Adding Aluminum Foil to Your Stove’s Reflector Drip Pans
Looking for a simple way to make your home more energy efficient? Adding aluminum foil to your stove’s grimy/eroded reflector drip pans is a great way to do just that. It’s easy to do and costs almost nothing. When the surface of your stove’s drip pans become grimy or eroded they don’t absorb and reflect heat as well as when they were new. Thus, causing your stove to use more energy when you cook. Just follow these easy steps to start saving today! It is possible that your stove may not have reflector drip pans. If this is the case, purchase a set and follow these steps to make them as efficient as possible and keep them looking new.
Tools you’ll need for the job:
- A package of Aluminum Foil
- Eco-friendly liquid dish soap
- Scrubby
Instructions: adding aluminum foil to your stove’s drip pans
1. Remove the heating element from the stove top. Simply lift the heating element up and then pull it straight out of the connection. Set it to the side and be mindful of where it was on the stove top. When you go to put it back in, you’ll want to make sure it’s in the right spot.
2. Remove the reflector drip pan. Once the heating element has been removed the reflector drip pan should pop right out. Simply pry it up using your finger tips.
3. Clean and then cover the reflector drip pan with aluminum foil. Use some eco-friendly dish soap and a scrubby to clean off any residue or caked on food scraps from the drip pan. This will allow the drip pan to absorb and reflect heat more efficiently. Next take a sheet of aluminum foil and wrap it around the drip pan (shiny side up!). Be sure to poke holes in the aluminum foil so you can both reconnect it to the stove, and allow proper air flow around it.
4. Place the reflector drip pan back in the stove top. Simply place the drip pan back into the stove top, but be sure that the opening in the drip pan lines up with the stove’s connection for the heating element.
5. Put the heating element back in place. Hold the heating element at a slight angle and insert it back into the connection for the stove top. Once it clicks back into place, lower it back down into the drip pan and you’re all done. Simply repeat the process for all the drip pans on your stove top.
It is important to note that overtime the aluminum foil will get covered in grease and grime from cooking. Thus causing the foil to be less effective. When this happens simply repeat the process above, and toss the old aluminum foil into the recycling bin since it’s 100% recyclable!
If you’re looking for more ways to conserve energy around your home, try cleaning your refrigerators condenser coils. When the coils become caked in dust and grime it causes your fridge to work harder, thus adding to your monthly electric bill.
Be sure to check out more of our green home improvement projects: Green Living Ideas, after all, is a top 20 home improvement website!
Photo courtesy of Joyful Abode
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About the Author
Peter Young graduated from Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) with a degree in journalism and has made sustainability and eco-conscious living mainstays of both his professional and personal life. It was during his time at PLU that he began his journey with sustainability and it's what has led him to writing for Green Living Ideas. He currently resides in Honolulu and works for Pono Home, an energy efficiency company focused on reducing carbon emissions and promoting a healthier, greener lifestyle.
