LG ovens have gained amazing popularity for a good reason – the perfect even heating. LG ovens are designed to maintain temperature and produce properly cooked food. However, the number of people complaining about LG ovens not maintaining temperature keeps increasing.
The reason might be poor maintenance at the user’s end or perhaps the company needs to revamp the design. Anyhow, if any such issue arises, there are some quick fixes that can help solve the problem of the oven not maintaining temperature.
But before getting to the fixes, how would one know that their oven is not maintaining temperature?
How To Know If Your Oven Is Not Maintaining Its Temperature?
There are a few indicators that can help signal a problem with the heating of an oven.
- The food is taking longer than usual to get ready.
- The food is undercooked or burnt after being in the oven for the accurate amount of time that is usually needed.
- Food is cooked unevenly, with some sides perfect and others raw.
LG Oven Not Maintaining Temperature
The LG oven is installed with a thermostat and a heating element. Upon turning on the oven, it initiates the preheat cycle for ten minutes to bring the temperature up to the desired level inside the oven.
Once the oven reaches the set temperature, the heating element switches off, and the temperature drops down. If the temperature gets below the level that needs to be maintained, the installed thermostat signals the oven, and the heating element turns back on again.
This way, the oven maintains the set temperature for perfect cooking. However, sometimes, the oven is unable to maintain the temperature due to a few reasons, causing the food to either get burned or remain raw.
- Bake/Heating Element And The Broil Element
The first reason for an oven not being able to maintain temperature could be a damaged heating element. There could also be a loose connection that may be causing the issue. The heating element of an oven is the main device that maintains the temperature at a certain level.
It is basically a metal coil either at the base or at the top of the oven that generates the heat and warms up the inside. When it’s heating up properly, it is bright red and is generating steady heat.
When the heating element breaks down, it won’t be able to switch on automatically when the temperature decreases. Checking the color of the heating element can determine if it is the cause of the problem.
If it’s not becoming red upon turning on the oven, it probably needs to be replaced. There might also be some visible damage like holes or breakage in the coil.
However, before you invest in a new heating element, do check the connections before as they might just be loose, and only tightening would be enough to fix the problem. In some LG ovens, there is also a broil element installed.
It is responsible for broiling food and it assists the bake element in heating the oven. Therefore in case, it’s damaged; it would need a replacement too.
- Thermostat
If the heating element is working as it should, there are chances that the thermostat has malfunctioned. The thermostat is responsible for controlling the temperature in the oven. It senses the temperature and signals the oven to start or stop heating to maintain the desired level.
When the thermostat stops working, it would not be able to signal the oven to regulate the temperature. In such a case, the thermostat would need to be checked and repaired by a technician.
- Electrical Connections
If both the heating element and the thermostat of the oven are in good condition and working properly, then bad electrical connections could be causing the issue.
LG ovens are designed over electrical configuration, and electrical connections need to be in optimum condition to transmit electricity. A loose plug or cord can stop the oven from working properly due to the poor flow of energy.
Therefore, you must check the electrical connections that provide power to the oven and its elements. In case of a faulty cord, replace it with a new one. However, it’s important to choose a high-quality cord and get it replaced by a professional.
- Fuse Failure
In case the oven gets too hot, it might blow the fuse and cause the electric connection to break. This means that the oven will not get power and it won’t be able to turn back on either. This is just a safety measure to prevent accidents such as a fire.
The fuse may be faulty at times too. Sometimes, this goes unnoticed and people think that there is a problem with the oven’s heating system. However, in such a case, replacing the fuse would do the trick.
- Damaged Door Gaskets
Sometimes the door gasket or the rubber piece around the door of an oven gets damaged. A door gasket is responsible for keeping the heat sealed inside the oven. In case it becomes faulty, the heat seeps through and the oven is unable to maintain its temperature.
Therefore, checking the gasket is also quite important. In case it’s damaged or is loose, it needs to be replaced.
How To Take Care Of Your Oven To Prevent Further Problems?
The mentioned solutions for fixing the temperature problem can help get your oven back to being efficient. Nevertheless, it’s important to maintain the oven with care so that the problem does not arise again. There are a few things to take care of and avoid problems in the future
- Never Use An Extension Cord To Run An Oven
One of the most important things to make sure of is never to use extension cords with ovens. It’s best to always plug them directly into the mounted socket.
This is because ovens require a certain amount of electricity which is usually quite high – much higher than what extension cords can safely support. Using an extension cord could, therefore, damage the elements of an oven causing temperature problems.
- Clean Ovens Manually At Least Twice Every Year
Ovens these days have self-cleaning features; nevertheless, it is good practice to manually clean them sometimes too. This is because sometimes, burnt food gets stuck to the walls inside the oven and is too stubborn for the self-cleaning feature to clean up.
Manual cleaning can help in such a case. However, it’s important to make sure that all the parts of the oven are cleaned gently with minimal force. When using the self-cleaning feature, make sure to follow the instruction and take out the baking trays.
- Do Not Spray On The Oven’s Knobs Directly
The knobs of an oven have a direct connection to its control system. If they are removed or sprayed for cleaning, the chemicals might seep into the system and damage it causing the oven to malfunction. To clean them up, just wiping them with a damp cloth should be enough.
In case they are too greasy and need a cleaner, then it is best to spray on a cloth and wipe them clean. Do not spray on the knobs directly.
- Check The Heating Element Regularly
Checking the elements regularly will avoid bigger problems in the future. This is because minor issues can be dealt with easily but if the issues get worse they might end up doing more damage that may be expensive to repair.
It might also lead to one needing to replace the whole oven, which can be costly Therefore, regular checks are a wise thing to do. Other elements like the door gaskets should also be checked occasionally.
- Bake With Care
Sometimes, things overflow when they are being baked. This causes a mess inside your oven and may damage the heating coil too. It’s better to bake with a baking sheet underneath whatever is being cooked.
This way, if anything overflows, the sheet will catch it and the oven will remain safe and mess-free.
- Do Not Overload
Overloading the oven and trying to cook too many things at once can decrease an oven’s efficiency over time. It puts too much pressure on the elements of an oven and may cause gradual damage to them.
It may also result in uneven heating as the heat won’t be able to circulate freely inside the oven. So, it is best to avoid overloading.
Conclusion
All in all, LG ovens are durable, but if they are not used with care, they can malfunction or break down. However, if you are facing problems and the oven is unable to maintain a set temperature, there are a few things that you could do.
The best thing would be to call LG customer support for repair/replacement if the oven is still in warranty. However, if the warranty is exceeded, call a local technician.