How to Fix Your Electric Oven’s Heating Element

Imagine this: it’s Thanksgiving day; you’ve invited a dozen friends and family members over for turkey dinner; you’ve decorated and set the table the night before; all you’ve got left to do is put the turkey in the oven and wait for your guests to arrive. But then, when you turn the oven on, nothing happens.  There’s no heat. And your first thought is that there’s not going to be a turkey dinner either.

While this situation can quickly spell out a dinner disaster, most of the time, this problem is caused by a simple defective heating element, which can easily be swapped out by yourself or by one of our friendly appliance techs. So you can get back on track to have dinner ready on time!

Diagnosing Electric Ovens

Although most issues with an electric oven are relatively easy to resolve, diagnosing and finding the source of the issues isn’t always so easy.

For instance, one all-too-common cause for an oven that won’t heat yup properly is that a fuse or breaker has been tripped. This is especially common in older homes; however, if you’re experiencing a faulty electric oven, this is the first spot to check.

If your oven is, in fact, properly plugged into an active power source, your problem is probably being caused by a faulty heating element or an issue with the unit’s main controls.

At this point, it’s important only to continue to diagnose and repair your oven if you know what you’re doing. Not only could you void your oven’s warranty, but there’s a risk of personal injury as well.

Faulty Baking Heating Element

The next most likely culprit for an oven that won’t heat is a faulty element, which is a prevalent problem, and fortunately, is also fairly straightforward to resolve.

You’ll find your oven’s baking element located at the bottom of the oven, while most ovens will also have a broiling element located at the top of the oven. Therefore, before replacing anything, you’ll need to determine which of the two elements are malfunctioning.

You can test your baking heating element by turning your oven on and feeling to see if there’s any heat emanating from the element. Just be careful not to burn yourself. Even if the element isn’t heating to full capacity, it may still produce enough heat to serious burn you.

Alternatively, you can also test the element with a multimeter to see if there’s any voltage making its way to the element itself.

Problems With The Broiling Heating Element

Similar to your oven’s baking element, a burnt-out broiling element might be causing your heating deficiency. However, once you’ve determined which of your oven’s two elements aren’t working, you can easily obtain a new one from your local appliance parts supplier, and replace it by yourself.

Just make sure to purchase one that is designed for use with your specific make and model of oven.

What to Do If Neither Heating Elements Are Working

If neither of your two oven elements is working, but you’re sure that your oven is properly plugged into an active power source, you might be experiencing a fault with the unit’s controls, knobs, or switches, or you may have a faulty motherboard.