They only list them as GE parts. Can I assume they are the same as those from Hotpoint - or in other words, are the only ones available for Hotpoint now that GE owns them? THANK YOU!

Yes. The part numbers are GE numbers.

PartsDr sometimes has better prices. Search the needed items by part number for best prices ... follow your intuition for whether a given source seems questionable.

Thank you!

Dadoes... I just started looking at parts doctor and realized I need to ask you if are you saying that if I bought those new coils for the stove top that it would fix my heating problem, or that I still need to bring in a repair technician to figure out if some other thermostat or something is broken in the unit? I'm not totally sure if what you're saying is that all I need are these new grills. Thank you for the clarification!

I hate to be a pest, but one last question: If I'm going to try to clean it myself do you suggest I follow 1 of those YouTube videos about how I get underneath and/or clean these kind of electrical connections before I buy the coils? Is there anything you would recommend for the cleaning / type of solution? Thanks, because I'm gonna go after it this weekend and see if I can shine up my Maserati

!

It's tricky to diagnose problems from afar. You said in the OP that you swapped the positions of cooktop elements, so presumably the swapped element works where the original in the same position didn't? That typically indicates the original element is bad being that nothing else has changed. Connection sockets also can fail. Burned or deteriorated terminals on the burner can be related to matching burned or deteriorated terminals in the socket. A bad socket can be indicated if no elements work at a particular position but that can also be caused by a bad control switch. Test instruments such as a multimeter (volt/ohm meter) are used to confirm bad elements and sockets.

YouTube can be helpful but I've seen a few appliance repair videos in which the disassembly was done completely wrong and even caused damage. Beware, for example, if holes are cut or panels are bent askew for access to a part.

DO NOT attempt to clean the burner sockets until you've disconnected the range from power via the circuit breaker (or removing the fuse) ... check that the range doesn't operate on any function to be sure it's the correct circuit.

I did not intend myself to try to do anything but buy those new coils until I pulled them out and found those sockets looking blackened and wondered if I should try to clean them, maybe with WD40 or something. All of the burners work.. yes I swapped them around and they still don't function properly - meaning that the low or simmer is not always low plus it seems to be very close to the off position if I get it at all, and the high setting all work, and the burners all fire up, it's just the exact temperature seems off. I was hoping now after these comments that maybe all I needed were new coils? The oven and the broiler definitely work but again I'm not sure the temperature is perfect. So that's essentially what's wrong with it. All the lights even work, the clock works. I mean I guess I just thought it was falling apart originally when I wrote this question. Based on what you've now said, I still need to get in a repair guy to make sure of the electricals? Thank you!

I would NOT spray anything into the socket area. Sometimes, those sockets get stained from spills and occasionally, the sockets themselves can wear out (30 years is a long time in use) but again, good news here since those parts are also available and not costly. If you are unsure that your range is functioning fully, it would not hurt nor should it cost a fortune to have a technician look at it. And I would also ask around locally for an appliance repair company that maybe has been in business for a long time there. Fortunately, you live in a large Metro area such as Seattle which increases the likelihood of finding a good servicer. Oh and FYI, there are lots of people who purchase or have their existing vintage ranges restored/overhauled. There are lots of groups online and Facebook has vintage home appliance groups so you might search there or at other sites depending on which ones you use. There are also lots of companies that specialize in vintage appliances. Here is a link to just one of those and if you look, you will see the prices they sell theirs for and just how valuable older ranges can be. When you see the age of some of these, well then yours is practically a 'baby' by comparison. Another fortunate thing is that your range was/is a mainstream brand. With small, obscure brands, it can sometimes be a challenge to get service or parts, but Hotpoint/GE was a huge brand with a great market share which is one reason why parts are still available for your range. Here is the link just so you can see that lots of folks appreciate the great quality of how things were once made. https://www.antiqueappliances.com/stoves/

@RL N

So, then, none of the cooktop elements are completely non-working? Erratic response toward the low end probably is related to the control(s) for the affected burner(s), not the heating element themselves. Presumably they're infinite heat controls, with a full range of levels from low to high? Infinite controls moderate the heat by pulsing the power to the elements on and off. Longer on-time for higher heat. The controls may get weak with age. A bad element wouldn't heat at all, or wouldn't get full-hot at the highest setting.

OK well I started calling around to the repair shops and I've already been told by one of them based on my model number that I would need switches, and that parts are not available. Do I trust him or keep calling other repair shops?

Csll other shops including FB groupsblij k e as well as the link I posted above I always expected what they told you is their standard redpose Many places willvsell and ship the parts to you Likely, the techs making those claims try to avoid getting parts from other than their own suppliers where they have charge accounts

OK well if he is right and there is nothing wrong with my coils, then I buy the switch and tell him I have this switch, then do you think I can get one of these guys to come over? There are very few that list that they repair hot point and I am also checking craigslist. Would you recommend even that I try calling Sears repair? I don't want them to come over and charge me a diagnostic fee if they're going to tell me I can't get parts, so which part exactly is it that I need that will make these burners work correctly? Is it the infinity switch, as you said? Thank you!

If the only issue is the heating element I am sure with a more thorough search you may be able to find it, of course, due to how old it is they may just not have that part anymore unless alternatives exist. But most stovetops last 10+ years the fact yours has lasted so long is amazing but I'd say you should replace it. Perhaps with another hot point stove. Or perhaps contact a local stove repair service that may be able to provide the correct element heater or even fix the one you currently have. Good luck!

Given the broad array of parts sources on the internet, you should not have a problem finding the part (s). The comment above by HU-16168550092 is correct in that the people you have spoken with thus far don't want to spend time searching for parts. The reason many do not list Hotpoint as a brand they serve is because most all parts that fit Hotpoints will fit GE versions of those models.

Bonanza.com, Ebay, Etsy, also may have something.

Look for a local independent servicer if there are such in your area. Tell them that you've looked up the model number and identified the part numbers of some common parts that may be involved in the problem. Perhaps mention those numbers, of the switches, burner elements, sockets. If a given servicer balks, says they can't get those stated parts, then tell them that you've found some online sources and can get the items yourself (be sure the parts are actually in-stock at a selected source) if they'll do the repair. Many servicers refuse to deal with customer-sourced parts but a few will on condition of no warranty for the work. If they still balk, try another until you run out of choices. The next choice would be a competent DIYer/handyman family member or friend.

Induction is so completely beyond coil or ceramic electric in performance. In heat control. In ease of cleaning. In surface temperature safety. Ikea has a freestanding induction range with a 5 year warranty. It's a Frigidaire. https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/tvaersaeker-range-with-induction-cooktop-stainless-steel-40466006/

The IKEA TVÄRSÄKER is the same as the Frigidaire GCRI3058AF except that it's $200 more expensive and omits the air fry feature. The Frigidaire is warranted for one year.

Appliances with a longer standard warranty are more expensive for that reason. And there's nothing wrong with that.

@boba1: "And there's nothing wrong with that."

No, but it's up to the purchaser whether he's willing to pay the premium and, in this case, lose a feature.

All of your comments are very comforting and I feel pretty confident that the parts are available now that I've looked at the Web. I challenged this man who told me he couldn't find parts and I sent him the website link and he came back with a $299 price parts and labor price. This was all done by text and I have yet to call him back. But the real question is if I get a parts quote of $300 that's half the price of the new range, is that the way to go? I read somewhere that no one should pay to keep an old unit if it costs half as much as a new range. Does that apply in my case? The way I see this now is I can pay half as much as a new one and maybe get a unit that will last me maybe 5 to 10 more years?...And if I chuck the old 1 and take the new 1, I may get if I'm lucky 10 years on the new 1 without trouble. So does it look like it's almost a push? It's really about equal cost? Almost making the decision to just buy the new one just as good a decision except for the excellent points HU made about the cheapness of the newer tech. My fear of the sensi temp coils was lessened when I read on a site that I could use my my enamel covered iron Martha Stewart pot's with no problem... But maybe that too was not trustworthy. I am so much on the fence about this that my biggest gut hunch now is to do nothing. Absolutely nothing. Just go limping along with my stove taking a long time to heat my kettle of water, and when I start boiling on the low to simmer setting, just take my pot off the griddle to cool...and call it good

..... But I'm gonna go hit the phones again and see if I can find somebody else who is very senior in range repair Who can give me a better quote because your input has made me want to at least find out the bottom line before I ditch it!

Only you can make your decision on how to proceed.

Personally, I always repair if the needed part is available ... but I can DIY (except not anything involving Freon).

I am a total DIY woman! Thanks to people's input on Houzz I refinished my kitchen cabinet doors all by myself during lockdown! But I am literally at my wits end about my big big beautiful old stove. Ohh. OK I'm hitting the phones again because I'm going with the gut hunch that if I can find someone at a reasonable price to at least give me a diagnostic.... the diagnostics costs are coming in at 60, 70, 80 up to $99 . So if I can get a diagnostic and the guy will charge me up to 300 preferably up to 200.00 to fix some simple switches I guess I've got my answer. I will lose the good deal on th GE that home depot gave me but it doesn't look like much of a good deal after everything everyone has me! And I'm sure these good deals come along every day if they're having trouble selling this type of low end range! Thanks to all

UPDATE! Well after calling about 30 different listings from Google to craigslist I found one nice guy who's a long time repair man and says he even worked in an appliance parts shop for years,, who led me through a series of tests Because as we spoke he started looking for parts and thought there were very few that he could actually get. So I scrubbed down the entire unit and scrubbed all of the coils and he thought maybe the coils looked from the photos like they were worn out,, and I might only need to buy some new ones. So I fired them all up and took photos of them on high... And they all got red... and he ultimately said he thinks the range is fine! I told him I thought it all fired up too slow and I don't get a real simmer and he thinks it might be my Martha's stewart enamel iron cookware. Does anyone agree that all of this my means it is not going to fail in the immediate future, I'd love to know. Thanks to all @dadoes @HU-379772723 @wdccruise @HU-16168550092

That looks reasonable for high heat. An element typically either works across the entire coil, doesn't work at all, or could in some rare instances heat part of the coil.

Your complaint about unsatisfactory performance at lower heat levels still could point a problem with the controls being erratic ... but it could also be related to the mass of your cookware being slow to respond.

Thank you so much for your analysis @dadoes ! I am feeling pretty good about keeping my unit now. I even canceled the order permanently over at home depot. I will say that in the back of my mind I suspect that someday I will need some infinity switch or a new coil, but now that you all have shown me these websites I think I could go buy a new coil. And I also think since I know the 30 repairmen in town and the couple who thought they might be able to find parts, I can live with this And watch what happens. I don't even think I need to pay for any inspection now since there is nothing seriosly broken on this stove. Looks like somehow I fell for the throw-out-the-old' and bring in the new and I was unaware of it! I am so grateful to everyone who responded who kept me away from throwing away my amazing American made beauty!