If your oven goes out, you have just entered a nightmare. If you own a stovetop then half of your cooking ability has just gone down the drain. But, hope is not lost. You can repair your oven. You don’t have to call in a repair person to do it for your either. It is easier than you think.
If you own an electric oven, then you will need to follow these steps.
For a power failure altogether, where your oven is just not doing any heating, then the first thing is to check the fuse to see if it is blown or if there is a burnt out element. If you have a clock on your oven, then that is your first indicator that the oven is just not receiving the power it needs to heat. Go to your circuit breaker box which is the same thing as the fuse box and check to see if one of the breakers is tripped to off. If this does not fix the problem, then make sure the fuse is flipped to off to make sure that there is no power leading to the oven.
Next, since most older ovens do have their own fuses, you will need to see if one is blown. They are usually located under the range top, back behind the oven itself, or in the space in the back of the oven. All you need to do is take a look at these and see if any of these need replacing. To replace it, just make sure that you get the fuse with the same amperage as before. Some ovens even have their own circuit breaker with a reset button. You can find this on the oven near the controls. All you need to do is push it to reset it. If this does not work, then check the plug-in to the wall and make sure that your oven is plugged in all the way.
If your oven has power but is just not heating up the way it should, then you need to check the oven’s element. If it is glowing just a little bit all over or just partly glowing then of course your oven will not heat properly. It may be melted and have some areas that are damaged somewhat.
Make sure that there is no power coming from your breaker box to your oven so that you can remove and replace the element. It is not hard to remove the element as there is a bracket that holds to the back of the oven. Just unscrew it from the back and remove the wires from it. When replacing the new element that corresponds to your type of oven, just screw it back on in the reverse manner when you removed it. If you feel a little uneasy doing it, you can hire a handyman or take the oven to a repair store.
If you think that there is a problem with the thermostat, then that can be replaced too, but, that is a job that a professional repairman should handle.
If you own a gas oven, then the following instructions are for you.
Most gas oven have a burner that is located underneath the oven itself. This is because many ovens have a broiler underneath that the burner also heats. So, what you need to do is gain access to the burner. But, before all this, you need to make sure that the gas is turned off to your oven. You can find a knob handle in the gas line that is located behind the oven itself. Turn it off. Try lighting your oven after this, if there is no ignition, then you have successfully turned the gas off to your oven.
Once you gain access to the burner, all you need to do is clean the burner holes. A dirty burner is the main reason why you will have an oven heating poorly(if there is no gas at all, you may want to check to see if you paid your gas bill).
To clean the burner, use a small brush with some soapy water. Warm water will work just fine. Clean off any grime on the surface of the burner. Now, use the end of a paper clip to poke out any dirt in the gas holes of the burner. Do this twice to make sure the burner is clean.
Turn on your gas after cleaning up your mess and try lighting your oven.
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