Stove Won’t Start

Stove is one of the most crucial parts of our kitchens. Of course, there are microwaves, there are somewhat less popular countertop or built-in ovens, but the key cooking appliance in your kitchen is your stove. Sometimes, a countertop. But it is really your electric or gas range that you use for cooking most of your meals. Naturally, from time to time you may encounter some problems with you, as your appliances age. Some of them are simply a small nuisance, like a damaged knob, and some are more serious. One of your burners may be damaged. But what do you do if for some reason your stove wouldn’t start at all? Now, this is the question this article is aiming to answer.

Of course, you do not have to do all the diagnostics on your own. And frankly speaking, the diagnostics in this case is actually a rather tedious task. Simply give us a call and set up and appointment with us if you want a highly professional technician to come to your place – and to repair your appliance for you.

How to Diagnose Stove or Oven Fuses

If none of the stove, oven or rangetop lights do not seem to work, and the timer doesn’t work, the problem can lie in a blown fuse or a tripped circuit breaker. Sometimes a bad wiring or a component problem may cause your fuse to blow. Perform the following steps in order to check your fuses:

Disconnect power from your appliance.
Refer to the user manual or the wiring diagram of your range in order to find where the fuses are located. If you have lost the user manual you have originally recieved with your stove – do not worry, user manuals are often available online, in the pdf format! Simply google up the brand and the model of your stove and you will eventually end up with a pdf user manual like this. Electric ranges usually have plug-type fuses.
Identify the fusible link. It is normally visible through the small glass window. If the fuse is good the link will be intact, and it will be visibly broken if the fuse has blown. If the glass is also blackened – it means that the fuse was shortened.
You may substitute the fuse now, however keep in mind that it is still very important to find out what caused the problem in the first place!

Broil Element Diagnostics

Broil elements are located at the top part of your oven. They produce a high amount of heat, which is necessary for broiling.

If you have encountered problems with your broil element just do a visual inspections – make sure the element hasn’t blistered or separated.
If there are no signs of damage, check the element on continuity. Remove the power from your appliance. You will have to remove the back panel of your oven and find the broiler elements’ terminals. Inspect them for the signs of damage.
In case the element has continuity and the wires are not damaged – make sure to check the broiler circuit. You may have to replace it to test if the problem is in the circuit. The circuit diagnostics is a rather complicated matter and should be performed by a qualified technician.

Bake Element Diagnostics

The bake element is one of the oven electric heating elements that can be found at the bottom of the oven. Most of electric ovens have both bake and broil elements, and the majority of heating is actually performed by the bake element. Here is how to determine if your bake element is not working properly:

Perform a visual examination of the bake element – check for blisters and for the visible damage on the element.
If the element seems to be normal – turn on the oven for a short period of time and then turn it off. Check the element for the signs of heating.
If your element is cold – make sure to disable power for your appliance and check the element for continuity with the multimeter.
In case the element has continuity, you may have to have a look at the bake circuitry to determine the cause. This procedure is far more complicated, so we would recommend you to set an appointment with a professional technician at this point.

Electronic Control Board

Most of modern appliances have a control board, which regulated and controls all the appliance’s work. The control board is responsible for regulating the functioning of the safety valves, bake and broil elements on electric cooking appliances and so on. In fact even a igniter malfunction can be caused by an electrical control board. Unfortunately, it is difficult to diagnose it on your own, so we would recommend you to invite a professional technicians if you ran out of options, or in case you believe you have a faulty control board.