You set the oven to 375, the display counts up, and twenty minutes later the inside is barely warm. An oven that won't heat almost always comes down to the heat source itself or to the part that decides whether to turn it on. Which parts are involved depends on whether you cook with gas or electricity, and a few causes have nothing to do with a broken part at all.
Check the simple things first
Before you assume something has failed, rule out the settings:
- Has the clock been set since the last power outage? On many ovens, after the power goes out the display flashes and the oven won't start a bake until the time is set. After a summer thunderstorm or a winter ice storm knocks out the power, this is the first thing to check.
- Is a delay start or timed cook programmed? The oven may be waiting to start.
- Is the control lock or Sabbath mode on? Either can stop the oven responding normally. The owner's manual shows how to turn them off.
- Is the breaker fully on? An electric oven needs both legs of its double breaker. If one has tripped, the clock and lights can work while the elements stay cold. Switch the breaker fully off, then on.
Electric ovens
An electric oven has a bake element at the bottom and a broil element at the top. Some newer models hide the bake element under a smooth oven floor, and convection models add a third element around the rear fan.
Set the oven to bake and, after a couple of minutes, look at the bottom element (if it's visible). It should glow orange. Then try broil and check the top element.
- Broil works, bake doesn't: the bake element has probably failed. Look for a blister, a split or a spot where the coil looks burned through.
- Neither element heats: look at power supply, the relays on the control board, a thermal fuse, or the temperature sensor.
- Heats, but slowly or unevenly: one element may be dead while the other carries the load, or the convection fan may not be running.
Many visible bake elements are held in by two screws at the back wall and come forward on their wires. Replacing one is a reasonable job for a careful homeowner with the breaker switched off, using the part that matches the model number. A hidden element is another matter; reaching it usually means removing the oven floor or rear panel, and that's work for a technician.
Gas ovens
Most gas ovens built in the last few decades use a hot surface igniter, sometimes called a glow bar, to light the bake burner. The igniter does two jobs. It gets hot enough to light the gas, and it draws electrical current through a safety valve. Only when the current is strong enough does the valve open to let gas flow.
That's why the most familiar gas oven failure is an igniter that glows but no flame follows. An igniter wears out gradually. It still glows orange, but it no longer draws enough current to open the valve, so the gas never comes. You may notice it's taking longer and longer for the oven to light before it stops lighting altogether.
To check:
- Confirm gas reaches the range. Do the cooktop burners light? Is the shutoff valve behind the range open? If gas service to the house was interrupted, it needs to be restored first.
- Remove the oven floor panel if your model allows it, set the oven to bake, and watch the igniter through the burner opening.
- No glow at all: the igniter, its wiring, or the control isn't powering it.
- Glows for a long time, no flame: likely a weak igniter.
- Lights with a loud whoomp or a delayed puff of flame: stop using the oven and have it inspected. Delayed ignition isn't something to keep living with.
Many gas ranges have a separate broil burner with its own igniter, so broil working while bake doesn't (or the other way round) narrows it down.
Don't disconnect the gas line, adjust the gas valve, or work on any gas fitting yourself. If you smell gas, leave the house and call your gas utility or 911 from outside. Don't use light switches, phones or anything that could spark on your way out.
After a self-clean cycle
A self-clean cycle runs the oven at very high temperatures for hours. If the oven stopped heating right after one, the heat may have tripped a thermal fuse, damaged a control board or left the door lock stuck. Let the oven cool completely. Don't force a locked door; turning the breaker off for a minute and back on can sometimes reset the lock, but if the door stays locked or the oven still won't heat, it needs a diagnosis.
Heats, but not to the right temperature
If the oven does heat but bakes noticeably hot or cool, look at the temperature sensor, the probe on the back wall of the oven cavity. A failing sensor can make the oven overshoot, undershoot, or stop with an error code. Many ovens also allow a small temperature adjustment through the control panel; the manual explains how. A sensor that's actually broken needs to be replaced.
When to call a technician
- The gas igniter glows but doesn't light the burner.
- Neither electric element heats even with the breaker fully on.
- The oven shows error codes or stopped working after a self-clean.
- You notice delayed ignition, scorch marks or a burning electrical smell.
A technician comes to the house, tests the elements or igniter, the sensor and the controls, explains what failed, and quotes the repair before any work starts. See our oven repair service for what we handle. If the problem is on the cooktop instead, see cooktop repair, and for freestanding units, range repair.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my gas oven take so long to light?
A slow-lighting gas oven usually has a weakening igniter. It takes longer to draw enough current to open the gas valve, and eventually it won't open the valve at all. It's a common wear item and worth replacing before it fails completely.
Can I replace an oven bake element myself?
On many electric ovens with a visible element, yes, with the breaker switched off and the correct part for your model number. If the element is hidden under the oven floor, or the oven still won't heat afterward, have it diagnosed.
My oven stopped working after a power outage. What should I do?
Set the clock first; many ovens won't run a bake until the time is set again. Then make sure the breaker is fully on. If the oven still won't heat, a power surge may have damaged the control board, which needs testing.
Is it safe to keep using an oven that heats unevenly?
Generally yes, though cooking results will suffer. Don't keep using a gas oven that lights with a bang or a delayed flame, or any oven with a burning electrical smell. Turn it off and book a diagnosis.