Common Oven Problems and How to Fix Them

The oven is one of the most common household appliances to break, yet it’s one of the most frustrating experiences when you find it not working. This is especially true if you’ve prepped all your food and it’s ready to go in the oven. Not to mention if you don’t have the correct tool pieces or even the time or knowledge to fix the problem. Sometimes all you want to do after a long day of work is throw a frozen pizza in the oven, but this can’t be done if the oven isn’t working. So, what are the most common oven problems and how do we go about fixing them?

The Door Won’t Shut

Firstly, you may find that your oven door won’t shut. While it’s not impossible to heat your food with a faulty door, it’s by no means safe. As a result, if your oven door isn’t shutting, you should try the following:

1. Unplug the oven and switch the gas off (if it’s a gas oven).
2. Pull the door up and then out to remove it. If it can’t be moved, unscrew anything keeping the hinges secure in the oven.
3. Inspect the hinges and replace them if necessary.
4. Assess whether the door springs are broken by pulling out the bottom drawer and looking under the oven.
5. If any springs are broken, remove them with pliers. The ends will be wrapped around two bolts; be sure to replace them in this same way.
6. Replace the oven door gasket.
7. In the instance that the oven door doesn’t shut, the sensor may need replacing.

The Temperature Isn’t Accurate

Occasionally, an oven won’t heat correctly, which may suggest there is an issue with the heating element or temperature sensor. In order to amend this, you might:

1. Check the sensor isn’t touching the oven’s wall.
2. Check the sensor’s functionality using an ohmmeter; as the temperature increases, the resistance should, too. If the sensor isn’t working, it will need replacing.
3. If the temperature sensor doesn’t seem to be the problem, it could be the gas igniter (if you have a gas oven).
4. After any replacements, recalibrate the oven.
5. Heat the oven to 350°F and check the oven’s temperature using an oven thermometer after 20 minutes. Continue to do this every 20 minutes for the following 90 minutes/two hours.
6. Add up the readings and divide by the number of readings taken for the average temperature.
7. Adjust the temperature dial accordingly.

It’s Not Heating Up

Typically, if an oven isn’t heating up, it’s usually because of a broken heating element (for a gas oven) or heating element (for an electric oven). Therefore, you may be looking to replace either the heating element or igniter, you can do so by:

1. Switching off the power
2. Removing the broken heating element or igniter from inside the oven
3. Removing the storage drawer or broiler to reach the igniter
4. Contacting a repair person if the heating element is hidden

Unfortunately, when an oven isn’t heating up at all, it often requires the attention of a professional.

The Range Burner Won’t Heat

With electric stoves, the range burners obviously require electricity to heat up. Therefore, these elements can sometimes malfunction, meaning they need to be replaced. If one of your burners won’t heat, try the following:

1. Unplug the broken burner from its socket and plug it into a working one.
2. The original one can then be replaced if the working one heats up.
3. The socket may require replacement if the working one doesn’t heat up.
4. If a socket replacement doesn’t solve the issue, the infinite switch may need replacing.