An oven that won't heat usually points to one of four things: a burned-out bake element (electric), a weak igniter (gas), a failed temperature sensor, or — on the worst day — a bad control board. The first three are easy to check yourself in 20 minutes.
Most oven symptoms get diagnosed and fixed on the first visit. Flat $179 diagnostic — fully waived when you approve the repair.
Step-by-step
Set the oven to bake at 350°F. After 15 minutes, open the door — you should feel strong heat and the bake element (electric) should glow red, or the burner (gas) should be lit. Check the oven temp with an oven thermometer if you have one.
Electric ovens use a 240V double-pole breaker. If only one leg trips, the cooktop and lights still work but the oven won't heat. Flip the breaker fully off, wait 10 seconds, flip on. If it trips again immediately, stop and call a tech — there's a short.
Pull the bottom rack. The bake element is the visible coil at the bottom of the oven. Look for blisters, breaks, or burned-out spots. Visible damage = replace it ($45–$95 part, 15-minute swap with two screws and two wires).
Set to bake. The igniter (a small ceramic rod near the gas burner) should glow bright orange within 30–60 seconds and then the gas should ignite. If it glows but stays glowing without lighting = weak igniter, replace it. If it doesn't glow at all = igniter is open or no power to it.
The sensor is a small probe sticking into the upper rear of the oven cavity. Pull the oven out, disconnect the sensor at the back, and ohm it out — should read ~1100Ω at room temperature. Way off = bad sensor (~$35 part).
If the oven worked fine before a self-clean cycle and stopped after, you blew the thermal fuse. It's a $15 part on the back of the oven. Self-clean is also brutal on control boards — never run it the day before Thanksgiving.
Stop and call
Safety + model triggers
Gas oven and you smell gas at the front, sides, or back.
Leave the house, ventilate, call your gas utility FIRST. Do not flip switches or test the igniter.
Breaker trips immediately when you turn it back on.
Direct short in the element, wiring, or terminal block — will damage the panel if you keep flipping it.
You see arcing, sparks, or scorch marks at the bake or broil element terminals.
Burned-through terminal block — high risk of cabinet fire on next use.
Wall oven, double oven, or pro-style range (Wolf, Thermador, Viking, Miele, Sub-Zero, Monogram).
Built-ins use proprietary boards and require special pull-out tools — DIY pulls damage cabinetry.
Other reasons to call
FAQs
Each function uses a separate element. If bake works but broil doesn't, the broil element is open. Visible damage usually confirms it — replacement is two screws and two wires.
9 times out of 10 it's a weak igniter — it glows hot enough to satisfy the safety circuit but not hot enough to open the gas valve. Easy 30-minute swap with the right part.
Bake element: $189–$280 all-in. Gas igniter: $260–$340. Temperature sensor: $220–$300. Control board: $450–$750. Our flat $179 diagnostic for built-ins ($129 standard) is waived when you approve the repair.
Sparingly. Self-clean spikes oven temps to 900°F and stresses elements, sensors, and control boards. Spot-clean with a paste of baking soda and water instead, and reserve self-clean for once a year max.
The temperature sensor is drifting or the control board needs recalibration. Check with an oven thermometer. Most ovens have a calibration offset in the menu (±35°F typically).
Related service
Pro-style ranges, wall ovens, induction cooktops, gas cooktops — we diagnose and repair every configuration on the same visit when possible. Same-day windows across the Twin Cities, Central MN, and Western Wisconsin.
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