Common Electric Oven Problems And How To Fix Them

Just like any other machine, ovens are subject to wear and tear. This means that they will have issues from time to time. However, this does not mean that you have to shell out large amounts of cash to fix your oven. You can fix most of these issues yourself, but if you need dryer repair, look at Appliance Repairs Pittsburgh.  Below are the most common electric oven problems and how you can fix them.

 Oven Will Not Heat Up

The main reason an electric oven would not heat up is that it has a  problem with the heating element. This is the component that gets hot to warm the appliance’s interior when you switch it on. While this might sound like a complicated problem, it is something you can quickly fix on your own.

You first need to diagnose the oven to ascertain that the heating element is the actual cause. The best way to do this is by visually inspecting the said part. Electric commercial ovens have two heating elements. You need to check if both are glowing red after you preheat the oven.

If the heating elements are partially glowing or not glowing at all, you need to replace one or both of them. This is a reasonably simple procedure you can perform by yourself. With the correct replacement parts at hand and a screwdriver, unscrew the faulty heating element(s) and replace the heating element(s) and screw it back in place.

Oven Not Heating To The Correct Temperature

Sometimes you may find that your food takes longer than usual to cook or comes out of the oven burnt. This might be because the range does not reach the desired temperature level or surpass the set temperature levels. When this happens, it can be due to two reasons:

1. A problem with the oven’s thermostat

This is the device that monitors the internal temperature of the oven and switches off the heating element once the set temperature level is attained. When the thermostat is faulty, the heat monitoring process is not conducted correctly, and hence the oven gets too hot or doesn’t get hot enough. To fix the issue;

• Check if the thermostat is touching the internal walls of the oven.
• If it does, reposition it so that it does not come into contact with the walls.
• Power up the oven and use an oven thermometer to ascertain that the correct temperature level is attained. (You can quickly get an oven thermometer at your nearest supermarket for less than 8 dollars)
• If the correct temp levels are not attained, use an ohmmeter to check if the thermostat is in good working conditions.
• If not, get a new thermostat and replace the faulty one.

2. It may not be calibrated appropriately

Where you find that the thermostat is working correctly and it is not touching the inside walls of the oven, then you might not have appropriately calibrated the home appliance. To be sure that this is the issue, you need to take a few steps to ascertain the points within which to adjust the oven’s temperature dial. These steps include;

• Get an oven thermometer.
• Preheat the oven to 177 degrees celsius
• Take the oven’s temperature in twenty-minute intervals for the next two hours.
• Add up the temperature readings and divide the sum by the number of readings taken.
• Check how close the residual number is to 177
• The difference should be the number of points you should adjust the temperature dial, and the oven will be heating to the correct temperature.

Worn-Out Control Motherboard

You should be aware that electric appliances also have an “expiry” date. At some point, they may degrade due to the user interface or control motherboard wearing out. 

Although motherboards can be repaired by experts, the best remedy for this problem is to replace them with a new one.  

Oven Is Not Cooking Evenly

If you place some food in your oven and it comes out unevenly cooked, your appliance might be having an oven fan problem. This component distributes heat evenly around the range. Therefore, heat is not adequately distributed when it works correctly, resulting in unevenly cooked foods.

A quick solution for this issue is to replace the oven. You can do this by removing the faulty oven fan using a screwdriver. Make sure to note how each wire is connected carefully. Screw in the replacement fan and return the rear panel and oven door to their rightful place