Okay it's incredibly hot. Which is unusual for a British Summer but the big question on your mind is:
"Do I switch the AGA Cooker Off?"
Or you are just about to go on holiday. What do you do with your AGA cooker if you are going off on your holidays? Are you going to leave it on at full heat to heat your hot house or are you going to switch it off?
Things To Consider For AGA Cooking in the Summer / Hot Months.
You probably bought your AGA to provide you with unlimited warmth and to make your home the cosiest it can be. But when it's hot in the Summer months what do you do?
You Have Three Choices:
1. Leave your AGA on whatever the weather and be prepared to manage the heat in your kitchen. You may even have designed your kitchen with this in mind. You said no to the backup oven, as you were determined to use the AGA for all your cooking. Or your listed cottage only had room for the AGA and nothing else to cook on. So your small kitchen might be just too hot with the AGA on. But you manage the heat by opening all the windows and opening your back door. You've got used to the high heat, and the fresh air from the open door adds to your kitchen in the Summer. We have a 30 Amp AGA in a small kitchen and we do this.
2. You bought an AGA that is controllable. So your AGA is the AGA Total Control and you can switch bits or all of it off and even though it looks like a traditional AGA it is much more bearable in the Summer months. Or your AGA Dual Control can be made a bit more bearable by switching off the top lids and putting the AGA into Eco mode to reduce the residue heat and the running costs.
3. You switch the AGA off completely as soon as the first hint of sun shines out in May. You've got a back up in the form of a small oven which does the 'job' when the AGA isn't on. Or you bought an AGA with a module which is attached to the AGA and you use throughout the hot months.
I think if you have the AIMS system fitted you are going to put into slumber (see my other post of AIMS AGA cooker), and if you have the non AIMS type you have to make the decision to switch it off completely or turn it down.
For our 30 Amp AGA cooker we lowered the temperature down to about number 2 on the dial when we went away on holiday. And more recently I turned it off completely when we had it cleaned. When we switched it back on we have had a few days to get the timer right as it is tucked away in a cupboard and is difficult to adjust. But it was pretty straight forward once we had worked it out.
If you've got a gas AGA cooker you could turn it down and put it on the pilot - that is the pilot flame is on - whilst you are away and then it's just a case of turning it back up when you return. You could also turn it off, as they aren't that difficult to turn back on again.
For an oil AGA from my experience it's not so easy to get it right after switching it off so I'd keep it on as normal! The alternative is I'd suggest booking someone into service (why don't you get it cleaned at the same time - cleaned in the morning serviced in the afternoon) it on the day after you arrive back then you can switch it off before you go on holiday and then the service engineer can relight it and get it going again after they have serviced it.
I have also recently read a problem with the oil AGA cooker is that if left off for a while you can flood the oil box thingy (not sure on the technicalities) but it's caused by having fuel flooding down from the tank and resting in the AGA - the solution is to ensure that the tank tap is switched off completely.
These suggestions are from my own experiences and I would also suggest you also have a look at the main AGA website.
