Will turning on and off an toaster oven frequently, break it faster?

Question

We have a bagel shop and my dad thinks that we'll save money by turning off the oven/toaster when there are no customers and turning it back on when they come in. But I think its better to leave it on, cause perhaps it works like any other machine, that if you turn it on and off alot, itll break faster.. And it takes a while for the toaster oven to get hot. It's one of those conveyor ones. I want to know if my theory is right. What do you guys think?

Answer 1

You've got a good question there, and unfortunately, it's a Catch 22 either way........Leaving the appliances on all the time (think of radio and TV stations, their electrical equipment is on CONSTANTLY and so they never shut it down, but they also keep the studio environment quite cool [in fact, chilly]) If you keep the appliance on constantly, it will continue to also draw electricity, which costs money......but the constant turning on and off of an appliance DOES shorten it's life, take the conveyor toaster, it takes twice as much energy to get it hot from the cold (off) state; so either way, you're wasting electricity.......as far as the leaving it on or turning it off and on intermittently during the day is kind of a push.........And certain appliances are made to "break down" faster than others (toasters, for instance, the heating grates) which cuts down on the possibility of fire........Hope this helps somewhat.....Enjoy!!

Christopher

Answer 2

I don't really think it is a question of the oven breaking down,but you will be consuming a lot of energy by frequently switching the gadget off & on.Leave it on during your busy working hours & trust the thermostat ro look after swithching on & off,this way it will switch on before total cooling as may happen when you do it manually.
The oven can stay off if you regularly have several hours lul in business.

Answer 3

what kind of heat source is it? radiant like a heater
or a bulb tube like florescent light? If you turn off the light time the bulb will not last as long! As for the radiant heater type only the switch will wear out faster! It's higher on your hydro bill to keep it on all the time! It could also be a fire hazard by over heating if left on too long! Don't turn it off too often and Don't leave it on too often is my advise!