Electric Oven Not Heating Up? Maybe It’s The Thermostat

Your oven thermostat is the part of the appliance that regulates the temperature. An accurate oven temperature results in food cooking properly, whereas a faulty thermostat means that your food is only partially cooked or burned.

Electric oven not heating up? Maybe it's the thermostat. Read on to find out more…

Oven thermostat - how it works

An oven thermostat measures the warmth of the oven switching the heat on and off as required to maintain the correct temperature. In older ovens, the thermostat is connected to a copper tube that reads the oven temperature, in modern ovens, the thermostat is attached to a long probe and wired to a control board that senses the temperature and relays a signal to the circuit board.

How to test a thermostat

Before you begin any testing procedures you need to disconnect the electricity to ensure your oven is turned off. Then you need to access the thermostat which will be located in different places depending on the make and model of your oven. You’ll need to be very careful during this process not to let any wires disconnect from their components.

A qualified engineer will access the thermostat easily whether it be on a freestanding range via the back panel, through the removable backsplash on a built-in model, or on some models by removing both the rear and front control panels alongside the trim.

To test the thermostat you need to remove it and then use a device known as a multimeter to check if it's working properly. The thermostat will be connected to a rectangular plate that has two screws and a wire leading to a plastic square plug. To disconnect the wire you need to pull on both ends of this plastic plug.

Unscrew the back of the thermostat sensor and pull it out. The multimeter is used to test and measure the electrical current in a circuit. If the model you have is an ohm version then set it to the ohm setting, otherwise set it to the 2k or 4k setting. Place the probes of the multimeter into each side of the plastic plug terminals ensuring they touch the round metal contacts to get a reading.

A room-temperature oven thermostat should have an ohm reading of 1,000 to 1,100. Any reading higher or lower than this indicates that your thermostat is damaged or broken. If your thermostat seems to be working then you can reattach it and slide it back into its compartment.

Alternative thermostat testing option

If you don't have access to a multimeter you can buy an oven-safe thermometer. Place this inside the oven and set the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Allow 30 minutes for the oven to heat up and then check the thermometer through the glass for a reading of within five degrees of the 350. If the reading varies by more or less it's an indication that the thermostat is defective.

How to tell if the oven thermostat is broken

There are tell-tale signs that your thermostat is broken and these can include the oven thermostat light not working, the oven thermostat light not coming on, or the oven thermostat light stays on. However, this could also be an issue with your oven's heating element.

A fast option to get this fixed is to call in the professionals. Oven thermostat repair costs are typically around £90 to £105 which includes the thermostat itself and the cost of any labour needed to carry out the repair.

Get guaranteed oven repairs in London

Ensuring your oven thermostat is tested and repaired properly is the priority of your fully-trained expert with all the knowledge and experience to get your electric oven up and running again quickly. Whatever type of electric oven you have an assessment will be made to make sure it can be returned to full working order. Following this diagnosis, a speedy and efficient repair will be carried out. During your oven service, you’ll be covered by full insurance protection and every repair will be guaranteed for six months.