Your oven is like the fireplace of your kitchen. It’s like the centerpiece – it provides warmth to your kitchen, and acts as the heart and soul of all things cooking. You should be very concerned if anything malfunctions in your precious oven. If anything weird happens, you might then be curious about how ovens work and what exactly the cause of your oven’s dismay is. This high-level oven repair overview should give you a pretty good idea of why your oven is kaput.
Consider Your Heating Elements
Every standard electric oven has at least two heating elements inside: one element is located on the inside top of the oven while the other is on the inside bottom. Over time, these elements will, unfortunately, begin to weaken and eventually burn out as a result of regular use. Certain factors will make your oven’s heating elements burn out faster, however, like physical breaks.
Physical Breaks
As obvious as it seems, you’ll likely need some level of oven repair if you drop a heavy pan on a heating element, especially if the heating element is old. Most heating elements won’t operate properly, if at all if there are any deep scratches, nicks, or breaks on it.
Blistering
Blistering occurs when any food drips directly onto a heating element while the oven is operating. The metal on your heating elements will actually blister and bubble up, which will cause a break in the electrical continuity. Your heating elements are especially susceptible to this if they are old and the metal has consequently degraded. If this has occurred, then you’ll need to replace the heating element to fix the oven.
Your Igniter Could be the Culprit
Other electrical components may not be working in your oven and therefore preventing the element from turning on. One of these components could very well be the igniter. In other words, just because the element isn’t heating up or turning red doesn’t necessarily mean that the element is broken. In order to test for continuity and electrical flow, unscrew the screw that holds the heating element in place and pull it from the terminals at the back of the oven. If you happen to have a multimeter, you can use it by connecting one probe to either side of the terminal. However, since this can be dangerous, we suggest leaving this practice to the industry pros at Profix Appliance Service.
The Glass Door Phenomenon
Many oven users report a strange and seemingly novel reason for oven repair: oven glass doors exploding. Yes, true story. While exposure to extremely high heat can increase the chances of an oven explosion, this should not occur – it’s an oven, so of course it’s meant to be subjected to high temperatures. Apparently, any scratching or impacting of glass doors, cooktops and/or control panels can help increase any potential for glass breakage. Sometimes, the pressure built up inside the oven is too much for the glass divider to handle, and it will burst, leading you to call Profix Appliance Service about a seemingly novel oven repair issue. Although, due to the prevalence of the issue, perhaps it is not so novel.
Profix reminds you to use caution when operating your oven, to ensure that you’re putting safety above all else to avoid any broken appliances when you’re cooking with the heart and soul of your kitchen. Keep your oven clean, don’t leave it on longer than you need it to be, and hopefully you can avoid an oven repair situation.