So, you’re having trouble with your oven. There are some common oven problems that you can try to troubleshoot yourself when your oven is not working properly. Whether the problem is your oven not heating, oven not turning on, or your oven is not working in general, we’ve got suggestions for you.
Troubleshooting Common Oven Problems
Look through the common oven problems below and see our tips for troubleshooting and resolving the problem.
Oven Not Heating
The most common cause of an oven not heating is a defective igniter. The igniter draws electrical current through the oven safety valve to ignite it. If the igniter is too weak, it won’t open the valve correctly and will fail to ignite the gas in the oven burner. To see if the igniter is defective, observe the igniter when the oven is on. If the igniter glows for about 2 minutes without igniting the gas flame, the igniter is likely too weak to open the valve and needs to be replaced.
Another common cause for an oven not heating is having one of the wires that supplies power to the oven element burn out; it is common for these wires to burn out near the heat source. Inspect the wires leading to the oven element or igniter. If you determine the wire is fried, replace it. If you don’t see anything visibly burnt, check to make sure the wires are not loose and causing interruption to the flow of power to the oven element.
Oven Temperature Not Accurate
A common oven problem is the oven not maintaining proper temperature, or not getting to the correct temperature you have set it too. A defective igniter can cause this problem. As the igniter weakens over time, it takes longer to open the gas safety valve. When this happens, there is a longer span before the burner reignites, attempting to heat the oven to maintain accurate temperature.
Consequently, the oven temperature will drop too low before the burner is lit again. The oven temperature should not drop more than 40 degrees F. before the igniter relights the burner. If you are detecting too much temperature fluctuation, you may need to replace the igniter.
The oven sensor is another common culprit to the oven temperature not regulating. On some oven models, you can recalibrate the oven control up to 35 degrees F.- refer to the owner’s manual for instructions on how to recalibrate the oven control. Otherwise, you may need a licensed technician to determine if the oven sensor is failing.
Oven Not Self-Cleaning
If you discover the self-cleaning feature of your oven not working, the oven control board may be defective. The oven control board has relays that send voltage to the bake/broil circuits based on sensor input. If you have a faulty oven control board, the heating components will not get the voltage they need to activate.
Oven Won’t Turn On
Again, that pesky igniter. The igniter is the most commonly defective component of an oven that won’t turn on. See above “Oven Not Heating” for more details about checking the igniter.
Another common cause of an oven not working is loose or burnt wires. The wires that supply power to the oven element or igniter sometimes burn out near the heat source. Check the wires leading to the element or igniter. The will wire usually be visibly burnt if the wire is indeed burned out. If this is the case, the wires need to be replaced.
Stove Burner Won’t Light
One of the most common oven problems is a stove burner that won’t light properly. The spark modules, spark electrodes, and spark wires all work together and are responsible for the burners lighting. First check the spark electrode and spark wire. If both of those are in working order, then check the spark module. If the burner produces a weak spark, or sparks intermittently, the spark module may need to be replaced.
If you have one range burner that isn’t working, but the other burners are working and sparking properly, your failed burner likely has a defective spark ignition switch. Use a multimeter to test the switch for continuity, and if the switch doesn’t have continuity at all settings, replace it.
