Oven Maintenance Checklist

If your oven is not heating properly there are three things you need to check:

1)    Electricity supply—make sure that there is not a problem with your outlet. You can check this by using a volt meter to make sure that electricity is flowing to your oven/stove
2)    Controls—you can check the oven controls using a volt meter—that is if the oven is “hot” and by that we mean has electricity running through it. If not you can use an ohm meter to check the circuitry without electricity (and if you’re a novice do-it-yourselfer we’d recommend this way)
3)    Heating element—the most likely and easiest to repair/replace if there is a problem.

To check your electrical supply, use a volt-meter and remember to be careful! Most ovens require 240 volts of  electricity to power them and the volt meter will give you a readout of your outlets output.

If that checks out ok, then the next step is to check the controls.

To do that, unplug the oven and use an ohm meter. This device checks the circuitry of the wires supplying power to your oven top controls without electricity running through the appliance. If there’s a short circuit, the ohm meter will read “1.0”.  If there’s not a problem, the ohm meter will read “0.1” and you will know you have a good circuit.

Finally, check the heating element. There are two prongs on the back of the oven where the heating element wires attach. Again, using the ohm meter with the oven’s power off, remove the wires from the heating element. Then put the red and black wires of the ohm meter on the two prongs and check that circuit.

If that’s your problem, then simply write down your oven’s model number (to match the right part) and call your neighborhood home center or appliance dealer for a replacement part. And the best news is that the heating element is simple to change. Just take out the mounting screws inside the oven, and it simply slides out. Plug in the new heating element, reattach the wires, plug the appliance back in and voila’! you’re back in business.