If your oven isn’t heating, one of the following components is likely defective:
Keep reading to find out how to check and replace these components to fix your oven.
But first, check the obvious issues.
If the oven isn’t heating because it is not receiving power, a breaker or fuse may have been tripped. If the oven has recently been installed, the electrical socket that the oven plugs into might not be supplying enough voltage to power the oven.
If you have a gas oven, it might not be heating because it’s not receiving gas. Check that no problem has occurred with the gas line. If the gas supply is good, an igniter most likely needs to be replaced (instructions below).
If the oven isn’t heating properly, check that both the bake and broil elements are glowing or providing heat when they’re turned on. Be careful not to burn yourself.
If neither element works, it’s likely that a fuse has blown, the igniter is faulty, or the control board has a fault. If only one element works, the one that doesn’t work most likely needs to be replaced.
If the oven heats, but the heat is inconsistent or not high enough, most likely a temperature sensor or control board issue has occurred, or one of the elements needs to be replaced.
The bake and broil elements are usually secured with screws on the back wall of the oven. In some models, the rear panel of the oven may need to be removed to unscrew the elements.
Wiring may also be attached to the elements, which may or may not need to be disconnected from behind the back panel.
Make sure to disconnect the power to the oven before removing any screws or panels.
Once you’ve removed the elements, they can be tested with a multimeter for continuity.
Depending on the type of oven, it may have a thermostat or temperature sensor that monitors the oven’s temperature. If the oven is switch-based, it likely has a thermostat and sensing bulb assembly. If the oven has an electronic control board, it likely has a temperature sensor.
The thermostat or sensor shuts off the voltage to the element when the desired temperature is reached. During the cooking process, the thermostat or sensor cycles the voltage on and off to maintain the set temperature.
Depending on the type of oven, you may be able to see the sensing bulb or sensor inside the oven extruding from the back wall. To access the thermistor or sensor, the back panel of the oven needs to be removed.
Make sure you disconnect the power to the oven before accessing the thermostat or temperature sensor.
Once you’ve removed the back panel, the thermistor assembly or temperature sensor is usually located near the broil element. Usually a wiring harness is connected to the assembly or sensor and one or two screws that hold the assembly or sensor in place.
Testing a thermistor or sensor with a multimeter is not as easy as testing for continuity. You need to check the resistance, but that varies from oven to oven and it changes depending on the temperature. Generally, if the thermistor or sensor is working properly, you should get a reading of between 1,000 and 1,200 ohms at room temperature.
For a more accurate diagnosis, you need to check what the resistance should be in the oven’s user manual or tech sheet.
The main control board is difficult to test with a multimeter, but if you observe burning or black spots on the board, the control board is likely causing the heating issue.
Some ovens have a thermal fuse or high-limit cutoff that shuts down the oven if it gets too hot. If the fuse fails a continuity test, it’s not working properly and must be replaced.
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