Troubleshooting
Oven not heating: what to check and what it usually is
An oven that will not heat is almost always one part, and on most ranges it is the same short list of parts. Here is what you can check yourself without opening anything, what the real causes look like, and where the homeowner part of the job ends.
Safety first: gas smell, smoke or sparks
If you smell gas, this is not a troubleshooting job. Do not turn the oven on or off, do not flip light switches, and do not use your phone inside. Get everyone out of the house, then call your gas company or 911 from outside. Do not go back in until they tell you it is safe.
If the oven is smoking (not ordinary food smoke), sparking, showing flames where there should not be any, or gave anyone a shock, stop using it. Turn it off at the breaker if you can reach the panel safely, and leave it off until it has been looked at.
The process
What you can safely check first
- Confirm the cooktop works
On an electric range, if the surface burners heat but the oven does not, power is reaching the range and the problem is inside the oven circuit. On a gas range, if the top burners light normally, gas is reaching the range. Either way that rules out the supply.
- Check the breaker, without opening the panel
Electric ranges run on a double breaker. A half-tripped one can leave the lights and clock working while the oven stays cold. Look at the breaker handle; if it is tripped, switch it fully off, then on, once. If it trips again, leave it off and call. Do not remove the panel cover.
- Look at the settings
Make sure the oven is not in a delay-start, timed-cook or Sabbath mode, and that the control lock is off. Check the clock is set; some ovens will not start a bake until it is.
- Reset the control
Turn the range off at the breaker (or unplug a gas range, which runs its controls on a regular outlet) for a few minutes, then restore power. That clears a confused control board more often than you would expect.
- Look at the bake element, cold and unplugged
With the power off and the oven fully cool, look at the lower element on an electric oven. A visible break, a bubble, or a burnt spot means it has failed. Do not try to remove or test it with the power on.
Electric ovens: the usual causes, most common first
Failed bake element. The most common cause by a wide margin. The oven heats slowly or not at all, the broiler still works, and food burns on top while the bottom stays pale. Often the element has a visible split or blistered spot, and sometimes it went out with a bright flash and a pop.
Failed broil element. The bake works but the broiler does not, or preheat takes much longer than it used to, because many ovens use both elements during preheat.
Oven temperature sensor. The thin metal probe in the back wall of the oven. When it reads wrong, the oven runs far too hot or too cold, or shows an error code and shuts the bake off. If the oven heats but every recipe comes out under- or over-done, the sensor is a strong suspect.
Thermal fuse or high-limit switch. A safety device that cuts power when the oven overheats. It commonly trips after a self-clean cycle. The symptom is an oven that is completely dead on bake and broil while the display still works.
Relay or control board. The board switches power to the elements. When a relay fails, the display looks normal, the oven says it is preheating, and nothing heats. Board problems are diagnosed after the elements, sensor and fuse check out, not before.
Wiring and terminals. A burnt wire at the element terminals, usually from a loose connection that overheated over time. If you can see darkened or melted insulation, stop using the oven.
Gas ovens: the usual causes, most common first
Weak hot surface igniter. By far the most common gas oven failure. The igniter glows orange but the oven never lights, or it takes several minutes to light. It is not dead; it simply no longer draws enough current to open the gas valve, which is a safety design. A bake igniter and a broil igniter are separate parts on many ranges, so one can fail while the other works.
Oven sensor. Same part and same symptoms as on an electric oven: wrong temperatures, error codes, an oven that shuts off partway through.
Thermal fuse or control board. Again often after self-clean. The display may work but the oven never calls for heat, and the igniter never glows.
Gas safety valve. Less common. The igniter glows properly and draws the right current, but the valve does not open. This is a gas part and it is a technician's job.
One thing that is not on this list: a burner that smells of gas while trying to light. That is not a part you diagnose at home. Turn it off, leave, and call from outside.
When to call a technician
Call us when:
- The breaker trips again after one reset.
- You see a broken or blistered element, burnt wiring, or melted insulation.
- A gas oven's igniter glows but the oven does not light, or lights late.
- The oven heats but temperatures are clearly wrong, or it shows an error code that a power reset does not clear.
- The oven quit right after a self-clean cycle.
- Anything involves the gas line, the gas valve, or the inside of the control panel.
On a range under a manufacturer or extended warranty, do not open it yourself; that can complicate the claim. File with the plan first, and if you would like the dispatch to come to us, see warranty appliance repair.
Our technicians bring over 15 years of repair experience to oven and range work. Request an appointment and we diagnose first, quoting the repair before we start, and if the range is not worth fixing we tell you. More on what we do for ranges, wall ovens and cooktops is on our oven and range repair page. We cover homes across Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania and Stafford.
Questions
Oven questions
Why does my oven light work but the oven will not heat?
The light and display run on a lower-power circuit than the elements. On an electric oven, it usually means a failed bake element, a tripped thermal fuse, a half-tripped double breaker or a failed relay. On a gas oven, the most common cause is a weak hot surface igniter.
My gas oven igniter glows but there is no flame. What is wrong?
Almost always a weak igniter. It glows but no longer draws enough current to open the gas safety valve. Do not keep retrying for long periods. Turn it off and have it replaced. If you smell gas at any point, leave the house and call the gas company or 911 from outside.
My oven stopped working after self-clean. Is it ruined?
Usually not. The extreme heat of the cycle often trips the thermal fuse or finishes off a weak igniter, element or control relay. It is a repair, not a replacement, in most cases.
Is it safe to replace a bake element myself?
Only with the power off at the breaker, and only if you are comfortable with appliance wiring. If the terminals or wires behind the element look burnt, stop there; that needs a proper repair, not just a new element. Never work on a gas oven's igniter or valve with the gas connected unless you are trained to.
Oven still cold?
Tell us whether it is gas or electric, what it does when you press bake, and the model number. We confirm a day and arrival window with you before anything is locked in.