What’s worse than a malfunctioning oven, especially when you’re hungry? Well, if your oven has stopped heating, here’s a list of things that could have gone wrong, followed by ways you can fix it on your own.
Gas Oven Does Not Maintain Temperature
1) Did the Electric Circuit break?
If you’re using a hybrid oven, one that requires both gas and electricity, possibly the electric circuit broke. Since an electric oven requires a constant electricity supply to work, a circuit break might reduce the oven’s temperature.
Fix: If it is a typical case of circuit tripping, check the main electricity supply and fix the tripped circuit.
2) Is there an uninterrupted Gas supply?
If it’s a gas oven, make sure the oven is getting uninterrupted constant gas. Since a gas oven works on gas and a slight disruption in gas supply would prevent the gas oven from functioning correctly. One reason why your gas oven isn’t maintaining temperature is that it’s not getting enough gas.
Fix: To fix this issue, first, turn off the main gas supply and observe if you can smell any gas leakage. There could be two reasons why the gas oven isn’t getting enough gas. One, the gas could be leaking somewhere else, or two, because there’s less gas coming from the main supply. Whatever the case may be, it is best to seek help from a qualified technician to identify and fix any gas leakages.
3) Is the thermostat working correctly?
Most ovens, including gas oven, have an inbuilt thermostat. The thermostat records and maintains the internal temperature of the oven. It is the thermostats that are responsible for heating the oven. More than usually, it is a faulty thermostat that leads to uneven heating of the oven. Although thermostats are smartly placed inside the oven, they do start acting up for various reasons.
If you’ve checked that there’s nothing wrong with the gas supply, time to assess the thermostat is working correctly.
Fix: If it’s a faulty thermostat, there’s nothing to worry about. Your oven will need a thermostat change, and it will be back to normal. However, the thermostat is working fine in some cases, but the oven still won’t maintain temperature. This could be because either you’re not preheating the oven properly or the heating rods are faulty.
4) Is there something wrong with the heating rods?
Another reason why your oven isn’t maintaining temperature could be faulty heating rods. Heating rods are significant when it comes to the working of an oven. The heat inside the oven comes from the heating rods; they’re the source of producing heat and rising temperature.
How can you tell if it’s the heating rods that are not working correctly? First, open the oven door and observe if the rods get bright and illuminated. This indicates that the heating rods are working correctly and generating heat. However, if you see that the rods don’t get red and bright in colour, it indicates faulty heating rods.
Fix: Heating rods are easily replaced; although the insurance policy varies from company to company, most vendors have you covered.
5) Did you leave the oven door slightly open?
The oven on the inside is like a closed container that retains heat. If the oven is not closed correctly, the heat will leave the oven. Heat generates a temperature difference and tends to shift from an area of higher concentration to lower concentration. Meaning, the heat inside the oven will simply move out into the kitchen if not appropriately contained.
How do you make sure if the heat is escaping the oven? If you observe an unusual increase in your kitchen temperature while your oven is switched on, the reason your oven is not retaining heat maybe because the heat is going into the kitchen.
Fix: Ensure the oven door is closed correctly, and there’s no other outlet that allows heat to escape from inside the oven.
If none of these solutions seems to work for you, it’s time to call the technician. It’s advisable never to take a risk when it comes to a gas appliance. While you wait for the technician to drop by, don’t forget to disconnect the oven from the main gas supply.