It’s a chilly Sunday afternoon. You’re gathering sugar, flour, butter, vanilla, eggs, and chocolate chips to make your favorite homemade cookies. As you go to load the batch of cookie dough scoops in the preheated oven, you realize it hasn’t warmed up at all. Or maybe it hasn’t warmed to the proper temperature. This is just one common problem that ovens can experience. While a malfunctioning oven is frustrating, there are several ways you can troubleshoot the problem and quickly solve it.
The Oven Won’t Heat
An oven that fails to heat is typically the result of a broken ignitor for a gas oven or a faulty heating element for an electric oven. Here’s how to replace the heating element or ignitor.
- First, turn off the power to your oven before repairing it.
- Locate the heating element inside the oven or the ignitor underneath the appliance.
- Use a screwdriver to remove the faulty igniter or heating element.
- Position the new ignitor or heating element in place, just like the old one.
Note: If your gas oven and gas burners are not working correctly, a professional repair technician will need to repair the gas line.
The Oven Won’t Heat to the Right Temperature
Most ovens have built-in indicators that let you know when it’s hot enough. However, irregularities are common. Plus, many oven thermometers are inaccurate.
Electric ovens with a digital display use a sensor to record oven temperature. However, this preheating sensor means that only the thermostat has reached the desired temperature. The rest of the oven takes more time to heat up.
Fortunately, there’s an easy solution for homeowners.
- For residential 30-inch ranges, we recommend a 30-minute preheat time.
- Higher-end products that have thicker steel doors and more insulation will require a 45-minute preheat time. However, thicker doors take longer to react.
- You may also want to get a freestanding thermometer to watch the accuracy of the oven’s temperature controls.
The Oven has a Burning Smell When it’s Cooking.
If you’re someone who uses their oven a lot, built-up grease and charred food is likely to accumulate and turn into carbon, creating a strong burning smell when your oven is on. Not cleaning those spills out of your oven can spoil your food and become a fire hazard not properly cleaned. To clean the inside of your oven, use hot water, a scrub pad, and a degreaser to wipe off any debris. This is a safer and more effective way to clean than your oven’s self-cleaning option.
The Interior Light is Out
Just like other light bulbs, your oven’s interior light will eventually go out. Fortunately, replacing it is a simple task.
- Remove the bulb cover by turning it counterclockwise.
- Replace the old bulb with the new one by gently turning it clockwise.
Oven Repair in Ogden
If your pizzas or baked goods aren’t coming out of the oven tasting like they should, it may be time to call a professional repair technician to help solve the problem. iFiX has the training, certifications, and skills necessary to work on all styles of gas and electric models. If you notice problems with your oven or your oven temperature sensor, contact iFiX today.
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2 Responses
I really appreciate your tips on how to replace an interior bulb that’s no longer functioning. My neighborhood baker wants to keep her baking tools in good condition. I’ll make sure he looks further into this information so his ovens can run smoothly.
I was trying to bake a pie this morning when I noticed a suspicious burning odor coming from the oven. Thank you for warning us that the smell is caused by grease and charred food building up inside and turning into carbon, so we need to deal with the issue immediately before it becomes a fire hazard. I’ll take note of this while I look for an appliance service to hire for repairs soon.