Hot or Not: Common Oven Problems and How to Fix Them

In comparison to some appliances, ovens aren’t overly problematic. However, disaster does strike from time to time – and it’s usually at the most inconvenient hour.

Bearing the above in mind, we’re going to take a look at some of the most common issues that affect ovens. Sure, there are services such as Service Force oven repairs which can help out in advanced cases, but for the usual problems the following should provide the most assistance.

“It won’t get hot”

Unsurprisingly, this is one of the biggest problems you can have.

Like a lot of oven-related problems, we’ll split this one up into two parts. The first involves ones of the gas variety and on most occasions, the lack of heat will just be because your igniter is faulty. To find out if this is the case, simply try setting the temperature on the oven. If you don’t hear the usual “clicks” (followed by the famous whoosh), there’s a very high chance that this is because of a damaged igniter.

In the case of electric ovens, the problem is usually associated with the heating elements. This time you will just need to see if they are glowing properly and if they’re not, it’s a sure-fast sign that they need replacing.

“Food isn’t being cooked evenly”

This is probably one of the most frustrating problems that you can face. You spend hours following a recipe, only to find that one side of the dish is cooked to perfection while the other is completely raw.

The good part about this problem is that it doesn’t necessarily have to be due to the appliance itself. Sometimes, it’s just about finding out how to cook efficiently with your oven – and this might mean placing the racks in different locations. For some foods, this might mean placing them higher than others.

Of course, at times the reason will be due to the appliance. In these cases, once again you should check if the heating elements are working. Another possible cause could be that the temperature sensor has broken and may need replacing.

“Food is taking an age to cook”

If your food seems to take twice as long to get piping hot as what the recipe says, it’s an obvious cause for concern. Sure, some ovens are slightly different, but major discrepancies certainly shouldn’t occur.

There’s usually one part which is responsible for this, and it comes in the form of the temperature sensor. Most of the time it will be faulty, but there may also be occasions it is touching the wall of the oven and this can hinder its effectiveness. If it is the latter, the solution is simple and you merely have to make sure that it’s not touching the inside wall. If you determine that the part is damaged, you will have to purchase a new one and replace. Fortunately, this task is very simple and achievable for pretty much every Average Joe out there.