There are several things that can make your oven not heat up. From faulty components to connection problems, let us talk about why your oven does not reach the desired temperature, how you may troubleshoot it, and why you may need professional help.
Why is my gas oven not heating up?
Possible reasons for a gas oven not heating
Electrical connection
Even though your oven uses gas for heating, it probably uses electricity to turn on the flame and electronic components to measure and control the temperature. An issue in this area will not allow your oven to heat up properly or even turn on at all.
Gas connection
One of the most important parts of your oven is a proper gas supply. There may be an issue with the gas pipe: whether it is obstructed or closed off, if gas won’t flow to your burner, your oven will not heat up.
Dirty gas ignitor
The gas ignitor lights up the outcoming gas from the burner, essentially turning on the oven flame. A dirty gas ignitor may have trouble lighting up properly.
Faulty thermostat
The thermostat helps regulate the oven’s temperature. If the thermostat is not working properly, your oven will not reach its desired temperature.
Faulty temperature sensor
The temperature sensor measures the temperature inside your oven; that measurement is used by the control system to keep your oven’s temperature around the desired value. If your sensor is badly positioned or broken, the oven will not be able to reach the desired temperature configuration.
Troubleshooting steps for gas ovens
Check the electrical connection
First, check if your circuit breaker is on. With the breaker on, try turning on your oven. If this trips the breaker, there is an electrical issue with your oven, or you may have too many things connected to the same breaker line.
With that out of the way, try turning on the oven. If you don’t see or hear an electric arc, this means that your oven is not receiving electricity and you should call for a professional.
Check the gas connection
The gas connection is a pipe branch that hooks to the back of your oven. Check if the gas valve on the pipe is on. If it is, and your oven still does not turn on, consider calling a licensed professional.
Clean your gas ignitor
Check the gas ignitor and see if it is obstructed or faulty. If obstructed, try cleaning it gently; follow the care instructions provided by the oven manufacturer. After that, try turning on your oven. If your oven does not turn on, check with a professional.
Check the temperature control system
To test the thermostat, you will need a different thermometer from the one hooked to your oven.
Preheat your oven for 15 minutes with the thermometer in it. Then, carefully check the temperature indicated by your thermometer against the temperature you set on the oven thermometer. If one is too different from the other, the thermometer needs to be checked.
On the other hand, your thermometer may be working properly, but the temperature sensor may be broken or misplaced. If the sensor has been bumped, try putting it in its correct position. If the temperature is still not correct, call a professional.
Why is my electric oven not heating up?
Common issues with electric ovens that prevent heating
Broken or faulty temperature sensor
Temperature sensors are essential for your oven to work properly. If the sensor is broken or faulty, your oven’s control system will not be able to register and control temperature effectively.
Broken heating element
Heating elements convert electric energy into thermal energy. In other words, they take the electric current and use it to generate heat.
If the heating element is broken, the electric current will not be able to pass through it appropriately, and heat will not be generated.
Burnt out thermostat or selector switch
These elements provide the reference signal for your oven’s control system. That is, they set your oven’s temperature. So, if your oven’s temperature selector is broken, the oven will not have the required temperature reference and will not be able to heat properly.
Improperly calibrated oven
By design, some ovens reach slightly different temperatures than the one that has been set on the thermostat. Normally, that is not a problem.
However, if you notice that your oven is not reaching the desired temperature, you may need to calibrate it: Check the oven’s temperature with a thermometer and adjust the thermostat accordingly.
Essential parts to inspect in electric ovens
Oven door seal
The oven door seal helps insulate the inside of the oven from the outside, maintaining the desired temperature.
Check for cracks, tears or wear. Additionally, while the oven is turned on, check around the oven’s door for heat escaping.
Heating elements
In general, the heating elements are located on the top and the bottom of the oven. Take a look at them and check for cracks, rust buildup or discoloration.
Control board
The control board is the brain of your electric oven. A faulty control board will not be able to read and set your oven’s temperature correctly.
When taking a look at it, check for burning or arcing signs and irregularities in general.
Wiring
Check the wires that connect the various components of your oven. See that they are not broken or frayed.
Fuses/breakers
If your oven does not turn on, the problem may be a fuse or a breaker. Check if the corresponding fuse needs replacing or if the breaker has been tripped.
How to tell if your oven is not heating properly
Signs your oven is malfunctioning
Undercooked food
Ovens provide specific temperatures that allow food to be baked just the way you want.
If your oven is not heating up properly, then food will tend to be undercooked, which can sometimes ruin your dish or even be a health hazard.
Longer cooking times
When cooking, especially when following a recipe, food tends to take the same amount of time each time it is made.
When this is no longer true and food needs to be kept in the oven for longer periods, there is probably an issue with the oven.
Odd smells coming from the oven
Gas companies add special chemicals to the cooking gas that make it smell odd, sometimes like rotten eggs.
If you constantly catch this smell in your kitchen, especially when using the oven, close the gas valve and check the gas pipe immediately.
Electrical oven glitches
If you are changing the configuration of your electrical oven and it does not respond, chances are there is an electrical problem.
How to check if your oven’s heating elements are working
Check the heating elements’ color change
First, locate the heating elements; they are generally located at the top and bottom of the oven. Then, turn on the oven and wait a few moments for it to build up heat.
After a while, if they are working properly, the heating elements should start glowing red. If not, you may need to do other tests.
Feel the heat coming out from the oven
Caution! Do not touch the heating element directly to avoid possible burning injuries.
Once the oven is turned on, feel the air coming out from the oven. As simple as it seems, this test should be enough for a well-working heating element, given that it should start heating the air inside the oven fairly quickly.
Use a thermometer
Set your oven temperature to 350 °F, for example, and let it preheat for 15 minutes. Position your thermometer or thermometer’s probe in the middle of the oven, away from the heating elements, and inspect the thermometer reading.
Depending on the difference between the set temperature and the measured temperature, you can recalibrate your oven or, if the difference is too much, you may consider calling a technician.
Test for continuity and resistance
First, unplug the oven and find the heating elements in it, generally positioned at the top and bottom of the oven.
Then, find the terminals of the heating elements. A heating element is one continuous resistor, so you can test for continuity and measure its resistance across its terminals using a multimeter.
Find the heating element’s terminals, select continuity or resistance in the multimeter and measure. If the heating element is not broken, the multimeter should indicate continuity and resistance readings from 10 to 75 ohms.
Could your oven’s thermostat be the problem?
How a faulty thermostat might cause inconsistent heating
Inconsistent temperature readings
The thermostat’s job is to regulate the temperature in your oven. If it is not working correctly, the oven display will indicate a temperature, but the real temperature inside it will be off.
Cooking delays or overcooked food
If you set the temperature, but the thermostat is faulty, the real temperature inside the oven will differ from the one you set.
That means that your food will not be cooked properly: It will be underdone or overcooked.
Error codes on display
Modern ovens include digital displays that let the user know when there is a problem. Even if the message is not comprised of words, you should check the oven manual and look for a possible code in your oven display.
Oven won’t preheat properly
A faulty thermostat will not allow your oven to reach the desired temperature in time. Even if the temperature is reached, a broken thermostat most likely will cause the oven to take longer to heat up.
Steps for troubleshooting and testing your oven’s thermostat
- First, you must disconnect your oven. This is an extremely important step in order to avoid electric shock.
- Then, you need to gain access to the thermostat. In most ovens, this means that you need to remove the top and front panel of your oven.
- After gaining access to the thermometer, disconnect it from its wires.
- Grab a multimeter and set it in the continuity measurement configuration.
- Probe the thermostat’s terminals, with each multimeter probe in one of the terminals.
- When the thermostat is set to ‘off’, there should be no continuity reading.
- Turn the knob. If the multimeter indicates continuity, then the thermostat is fine.
When to call in the professionals for oven repair
Signs that the problem requires expert attention
Smell of gas
Gas smell indicates that there is a leak somewhere. This can be highly dangerous. In order to avoid fires or injuries, you should close the gas valve immediately and call for a professional.
Electrical issues
Electricity must be handled with caution. If your oven makes weird electrical noises or trips your breaker, for instance, disconnect it, call a professional, and avoid further problems.
Smoke or burning smell
Smoke or burning smell might be signs of something unexpected heating up. In these cases, it is best to call a technician to check out this kind of problem.
The oven won’t turn on
If you have already troubleshooted your oven and it still does not turn on, you should call an expert.
Why professional repair is often the best solution
Household appliances, ovens in particular, contain several key components. These components must be handled appropriately and with caution in order to avoid damage or injuries. That is why, most of the time, it is better to call a professional.
Additionally, the knowledge and experience of a certified technician will make any repair necessary faster and more reliable.
Conclusion
Even though gas ovens and electric ovens are different, their malfunctions can be pretty similar.
There are several reasons why your oven might not be heating up properly and some other things to take into account when troubleshooting.
Sometimes it’s easy to fix your oven, but most of the time, it will require professional experience.
In OX Services, we offer you the most experienced and capable professionals your household appliances need.