We’ve all been there, you set the oven to 350°F but your cookies come out either burnt and hard or undercooked and mushy. Oven temperature issues can turn a simple baking session into a frustrating ordeal. Whether you’re dealing with inconsistent heating or an oven that just won’t reach the desired temperature, knowing how to troubleshoot or at least understand what may be broken will help you feel way more confident in the kitchen.
Common Oven Temperature Problems
Oven temperature issues can disrupt your baking and cooking. Let's talk about some common problems that might affect your oven's performance.
Oven Not Heating
When an oven doesn't heat, the most common reason is there is an issue with the heating element or igniter. Electric ovens have their bake element at the bottom and a broil element at the top. If either element fails, it prevents proper heating. For gas ovens, if the igniter doesn't glow hot enough the oven won't signal to release the gas for it to ignite, the igniter will need to be replaced.
Heating Element: Check for visible signs of damage like breaks or burn marks on electric elements.
Igniter: For gas ovens, observe whether it glows but doesn’t ignite the gas, this indicates it's weak.
Thermostat: Listen to the oven clock area for clicks when set; if no clicks it could mean you have a faulty thermostat.
Oven Overheating
An overheating oven may ruin dishes by burning them or having just the outside of the dish cooked while the inside is still raw. This issue usually arises from a malfunctioning thermostat or temperature sensor, also known as a thermistor.
Temperature Sensor: Ensure it's well-positioned inside the oven, make sure it didn't fall and if it is leaning on the wall of the oven. Also, check if the sensor is dirty with old oil, this can have a big impact on detecting accurate temperature within the oven.
Thermostat Calibration: Use an oven thermometer to check if the set oven temperatures match your thermometer.
Control Board Issues: Is there an error code displayed, this could indicate that the control board needs to be repaired or sometimes replaced.
At Appliance Doc we take the headache away from you having to learn and test what could be wrong with your oven. We are happy to help you with your problematic oven, see all we offer here.
Inconsistent Temperature
Each brand and model is different but ovens usually work by keeping to a range of temperature. If your oven is set to 350°F, it is normal for the oven to heat up to 365°F and on the low end, it can go down to 335°F. Inconsistent temperature is when the temperature goes out of the normal range either staying too hot or not getting hot enough. Here are a couple of common causes of this.
Door Seal Integrity: A compromised seal lets heat escape, causing drops in your oven's temperature; look for ripes or if the seal is not fastened to the door frame properly.
Faulty Bake/Broil Elements: Broken elements cause irregular heating patterns affecting consistent temperature. Check for breaks or burns, if you have a continuity tester you can check the continuity of the element.
Diagnosing the Issue
Using your new knowledge, identify the issue and think of all the possible causes. Here, we'll do a deep dive into specific diagnostic methods. Hopefully, this can help otherwise be sure to contact Appliance Doc.
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