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Q: Something is wrong with my oven. The last time I used it, the food didn’t cook properly. The center of my casserole was still cold when I took it out. I’d rather not pay to have it serviced, so I’m hoping for a DIY fix. Can you help?
A : A malfunctioning oven is genuinely a mealtime nightmare ! And who can blame you for not want to crush out between $ 150 and $ 350 for an gizmo repair technician to unsex it ? While you may ultimately need to bring in a professional , we can help you trouble-shoot some common reasons an electric or gas oven may not be heating properly . Justdon’tundertake any repairs that demand substitute constituent if your oven is still under warranty , as doing so is take a hop to void the warranty .
Grab your owner ’s manual of arms ( you should be able to bump it online if you do n’t have the hard transcript ) . Let ’s get to work .
If an electric oven is completely dead, check the breaker.
oven pull a lot of electricity for cook and baking , and something as dim-witted as a power surge could cause the breaker to slip . Locate your plate ’s service gore and depend for a breaker labeled “ Oven . ” If the breaker has touch off , the switch will be halfway between the “ On ” and “ Off ” positions . To reset the breaker , agitate the permutation to “ Off ” and then back to “ On . ” This should fix the trouble , butif the ledgeman trips again , call an electrician — you may necessitate to have another electrical circuit or breaker installed .
Check the position of the oven and stove knobs.
If an oven - range combo has manual knob instead of a touchscreen , and if you lately absent the thickening while cleaning , there ’s a estimable chance they were put back wrong . Check to check that each pommel is in its right piazza . Consult your proprietor ’s manual of arms if you ’re unsure . Sometimes the fix is a simple as switching knobs to their designated spot .
If your oven has a self-cleaning feature, ensure the door lever is in the “Unlocked” position.
ego - cleanup ovensoften feature a lever that locks the door during the cleaning summons . If the lever tumbler is in the “ Locked ” position , it could be keeping the oven door from close totally , which would allow hot aura to escape and slow down the cooking process .
Use a thermometer to determine the oven’s accurate temperature.
Even new oven can be more or less off the set temperature . To find out if this is the case with yours , put an oven thermometer , such as theKT THERMO , in middle of the center rack . become the temperature to 300 degree Fahrenheit and check the thermometer in 10 to 15 moment , when the oven is fully het . Perform the same examination at 350 , 400 , and 450 degrees Fahrenheit . If the thermometer consistently take low , by , say , 25 degrees , on each test , it might be your oven just cooks at a lower than indicate temperature . If this is the typesetter’s case , try out compensating by limit the oven 25 degrees higher than your formula calls for to falsify at the right temperature .
Check the temperature sensor.
Both gas and electric ovens feature a temperature sensor : a sparse thermionic vacuum tube a few inches long , settle at the upper back of the oven . If the sensor was unknowingly demote during cooking or cleaning and is now extend to the paries of the oven , it will result in erratic cooking temps . If this has pass , gently bend the sensor out from the wall . If this does n’t solve the problem , the sensor itself could be incorrect . substitute a detector is not a difficult task . You ’ll pay $ 15 to $ 25 for a new sensor , which you may regularize from the manufacturer ’s website , and your proprietor ’s manual of arms will have instructions for slay the faulty part and set up a newfangled one .
Consider replacing an electric oven’s heating element.
As long as your oven is past its warranty , you should n’t let this repair restrain you — you do n’t have to be an lineman to replace a heating element . First , test the heating plant constituent , which is the curved rod along the bottom of the oven ( some ovens also have a heating element on top , which is used to broil ) . become the oven on to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and , as it heat up up , keep the element . If the rod does n’t jump to beam red , it should be replaced .
you may order a replacement element from the manufacturer for between $ 20 to $ 50 , depending on make and model . The heating plant element hack into the back of the oven and is ordinarily held in shoes with a couple of screws . confab your owner ’s manual of arms for educational activity on how to get rid of and replace the faulty element . reverse off the powerfulness to the oven ( swap the breaker to “ Off ” ) before performing this fix .
Clean the igniter on a gas stove.
If the stove ’s burner total on but the oven is not heating , the problem could be a dirty or incorrect ignitor . confab your manual to shape the location of the igniter , which often resembles a one- to two - inch metallic element module covered with an open - storage-battery grid metallic element cage . The igniter may be seeable in the oven , or you may have to hit the bottom oven panel to get at it .
Call a technician at this point if you do n’t finger comfortable with the next steps : If you opt to houseclean it , turn off the natural gas to the oven before you begin . Use a toothbrush to remove gunk and detritus from the igniter , then unclog the pilot light hole with a stitching needle . If this does n’t fix the job , the igniter should be replace — and that’sdefinitelya occupation for a qualified technician .
Consult the owner’s manual if a digital oven is displaying error codes.
mistake codes are a compounding of alphabetic character and number , and each code relates to a specific issue . If the oven is not heating correctly and an computer error code seem in the LED show , the code is a clue to what ’s fit on . The code could signalise anything from a wrong push to a defective control board . Your manual of arms will explain what the code means , and the steps ask to correct the problem .
Contact an appliance technician.
If the troubleshooting and repairs suggested above fail , your oven may have blown an interior fuse , may call for to be professionally recalibrated to ignite right or could have a faulty relay switch or a damage controller table . In these instances , a professional technician will have to service the appliance . reach the manufacturing business or the store that sold you the oven to hire the right repairperson .
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Photo: Tom Fenenga for Bob Vila
Photo: Tom Fenenga for Bob Vila
Photo: Tom Fenenga for Bob Vila
Photo: Tom Fenenga for Bob Vila
