A faulty igniter is the most common reason your gas oven will not heat up. Other potential issues include:
- A disrupted gas supply.
- A faulty gas valve or thermostat.
- A clogged or damaged oven burner.
If troubleshooting these components does not solve the problem, it is recommended to seek professional assistance.
I understand how frustrating it can be to have a gas oven that’s not working, especially when you need to cook a meal or bake something important. It’s important to take a deep breath and not panic. According to the People’s Policy Project, older homes are more likely to have a gas range compared to more modern homes.
If you are having trouble with your gas oven not heating up, this article will help you. In this article, you will see the possible reasons why your gas oven is not heating up and the steps to fix it.
Reasons why your Gas Oven is not Heating up
Here are 6 of the most common reasons why your gas oven is not allowing you to have the temperature that you desire:
- There is limited to no electricity supply
- There is no gas supply.
- The oven igniter is faulty.
- Defective safety valve
- The thermostat is malfunctioning
- The oven control board is faulty.
You can read the rest of the article for more about these reasons.
Limited to No Electricity Supply
A gas oven uses natural gas as its main energy source. However, even if it mainly uses gas to produce energy, it still needs a 120V electric current to start and run certain components like the gas igniter, timer, and oven light. Your gas oven will not heat up if it doesn’t receive enough power to function.
Here are some possible causes of electricity supply issues for your gas oven:
- Your wall outlet switch is turned off.
- You have a faulty wall outlet.
- A damaged power cord.
- A tripper circuit breaker or a burned fuse.
How to Fix Gas Oven’s Electricity Supply Issues
One or more of the following may be necessary, depending on which of the above is preventing your gas oven from receiving enough power:
- Make sure the power switch for the gas oven is on. Restart it if it has been turned off.
- Plug another kitchen gadget into the outlet to test if electricity flows when the switch is turned on. The problem is not the electrical socket if the second appliance is operational. If the second appliance is not functioning, an electrician should be called to inspect the wall socket.
- Assuming the outlet is fine, check the power cord for frayed or damaged spots if the problem persists. If the cord is still connected, you can move on.
- Check to see if the gas oven’s dedicated switch has tripped by opening the circuit breaker box. If that’s the case, flip the light back on. If a switch on a circuit breaker feels stiff, it’s a warning indicator of more serious problems beyond the switch itself. Instead, you should get in touch with a professional electrician.
- If a fuse protects the electricity to your oven, check for a broken filament or a filthy fuse glass tube. In that case, you must get your fuse changed.
Your gas oven probably has a problem with its gas supply if it isn’t heating up and the electrical power is fine.
Absence of a Gas Supply
You won’t get any heat from your gas oven, even if there’s enough electricity to run the igniter and other parts. A steady supply of gas is required to ignite the oven’s heating elements and maintain the oven’s heat and cycles throughout the cooking process.
There are two possible causes a gas oven isn’t receiving enough gas:
- The gas valve is turned off.
- The home gas line is not receiving a gas supply.
How to Resolve Your Oven’s Gas Supply Issue
If you think the gas supply valve to your oven has been turned off (it may be because of a recent cleaning or repair), you should find the valve and turn it back on. When the gas is on, the valve handle will be parallel to the line, and when it is off, it will be perpendicular (by a quarter turn).
Even if the gas supply valve is on, problems with gas delivery to your home may persist. If you have problems with your gas supply, don’t try trying to figure it out by trial and error. In order to fix the gas leak, you should call your gas company or a maintenance specialist to avoid any accidents at your home.
If there are no power or gas supply difficulties, then it’s possible that your gas oven is having trouble with its other parts, which will also be discussed in this article.
Faulty Oven Igniter
When you turn a gas oven, the igniter receives an electrical current. As the igniter heats up, the safety valve receives the signal and opens gas to the oven’s broil or bake tube to start the heating flame.
If the oven igniter is faulty due to wear and tear (or other causes), it will either not heat at all or not heat enough to send the signal to the safety valve. In other words, gas won’t be sent to the oven, and there will be no flame on the broil or bake burners. That’s why your gas oven isn’t getting hot.
How to Assess and Fix a Faulty Gas Oven Igniter
You can check if your gas oven igniter is heating by checking if this specific part ignites a spark after turning on the oven and if the burner turns on 3 minutes after the oven is turned on.
If the burner doesn’t light and the igniter doesn’t flame after 90 seconds, the gas supply isn’t becoming hot enough to open the safety valve. The igniter is broken and has to be replaced if this happens. The igniter’s continuity can also be checked.
The following is a guide for testing and replacing the igniter in a gas oven:
- Turn off the electricity to the oven via the circuit breaker.
- Cut the gas supply via the gas supply valve.
- Open the door and take out the oven racks.
- Lift the bottom panel and take it out of the oven. You may need to unthread some screws to remove the bottom panel in some oven models.
- Check the igniter’s carbide electrode overlapping on the burner holes before taking anything out.
- Loosen the screws holding the igniter bracket to the burner.
- Disconnect the igniter’s wire harness and remove the igniter plug from the harness by pressing the securing tabs.
- Take out the igniter from the oven.
- Test the igniter for continuity to confirm if it’s causing the issue. To do this, rotate the multimeter dial to the lowest reading for ohms of resistance. Touch each terminal of the igniter with a probe of the multimeter.
The ohms’ reading on a continuous igniter will be between zero and 1,100. If the probes of a multimeter do not produce any readings when brought into contact with the terminals, the igniter is broken.
In such cases, here’s how to replace the ignition switch:
- If you’ve already ordered the new igniter for your gas oven, plug the igniter connector into the wire harness. Do not touch the carbide electrode.
- Rework the overlapping of the electrode carbide to the burner holes.
- Attach the new igniter to the bracket and screw it onto the burner.
- Replace the bottom panel and fasten the screws if needed.
- Put back the oven racks and close the door.
- Turn on the electricity and gas. Then test your oven for heating.
Here’s a video from Sears guiding you on how to replace the oven igniter of your gas range: YouTube Video
The Safety Valve is Malfunctioning
The igniter and the burner tubes in a gas oven all work together thanks to the safety valve. The bimetallic strip in the oven safety valve opens the valve and allows gas to flow to the burner tubes when the igniter reaches the proper temperature. Then, the oven’s burners fire up to get it ready for baking.
A broken safety valve is an unusual problem for a gas oven. A malfunctioning bimetallic strip inside the safety valve prevents gas from entering the burner tube, preventing the oven from heating.
The valve can be checked for continuity and replaced if necessary.
How to Test and Replace a Gas Oven Safety Valve
You can tell if your gas oven’s safety valve is broken by checking if the igniter is on. For example, the gas safety valve may be broken if the igniter lights up, but the burners still won’t light after three minutes.
You can verify that a gas oven’s safety valve is malfunctioning by testing it for continuity.
Here are 17 steps on how you can check and replace your gas oven’s safety valve:
- Turn off the oven’s power and gas (via the gas supply valve and circuit breaker, respectively).
- Release the latch and remove the shelves.
- The burner may be accessed by removing the bottom panel.
- Take off the burner tube by unscrewing it.
- Remove the screws from the lower back access panel and pull it out of the oven.
- Pressing the tabs to remove the wires from the safety valve’s terminals. (It’s important to remember that certain ovens’ broil and bake burners have their individual safety valve.) If you suspect the valve has failed, you can now do a continuity test to determine its status.
- Adjust the multimeter to the lowest ohm reading.
- Touch one terminal of the safety valve with one-meter probe and the other terminal with the other probe. The safety valve has continuity if the ohmmeter shows a value between zero and five. There is a break in the valve’s continuity if the meter needle stays in one place. If that’s the case, it needs to be changed out.
- Hold the valve firmly in place with an adjustable wrench while you use a wrench sized appropriately for the nut to release its grip on the gas line.
- Remove the safety valve by undoing the screws that secure it to the back panel.
- Replace the old safety valve with the new one. The safety valve’s orifice tube must enter the oven via the rear panel opening.
- The gas line fitting must be aligned with the safety valve connection before the valve can be screwed firmly to the back panel.
- Be sure the gas line nut is snug. Hold the safety valve with a wrench while you tighten it to avoid breaking it from vibrations.
- Relink the safety valve’s wires.
- Put back the access panel at the bottom and secure it.
- Put the burner back in position and secure it with the screws from the front.
- Replace the baseboard and shelves, then shut the door. Check if the oven is back on by checking its temperature.
Defective Thermostat
The thermostat regulates and keeps an eye on the temperature inside your gas oven. The thermostat signals the igniter to turn off once the desired temperature is attained. Thermostats are programmed to initiate heating when the temperature dips below a certain threshold.
If your oven’s thermostat is malfunctioning, the igniter cannot get the oven started. A broken thermostat has to be replaced.
How to Test and Replace a Defective Gas Oven Thermostat
You can follow these steps to test and replace a gas oven thermostat.
- Cut the power to the oven by flipping the circuit breaker switch and making a quarter turn to the gas supply valve handle. The handle for the gas supply valve should be perpendicular to the gas line is turned off.
- Remove the screws holding the oven’s rear panel using a Phillips head screwdriver and set it aside.
- Locate the oven’s thermostat at the bottom right of the oven rear. Disconnect the wire that leads to the plastic plug by pulling both ends.
- Unthread the two screws holding the thermostat to the oven and carefully pull out the thermostat. Set it aside for testing.
- Set the multimeter to the lowest ohm reading. Place each multimeter probe on a terminal of the thermostat. The multimeter should show a reading between 1,000 and 1,100 ohms if it has continuity. If the reading is far from this, the thermostat is defective and must be replaced.
- Take the new thermostat and slide it through the hole into the oven. Fasten the securing screws.
- Hold the two ends of the plastic plug and reattach it to the thermostat.
- Put the rear panel back and thread the screws to secure it.
- Power the oven by turning on gas and electricity and test the oven to see if heating resumes.
Repair Clinic posted a video about the Whirlpool Gas Oven that will give you a better idea of how to change your oven’s thermostat.
The Oven Control Board is Malfunctioning
After investigating and eliminating other potential causes, the oven control board is probably to fault for your gas oven’s inability to heat.
Your oven’s PCB (printed circuit board) is also known as the control board. If it breaks down, your oven will be useless.
It can be difficult to test an oven control board for flaws. I suggest getting in touch with an expert oven technician to check the control board and see if it’s broken and needs to be replaced.
Fixing a Faulty Gas Oven’s Printed Circuit Board
The following is a guide for changing out the control board in a gas oven.
- Turn off the oven’s gas and electrical sources.
- Take off the back of the oven and remove the screws keeping it in place.
- Find the circuit board and unplug the cables. It will be much easier to rejoin the wires if you make a note of where they go.
- Remove the control board from the oven assembly by undoing its screws.
- Take the overlay off the new control board and place it over the old one. The replacement control board may require a new overlay if the previous one is damaged.
- Fasten the new control board for the oven into the same hole as the previous one.
- Wires should be reconnected to the board again.
- Reinstall the back cover and secure the screws.
- Turn the gas and electricity back on and see if the oven will start heating up again.
If you are unsure of your ability to diagnose and repair a heating problem in a gas oven, it is recommended to consult a professional oven specialist.
Conclusion
One of the most common issues with ovens is the oven not heating up. There are several reasons for this, but six of the common reasons include: no electric supply, limited to no gas supply, faulty oven igniter, damaged safety valve, broken thermostat, and a faulty control board. One of these reasons may be why your oven won’t allow you to cook your much-awaited dinner.
If you encounter this issue with your gas oven, make sure to figure out first what is causing this problem. If any of these reasons cross out, then maybe it’s time to have your gas oven checked by a professional to avoid any accidents or mishaps that might come with your damaged gas oven.
Chris is a Texas-based freelance writer who loves the outdoors and working in his garage. When he’s not enjoying the Texas sun, he can be found tinkering with all sorts of things in his workshop.