Oven & Stove Repair — Tips, Guides & Common Problems

Oven Not Heating — Gas vs. Electric Failures

The oven was preheating fine yesterday. Today it's been on for 30 minutes and the interior is barely warm. This problem looks the same from the outside whether you have a gas or electric range — but the root cause is completely different depending on your fuel type.

On an electric oven, the most common cause is a failed bake element — the curved metal heating rod at the bottom of the oven cavity. When it burns out, the oven won't reach temperature even though the control panel responds normally. You can often see the failure point: a visible break in the element, blistering, or a spot where the coating has melted. Replace the element and the oven is typically back to normal.

On a gas oven, the igniter is usually the culprit. The igniter draws current to glow hot enough to open the gas valve — a safety design that prevents raw gas from flowing if the igniter fails. When the igniter weakens with age, it can glow orange but never get hot enough to trigger the valve. You can see this in action by watching the oven ignition cycle: the igniter glows for 60–90 seconds and the burner never lights. Replacing the igniter usually solves it. If a new igniter doesn't fix the problem, the gas valve itself has failed — a less common but more involved repair.

Oven Temperature Running Off — More Common Than You'd Think

Your cookies burn on the bottom, your roast takes an hour longer than the recipe says, or your meat thermometer never agrees with the oven display. Temperature calibration problems affect a lot of ovens, and they're easy to misdiagnose as a cooking mistake when the real issue is a failing oven temperature sensor or thermostat.

The oven temperature sensor is a thin probe inside the oven cavity — usually visible in the upper back corner. It sends resistance signals to the control board, which uses those readings to regulate the heating element or gas valve. When the sensor drifts, the oven thinks it's at 350°F when it's actually at 300°F or 400°F. You can verify this with a basic oven thermometer from any kitchen store — if the displayed temperature and the thermometer reading differ by more than 25°F, the sensor is worth testing.

Some ovens allow manual temperature calibration through the settings menu — worth checking the manual before scheduling a repair. If the offset is consistent (always 30°F low, for example) and calibration is an option, it can resolve the problem without a service call.

Stove Burners That Won't Light or Stay Lit

A gas burner that clicks repeatedly but won't ignite is usually one of three things: a wet or dirty igniter, a clogged burner port, or a failed igniter module.

After cleaning up a spill, moisture can get into the igniter assembly and prevent it from sparking effectively. Let the stovetop dry completely — sometimes overnight — and try again. If the burner has been igniting inconsistently for a while, the ceramic igniter tip is likely coated with grease or food debris. Clean it carefully with a dry toothbrush or a toothpick. Don't use water — that's how you get the moisture problem.

Clogged burner ports are easy to miss. Each gas burner has small holes around its perimeter where gas flows out to be ignited. If even a few of these ports are blocked, the flame pattern becomes uneven or the burner won't light at all. Soak the burner cap in warm soapy water, then clear any blocked ports with a toothpick. Never use a knife or metal tool — you'll enlarge the hole and create a new problem.

If the igniter clicks but still won't light after cleaning, and the gas supply is confirmed on (other burners work), the igniter module for that specific burner has likely failed. This is a part that a technician can swap in about 30 minutes.

Self-Cleaning Cycle Problems

The self-cleaning cycle heats the oven to around 900°F to incinerate food residue. It's effective but hard on components — particularly the door latch motor, the temperature sensors, and the control board. Many ovens fail or throw error codes during or after a self-cleaning cycle precisely because of the extreme heat.

If your oven worked fine before a self-clean and stopped working after, the control board is the first thing to check. Heat stress can crack solder joints on the board that were already marginal. It's also common for the door latch mechanism to fail during the self-clean cycle, which locks the oven door in the closed position even after the oven cools.

For ovens with a history of problems, running the self-clean cycle less frequently — and never leaving the kitchen while it runs — reduces the risk of heat-related failures.