Any brand · Oven · Symptom

Oven not heating

likely causes and what to check

What it means

An oven that will not heat is almost always one failed part — and on an electric oven it is a part you can see. The stove-top burners working tells you the power is there.

The checks below stay on the safe side of the line: what you can observe and test without opening the 240V or the gas path.

Likely causes, ranked

Broken bake element (electric)a snapped or blistered element is the most common no-heat cause on an electric oven, and often visibly broken
Failed igniter (gas)a weak igniter never opens the gas valve — the oven clicks or glows and never lights
Tripped thermal fuse or sensor faultan overheat one-shot or a drifting sensor can hold the heat off
Failed broil element (electric)when bake and broil are both dead, the shared path matters more than either element
Control or relay boardthe expensive and least likely path — only once everything above has checked out

Ranked for this oven in general. Answer three questions inside a case and the list gets shorter.

Verdict, in general terms

A bake element is $40–$90 and an igniter $30–$80 as parts, and both are worth fitting to almost any oven. A control board runs $200–$400 and only makes sense under about 8 years old. Inside the 240V box or the gas path is a stop line.

The checks, in order

4 checks

Check 1 — Look at the bake element
2 minutes · no tools
This eliminates: visibly broken bake element.
The step-by-step opens inside a case.
Check 2 — Test the broil element
2 minutes · no tools
This eliminates: shared-path fault.
The step-by-step opens inside a case.
Check 3 — For gas: watch the igniter through a preheat
10 minutes · no tools
This eliminates: weak igniter.
The step-by-step opens inside a case.
Check 4 — Confirm the display and the power path
5 minutes · no tools
This eliminates: supply-side trips.
The step-by-step opens inside a case.

Stop line

The oven's element and igniter circuits run on 240V, and gas oven work past the igniter is a licensed job. What you observed with the door open still cuts the bill.

What to tell the technician: "The oven will not heat. The top burners work, the bake element shows no visible break, and the broil element is dead too." — say the equivalent of what you saw.
What to ask: Ask them to test the elements and the sensor, and to quote the part and the labor before starting.
What a fair price looks like: An element or igniter replacement typically lands at $180–$350 installed. A control board job runs $300–$500. A new freestanding oven is $700–$1,800.

Stuck, or want a person?

Ty Fletcher answers a Second Opinion by email within 24 hours — 10 years of construction and maintenance, not a licensed technician. You send photos and the model plate; the answer names the next thing to do, or the stop line.

Get a Second Opinion — $49One payment. Answered by email.

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