Oven not heating? Gas and electric checks
By the technicians at Maximum Appliance Repair. Updated
First, a rule: if you smell gas, don't try anything. Leave the house and call your gas company from outside. Otherwise, start with the checks for your oven type.
Safety first: unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before you open panels, and shut off gas or water if you'll be near those lines.
1. Check the settings and locks
A delay-start time, a Sabbath mode, or a control lock can stop the oven from heating. Clear the timer, and check the manual for how your model shows these modes.
2. Check the breaker (electric)
Electric ovens and ranges use a double breaker. If one half trips, the display and lights may work while the oven barely heats. Switch the breaker fully off and back on.
3. Look at the bake element (electric)
Set the oven to Bake at 350°F. Within a minute or two, the lower element should glow red. Blisters, cracks or a dark section that never glows mean the element has failed. If the oven has a hidden element under the floor, you won't see it glow.
4. Watch the igniter (gas)
Set the oven to Bake and look through the slot in the oven floor. The igniter should glow bright orange and the burner should light within about 90 seconds. A dim igniter that glows but never lights the burner is weak, the most common gas oven failure.
5. Check the gas supply (gas)
If the cooktop burners light, gas is reaching the range. If nothing lights, check that the gas valve behind the range is open.
6. Test the temperature
If the oven heats but bakes slow, put an oven thermometer in the center and preheat to 350°F. Many ovens let you adjust the calibration by about 30 to 35°F in the settings; check your manual. A difference larger than that points to a sensor or control.
When to call a technician
Call us if the element or igniter looks bad, if the oven doesn't heat at all with the breaker and settings checked, or if the temperature is far off. Gas valves, igniters, sensors and control boards are technician jobs, and gas work should always be done by a pro.
Questions
Why does my gas oven take so long to light?
A gas oven igniter has to draw enough current to open the gas valve. As igniters age, they glow but draw less current, so the burner lights late or not at all. Replacing the igniter usually fixes it.
Why is my oven not heating but the stovetop works?
On a gas range, the oven has its own igniter and valve, which can fail while the top burners work. On an electric range, the bake or broil element, a sensor or a relay on the control board can fail without affecting the cooktop.