How to Diagnose Problems With Your Oven

If your oven’s display is flashing and some parts of it are working normally such as the grill, but the main oven won't turn on it may be that the clock needs resetting.

Sometimes following a power cut the clock power up but need to be reset and you can see how to reset the clock by consulting the instruction manual that came with your oven.

If you can't find your manual then you may be able to download it from the eSpares website.

In this video, we will go through some of the various ways in which you can try to diagnose the problem you are experiencing with your oven.

• Multimeter (digital or analogue)
• Screwdriver

Switch Off Your Appliance

Safety First! Please make sure that you have switched off or disconnected the appliance from the mains before beginning any repair.

If the oven has no display at all and there is actually no power getting to it, then you need to check the power supply.

First, have a look at the wall switch where it's connected - if the wall switch has an indicator light, make sure that it’s on to show that there is power there.

If there's a socket on the cooker switch then try plugging in another appliance into it, such as a kettle, to make sure there's some power there as well.

If there isn't any power at the cooker switch, then proceed to check the fuse box in your house.

If there is power at the wall switch, then it indicates that there is indeed a problem with the oven. Ok then, we’ll now go through some of the possible issues that could be causing this problem on your oven - and how to successfully diagnose them.

Before checking the terminal block Safety first: make sure you have disconnected the power to the oven. The terminal block is located on the back. You can see how the cable comes in and screws into the terminals.

These cables have got to be screwed in really tightly because if they're not this can lead to burning and other damage. Have a look for any signs of burning around the block.

If you can see anything then we recommend for you to just replace the part altogether (and making sure those cables are screwed in tightly).

If the terminal block looks okay the next thing you need to check is if there are any thermal cut-out in the oven.

On this particular model we need to remove both the top and the back panel to access the cut-outs inside. Once you have access to the thermal cut-out you need to proceed to test it using a multimeter on resistance.

They should show up as a short circuit if they're working correctly - reading less than a couple of ohms. Obviously, any reading that's dramatically different to that would indicate the presence of a fault, and you would need to replace the cut-out.

If the cut out reads short circuit and the timer is set but there is still no power to the oven then the problem could also be a faulty Control Board depending on your model, and you would likely need to replace the board.

Usually it's very difficult to prove the fault is with the board, so after checking the other components first if the problem remains you will just need to replace it.

If you're not getting any heat from the elements then you can test them using your multimeter on resistance.

Just place the meter onto a low resistance setting and then put the probes of the meter onto the terminal of the element.

The one here is the main fan element, so I'll just put the probes on. For a working element, you should be looking for a reading of less than a hundred ohms. Anything dramatically higher than that would indicate the presence of a fault.

On this element, the reading is about twenty six ohms and on the grill element here 55 ohms and 35 ohms. So again, it shows that both those elements are working ok.

This oven also has a third element located at the bottom - so if it's the same on your oven then make sure you check all the elements.

If your oven has a temperature indicator light, you can use this to help determine whether the fault lies with the thermostat or the element when your oven isn’t heating up properly.

When you first turn the thermostat on, the light should come on and will turn off once the oven has reached the correct level.

If there's a problem with the element, the light is never going to turn off because it's never going to hit the correct temperature.

On the other hand if when you turn the thermostat on the light does not turn on at all, that shows there's a problem with the thermostat. Of course in either case you can replace the faulty part.

eSpares Top Tip: Prolong the life of a fan element by turning it down to its minimum temperature for a couple of minutes when finished cooking before turning off. This helps prevent it from overheating when the circulation air stops.

Your oven could be suffering from noisy fans - whether it be either the cooling fan located at the top, or the circulation fan at the centre of the back panel.

A noisy fan is usually caused by dry or worn out bearings on the motor. The problem can usually be resolved by replacing the relevant fan motor.

Final Comment From eSpares:

We appreciate you taking the time to look at this video, and hopefully you will have found it useful in helping you identify the issue with your oven.

Just remember though, for all your cooker related needs, you can visit the Cookers & Hobs area on the eSpares website to obtain spare parts for your cooker - as well as viewing lots more helpful articles and videos in our Advice Centre.