oven fan venting hot air and no off switch

[Luck better Skill]

  OK, I have no manual for the kitchen oven/stove that came with the house.  But it has a convection option with fan.  The problem is the fan vents into the kitchen even when you use the regular bake option.  Worse there is no way I can find to turn it off as it is typical stupid design "smart appliance".  And it runs for hours after the stove is turned off. 
  The tipping point came for me the other day.  When resetting the timer I accidentally turned off the oven.  Which started the fan venting hot air.  Despite turning the oven back on it would not stop venting.  So I had a choice block the vent or wait 3 hours for the $@%*& fan to turn off so I could bake.
  I have look up some Electrolux manuals on line and the general reply is we designed it this way.  See how intelligent we are?  No.
  Short of replacing the oven does anyone have experience with this? 

Thank you for any help.

[Daleth]

Do you have an oven thermometer in there? Is the fan actually keeping the oven from being at the temp you want?

[Spork]

I'm guessing.... but I bet that is "working as designed." 

Modern ovens, even the non-convection ovens, generally vent a ton of heat right into the room.  They're kinda stupid.

Some of the older, high end ovens actually had mechanisms to shut the venting down when it isn't necessary for the operation.  (I.e, it has to be open to get gas flames to operate for example.)  The older ovens also had more insulation and were designed to be heated up to a goal temperature AND THEN TURNED OFF.  In other words they were designed to cook with the retained heat.

[chardog]

I'm guessing.... but I bet that is "working as designed." 

Modern ovens, even the non-convection ovens, generally vent a ton of heat right into the room.  They're kinda stupid.

Some of the older, high end ovens actually had mechanisms to shut the venting down when it isn't necessary for the operation.  (I.e, it has to be open to get gas flames to operate for example.)  The older ovens also had more insulation and were designed to be heated up to a goal temperature AND THEN TURNED OFF.  In other words they were designed to cook with the retained heat.

Did we have this conversation about 1950's Chambers Ovens on another thread?

[Spork]

I'm guessing.... but I bet that is "working as designed." 

Modern ovens, even the non-convection ovens, generally vent a ton of heat right into the room.  They're kinda stupid.

Some of the older, high end ovens actually had mechanisms to shut the venting down when it isn't necessary for the operation.  (I.e, it has to be open to get gas flames to operate for example.)  The older ovens also had more insulation and were designed to be heated up to a goal temperature AND THEN TURNED OFF.  In other words they were designed to cook with the retained heat.

Did we have this conversation about 1950's Chambers Ovens on another thread?

Guilty.   But a fair number of other older brands were similar. 

As to more modern ovens: We've got a very entry level run-of-the mill modern range in an outbuilding.  It doesn't have convection or any whistles and bells.  And HOLY CRAP it will heat that entire room in a hurry.  Most of them have a front vent that really dumps the heat out.

[chardog]

Modern ovens, even the non-convection ovens, generally vent a ton of heat right into the room.  They're kinda stupid.

Modern refrigerators are also kinda stupid.  At one time the compressor unit was on top so it's head could rise away from the unit, but in order to have most of your stuff at eye level, the compressor (and it's heat) is under the fridge.

Also, the way the door on fridges opens, it dumps out all the cold air every time you open it.  A chest or some type of air retaining drawer would be much more efficient.  All the drawers I have seen don't hold air.  (some kind of basket) so no better than a front swinging door.

[Mazzinator]

Mine also vents back into the kitchen. I'm a renter so i can't/won't change it. I simply don't use it. I also live in a warm climate, so i won't even get the winter warming benefit. Crockpot cooking all the way.

[Luck better Skill]

Do you have an oven thermometer in there? Is the fan actually keeping the oven from being at the temp you want?

I don't have an oven thermometer but the oven was warm not hot and was not cooking.  Could be a broken thermometer in the stove thus causing it to function wrong.

[Daleth]

Do you have an oven thermometer in there? Is the fan actually keeping the oven from being at the temp you want?

I don't have an oven thermometer but the oven was warm not hot and was not cooking.  Could be a broken thermometer in the stove thus causing it to function wrong.

Get an oven thermometer, for two reasons (actually three if you count the fact that oven thermometers are cheap as dirt).

One, no stove on earth, or at least no reasonably affordable stove, is actually accurate--you can set it at 350 all you want but it's not actually at 350, and the 5-10 degrees it's off will affect your cooking (especially baking). The top will look perfect when the inside's still not cooked, or vice versa, so either the top or the inside will always be not quite right. An oven thermometer will tell you about how much your stove is off by, so that you can adjust.

Two, once you put a thermometer in there and find out (this is what I'm anticipating you'll find out) that the temperature is constant and is within 5-10 degrees of what you set it at, that will tell you the fan is working just fine--it's in part because of the fan that the temperature is constant (i.e. same over time) and consistent (i.e. same in different parts of the oven). If, on the other hand, the thermometer doesn't tell you that, then you'll know either the oven thermostat and/or the fan needs attention.