Installing New Wiring in Your Home

What Might Be Wrong When an Electric Oven Stops Working

21 February 2018 by June Alvarez

If your home's electric oven or stovetop starts to malfunction, you may not actually need to outright replace it. Very often, there are some quick fixes you might try, or some simple replacements that can get this appliance working again. Note a few troubleshooting tips and suggestions for when your home's electric oven or stovetop is not operational or begins to act up in any way.

One burner doesn't work

If one burner doesn't work, you might note if the actual heating coil of the burner itself is broken. Slide the malfunctioning coil out of the element that it plugs into, and slide it into another burner's element. If it still doesn't get warm, then the heating coil itself may need replacing. If the heating coil does work in another burner element, then the malfunctioning burner element needs replacing. You can buy or order new heating coils yourself, and a broken burner element is usually a quick fix that an oven repair contractor can manage very easily.

The oven doesn't heat properly

As with the stovetop, the heating coil inside the oven might be damaged and need replacing. This often happens if food drips onto the coil during baking, causing it to crack. You can visually inspect the coil for any such damage, and replace it as needed.

If the oven gets warm but not warm enough, the thermostat inside the oven may need replacing. You might also check the gasket around the oven door; if it's loose, cracked, or otherwise damaged, it might be letting out heat so that the oven cannot stay warm. The hinges to the door may also be damaged, allowing the door to lean slightly and then let out heat. If you notice that the kitchen seems overly warm when you're using the oven, this usually indicates that the gasket or hinges need repair or replacing so that the oven door will stay tightly closed.

Nothing works

Usually if an oven doesn't get warm and the stovetop burners also fail to work, this signals a problem with the oven getting power. Note if the light inside the oven and any indicator lights on the front of the stovetop are still functioning; if so, the oven is getting power, but may need new wiring so that the heating elements are functional. However, if those lights don't work, this usually means that the oven is not getting any power, and you might need to test the wiring of the outlet into which the oven is plugged. If that plug is malfunctioning, it needs repair, not the oven.

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