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. A model-specific diagnosis needs more information than this guide.
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 checksCheck 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.
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.
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