GE Oven Broiler Not Working? Here’s Why (+ How To Fix)

You know that your GE oven’s broiler is working if the broil element is glowing. However, a broil element may heat and not glow when temperatures in the oven are low or when it cycles on and off during a baking cycle.

If your GE oven broil element isn’t glowing or heating, then the broiler is not working altogether, and something is amiss.

These are the top 3 reasons your GE oven broiler isn’t working:

• No power supply
• The oven controls are not set correctly
• The broil element has failed

Reading the rest of this article will give you details about these 3 causes of a GE oven broiler not working and the quick hacks you can use to resolve the problem. Let’s start with the most basic.

No Power Supply

A basic reason your oven’s broiler element will not work is that the range or wall oven is not receiving power. In this case, you will need to determine why the power is not flowing into your appliance.

A wall oven or range may not receive power supply due to one of these issues:

• A turned-off wall outlet switch.
• An unplugged or loose oven cord plug.
• A blown fuse or tripped circuit breaker.
• A damaged wall oven or range power cord.
• A dead wall outlet.
• A low voltage wall outlet.

How To Fix 

Depending on what the power issue is, you’ll need to do one of the following:

• Turn on the wall outlet switch.
• Ensure the range power cord is well plugged into the socket.
• Replace a blown fuse or turn back on a tripped circuit breaker switch.
• Replace a damaged range power cord.
• Test the wall outlet for voltage/correct voltage. The wall outlet should record 240 volts for electric ranges or wall ovens and 120 volts for gas ranges or ovens. You can watch this AMRE Supply video on YouTube for the steps to test a wall outlet for power:

The Oven Controls Are Not Set Correctly

To run a broil cycle, you have to set the controls to the broil function correctly. This sends a signal to the element that it should start heating.

How To Fix

To set the broil function:

1. Select the Broil option on the control panel.
2. Press the Broil pad once if you want HI Broil and twice if you want LO Broil.
3. Hit the Start pad to initiate the Broil cycle.

If you’ve already done these steps, but the broil element still won’t work, reset the electronic control following these steps:

1. Cycle power to the range or wall oven by turning off the circuit breaker or removing the fuse. 
2. Leave the range or wall oven unpowered for a minute, and turn the power back on. 
3. Repeat the above 3 steps for setting a broil cycle.

The Broil Element Has Failed

A failed broil element has an open electrical circuit, and heating cannot happen. The most obvious consequence is that the element shorts. 

You can tell if a broil element has shorted out if it has splits or blisters. In some cases, the broil element may appear intact but has still failed. In either case, the component needs to be replaced.

How To Fix

Follow the steps below to replace a GE oven broil element:

1. Turn off the range.
2. Take out the oven racks.
3. Find the broil element on the roof side of the oven. 
4. Remove the screws holding the element towards you.
5. Unscrew the electrical wires and take out the broil element. 
6. Reconnect the electrical wires to the new element and screw them onto the component. You can order the replacement broil element from GE Appliances online.
7. Place the element bracket back to its position on the rear wall and screw it on.
8. Replace the racks inside the oven.
9. Turn on the oven to check if the broil element now heats up.

If you aren’t sure about performing these steps successfully, call a GE oven service technician. Watching this GE Appliances video on YouTube could also make the process easier: