The most common reason your KitchenAid oven is not heating may be a defective temperature sensor, igniter, or blown-out thermal fuse. If you suspect one of these is why your oven won’t heat up, your best option is to check these parts for any visible damages.
KitchenAid has been part of our homes for more than a century now. With these years of being in the business, there is no doubt that they provide high-quality and reliable products.
However, despite being one of the best brands on the market, we can’t expect perfect performance all the time as users. Just like what I experienced last week. I had been preheating my oven for almost 10 minutes, and when I was ready to put my dish inside, it was not hot! I have to tell you that I ordered Chinese food that night.
If you have experienced this problem with your KitchenAid in the past and are scared to be left confused about what is happening with your oven, you might want to continue reading this article. This article shows you five reasons why your oven is not heating and what you can do about them.
5 Reasons Why Your Kitchen Aid Oven is Not Heating
Here are 5 of the most common reasons why your KitchenAid Oven is not heating up to your desired cooking temperature:
- Defective temperature sensor
- Damaged bake element
- Faulty or weak oven igniter
- Blown-out thermal fuse
- Defective oven fan motor
Temperature Sensor is Defective
If you want to bake something in your KitchenAid oven, the temperature sensor will coordinate with the thermostat and the control panel to maintain the ideal baking temperature. If the oven gets too hot, the sensor will trigger electrical resistance to turn off the heating automatically.
However, if the oven’s temperature sensor is damaged, it may constantly exhibit resistance and refuse to allow it to heat up. If so, the sensor must be replaced with a new one to continue your oven’s operation.
How to Inspect and Replace Your Oven’s Temperature Sensor
Before deciding to replace your oven’s temperature sensor, you must first determine if it is damaged and touches the oven wall. This may lead to inaccurate temperature readings, causing your oven some temperature problems, such as not heating up.
If your oven’s temperature sensor isn’t touching the wall but is providing you with wrong temperature readings, follow these nine simple steps to replace it:
- Turn off your oven’s power and unplug it from your power supply to avoid unnecessary and unwanted accidents.
- To remove it, unscrew the back panel.
- To detach the sensor wire harness, press the tabs.
- Unscrew the sensor’s mounting screws.
- Take out the sensor.
- Replace the screws on the mounting bracket for the new temperature sensor and insert them into the oven.
- Attach the wire harness once again to the replacement sensor.
- Replace the back panel screws.
- Try turning on your oven and the circuit breaker to see if the oven begins heating.
If you prefer to see a live demonstration on how you can change your KitchenAid’s temperature sensor, you can watch this video from Repair Clinic’s YouTube channel:
Damaged Bake Element
The bake element is a metal coil that provides most of the heat in a KitchenAid oven. When used for baking or other activities other than broiling, the baked element’s wires conduct electricity to heat the metal coil.
The oven won’t heat up if the baked element is broken or damaged. If you are not yet ready to replace your KitchenAid oven but still want to make it work, then you would have to replace the defective bake element to make it work again.
How to Check and Replace a Broken Baking Element
If your KitchenAid oven has any broken points or blisters, it’s time to replace the bake element. If the bake element doesn’t light up when the oven is preheated to bake or roast, then it’s not doing its job.
You can replace your damaged and defective baking element by following these steps:
- Turn off your oven and remove it from the power supply.
- Remove the range from its wall mount to free up some space for you to work.
- Remove the back panel by unscrewing its screws.
- Disconnect the wires connecting the baking element.
- Open the front door of the oven first. If you need more room to work inside the oven, you can remove the door by twisting the locks, closing it halfway, and lifting it.
- Remove the racks from the oven.
- The baked element can be accessed by removing the panel from the bottom of the oven.
- Remove the baked element by unscrewing it.
- Put the replacement part in place, then tighten the screw.
- Simply retrace your steps to put everything back where it belongs.
- You can try to turn on the power in your oven and test if it starts heating properly.
If you have a KitchenAid countertop or wall oven, refer to the user manual for specific instructions.
This Repair Clinic video provides a visual demonstration that you may follow along with:
A Weak or Faulty Igniter
A steady supply of gas is required to operate a KitchenAid gas oven. However, some parts of a gas oven, such as the igniter, need electricity.
The oven’s igniter can stop working every once in a while due to several reasons. If you fail to maintain or clean your oven’s igniter regularly, it might clog up, preventing it from working properly. Because of this, it is not getting enough power to open the valve that supplies gas to the burner. If the igniter in your oven is broken, you will need to replace it.
How to Replace a Weak Igniter
It’s important to double-check if the igniter is broken or needs some thorough cleaning before replacing it. To check it, turn on the oven to see whether the igniter lights up.
If it doesn’t, the igniter is broken and must be replaced immediately. Here’s how you can do it:
- Turn off both your gas and the power of your oven. Make sure to unplug the power cord.
- Pull the oven from the wall and unscrew the rear panel to remove it so you can access the igniter.
- To remove the igniter, access the wire leading to the plug and squeeze the connector’s tabs. Then, push the igniter wire into the oven.
- To partially close the oven door, turn the locks counterclockwise from the front of the oven. Then, lift it and set it aside. There’ll be more room for you to work and get things done.
- Remove the racks from the oven.
- Take off the bottom panel by unscrewing it.
- Remove the igniter from the burner by unscrewing its mounting screws.
- Put the new igniter in place, screw it in, and feed the wires through the back of the oven.
- Replace the screws and replace the bottom panel. If the door was removed, please put it back in.
- Connect the igniter to the wiring harness in the back.
- Replace the back panel and fasten the screws.
- Switch the gas and the power on to test if the oven is not heating as it should.
You must remember that the igniter can be removed from some models without accessing the back. You can check your oven’s model to know what to do.
Appliance Pro posted a video on their YouTube channel to help you with this process:
Blown-out Thermal Fuse
The thermal fuse in the oven might blow if the temperature inside becomes too high. The oven will not heat if the thermal fuse has already blown. But you must remember that this does not happen all the time.
To know if your oven’s thermal fuse works just fine, you can check its continuity with a multimeter. If the thermal fuse has blown, you should replace it immediately.
How to Fix It?
If your oven’s thermal fuse has blown out, there’s no way you can or must fix it. Any burned part or wiring from your oven must be mediately replaced since it can cause a fire.
To replace any burned or blown-out wiring or fuse, you must contact an experienced or skilled technician to do the job.
Oven’s Fan Motor has Malfunctioned
A faulty fan motor is probably why your KitchenAid oven is not heating up. A fan in a convection oven pushes the hot air around the oven, allowing you to cook your food rapidly and evenly. But if the fan motor fails, the fan won’t move, and your cooking could be off.
If the fan motor fails a multimeter continuity test, it is probably broken. Similarly, if manually turning the fan blades is difficult, the motor may be broken. In both cases, the fan motor will need to be replaced immediately.
How to Replace It
It can be broken if the fan doesn’t start spinning when you switch on the oven. If not, you will need to replace the fan in the oven.
- Turn off the oven.
- Remove the oven’s back panel. To remove the oven’s rear panel, just unfasten its screws.
- Take out the old fan from the oven. The fan can be taken out after this is done. Before removing the fan’s wires, you should make a mental note of their current configuration; this will help you connect the replacement fan correctly.
- Remove any screws and unplug the igniter. To remove the fan, undo any screws that may keep it in place and unplug any connecting cables.
- Put the new fan and motor in place of the old ones in the oven. After that, you can reinstall the screws and reconnect the cables.
- Reinstall the oven’s back panel and door.
- Turn on your oven and try if the new igniter is now working.
Why Does Your Oven Turn on But Not Heat Up?
The most common reason your oven is turning on but not heating up is a defective oven temperature sensor. An electric oven can track the food’s internal temperature through the built-in temperature sensor. Once this sensor fails, there’s a great chance that your oven turns on, but it won’t heat up and reach your desired temperature. If this is the case, you must replace your oven’s temperature sensor.
Another factor you can consider is due to a broken heating element inside your oven. In an electric oven, two heating elements generate the necessary heat for cooking. A working heating element inside your oven should glow red. If one or both elements have a defect, your oven will turn on but won’t heat up to your desired temperature.
Contact your trusted technician to help you with this issue.
Kitchenaid Oven Won’t Heat Past 260°
Most ovens operate as Fahrenheit as their default temperature mode. If this is the case, and you accidentally changed your temperature mode to Celcius, there’s a great chance that your oven won’t heat past 260 degrees. To know whether your oven operates in Fahrenheit or Celcius, the display often indicates ‘C’ or ‘F.’
If you accidentally changed it to Celcius, you can manually change it back to Fahrenheit. You can check your oven’s manual for instructions.
Gas Oven Not Heating Up But Burners Work
One of the most common reasons your gas oven is not heating up but the burners are working just fine may be a defective igniter. The igniter may fail for several reasons, including normal wear and tear or accidental damage. Indicators that the igniter coil and element need to be changed include damage or discoloration. Before changing your oven’s igniter, try to test it first. If the spark plug does light, then it’s likely that another part is malfunctioning.
If this is the case, it is recommended to consult a skilled technician or your manufacturer to have your oven checked or maintained.
Conclusion
Despite being one of the best brands in the market, you can still experience one or two mishaps in the midst of a busy night.
If you are faced with a situation where your oven just stops heating and won’t let you cook your food, check all the necessary settings to ensure that you have set your oven controls correctly. Aside from oven controls, you must also ensure that all parts of your oven look and work just fine.
If you have done every necessary test and still have no idea what is happening to your oven, contact a skilled technician to have it checked.
