This is actually a question that I’m asked fewer times than I thought I would, considering how crucial the information is. Ovens have been with us for quite some time and many households come with one installed.
The familiarity of the appliance might make us feel safe around it. We know how it works, we know what it does, and we’ve seen and used it before.
But as soon as the oven’s components start messing with you, you’ll have an entirely new appliance in your hand. One which you won’t be able to control as easily, one that’s far more unpredictable, and not as safe. An oven that’s overheating will also burn most of the dishes it cooks.
An oven can overheat and it’s often caused by a faulty thermostat, temperature sensor, cooling fan, or heating element. Generally, the problem comes from a faulty thermostat that’s unable to regulate temperature but can also come from a heating element that’s producing more heat than required, or a cooling fan that doesn’t work.
Even modern high-end appliances can malfunction from time to time. The more our kitchen appliances develop, the less we have to monitor them as they do their thing. They’re able to automatically adjust parameters such as temperature with the help of sensors – and they can still overheat.
Let’s take a better look at why an oven may overheat and what you should do about it.
What Causes an Oven to Overheat?
The average life expectancy of an electric oven is 13 years, and that of a gas oven is 15 years. During this time, the oven will be used thousands of times – in some households more, and in some fewer times.
We all wish to never have to perform maintenance, repair, or replace our oven during these years but the fact is that some of us will. Overheating may very well be one of these issues. Therefore, I think it’s important to understand what the cause of it may be.
- Faulty Thermostat: The thermostat’s job is to keep track of the oven’s inner temperature and make adjustments to maintain the desired temperature. When the thermostat senses changes in temperature it will either turn the heating element on or off depending on what the situation calls for. This cooperation is what makes it possible for the oven to maintain the same temperature for hours. With a faulty thermostat, the communication between the two will fail, as the thermostat is incapable of reading temperatures correctly.
- Cooling Fan: A failing cooling fan can cause certain areas of the oven to reach higher temperatures than others, causing certain spots to burn and overcook food.
- Heating Element: The heating element responds to the signals coming from the thermostat and makes the needed adjustments to either maintain, reduce, or increase temperature. If the heating element is unable to receive the signal that the desired temperature is reached it will continue to heat the oven, causing it to overheat.
- Temperature Sensor: Temperature sensors are also designed to sense the oven’s temperature and aid in the process of adjusting temperatures. An oven may under or overheat if the sensors fail to sense the temperature.
- Thermostat Knob: If your thermostat knob is mounted loosely, the numbers on the knob may not actually represent the actual temperature of the oven.
- Oven Ventilation: If the oven’s ventilation is blocked, the oven will have a hard time circulating air, which could cause the oven to overheat. Check to see if something is hindering the oven’s ventilation from working as intended.
- Selector Switch: The selector switch acts as a bridge of communication between the heating element and the thermostat. If the selector switch is faulty, the communication between the two components will fail. This can cause the heating element to start heating even though the oven is already at the desired temperature.
- Control Panel: Not all models, but some do come with a control panel. The control panel is a delicate component and a simple power outage can cause it to malfunction. Checking the control panel should, preferably, be done by someone with experience. I recommend getting in contact with customer service.
- Filth: The thermostat will collect filth and grease over time. This can cause it to malfunction. Simply removing the thermostat and cleaning it should fix this issue.
Start troubleshooting your device to figure out what’s wrong with it. I strongly recommend that you get in contact with customer service to get more information before you start repairing the device yourself.
Opening up a new device can declare the warranty void.
How Do You Know If Your Oven is Overheating?
I figured it out when I came across the third batch of burned cookies. I took the blame for the first two batches but the third was just too much. If you’ve gone through the same you may have an oven that’s overheating, or an inability to multitask without forgetting things, like me.
Regardless of the situation, there is a much easier way to figure out if your oven is overheating or not. We don’t need more than the temperature to know if the oven is hotter than it should be.
Here’s what you do.
- Set the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
- Place an oven-safe thermometer on the rack in the middle of the oven
- Wait until the oven has finished preheating, this usually takes 15-20 minutes. Wait for 20 to 25 minutes to be on the safe side.
- Check the thermostat to see if the readings are in line with the temperature you’ve set on the oven. Are they? Great! Then your oven is working as intended.
- If the oven’s temperature is above the set temperature, then your oven is most likely overheating.
Remember: an oven that’s showing 351 degrees when you set it to 350 is not overheating. That’s just life doing its thing.
How Do I Fix an Overheating Oven?
So what should you do if your oven is overheating? That’s the most interesting part, isn’t it? Simply identifying the problem is good but it’s to no help if you don’t know what to do about it.
We mentioned a variety of different causes earlier in the article. This must mean that there are a variety of different solutions too. Yes, that’s true, and depending on what’s causing your oven to overheat, you may need to call a certified repairman as some things can be quite tricky.
Replacing or Fixing the Thermostat
If the thermostat is the problem, replacing it should do the trick. Oven thermostats are available in stores and online. Check with the company that manufactured your oven to see if they sell thermostats separately.
Replacing the thermostat looks different from model to model but here’s a guide that shows the general idea.
It should be mentioned that a faulty thermostat will not always need to be replaced. Depending on the problem the thermostat has run into, you may be able to fix it with very little effort.
It’s quite common for a thermostat to collect grease, and as grease keeps accumulating on the thermostat, the ability to sense temperature can be compromised. Cleaning the thermostat to get rid of dirt is a simple task and it may actually solve your problem.
Start by cleaning the thermostat and if that doesn’t do it, consider replacing it.
Replace or Fix the Oven’s Fan
The cooling fan can also be replaced, just like the thermostat. If you’re sure about the fan being the villain in the drama, then replacing it should cause the oven’s temperatures to fixate, as intended.
The reason why a broken fan can cause an oven to overheat is that the heat generated in the oven isn’t distributed throughout the oven’s cavity properly. This can spawn hot spots where the hot air collects, rather than circulating the oven.
As long as the cooling fan is broken the oven should not be used. It will overheat quite easily and could potentially be dangerous, so let the oven be until the problem has been sorted out to avoid harm.
Look for strange noises coming from the fan. Excessive noise along with an inability to circulate heat properly are two clear signs that the fan is malfunctioning.
To check if something is preventing the blade from rotating, manually rotate the blade with your hands. First, unplug the oven then open the oven door and reach for the fan, once you’ve got a grip of its blades, rotate the blades clockwise or counterclockwise to see if the blades can spin without resistance.
If the blades are unable to spin or can spin but with great resistance, then it’s a good idea to clean the fan thoroughly – the oven’s fan will collect grease and muck over time, and an excessive amount can hinder the fan from functioning.
It could also be the fan’s motor that’s malfunctioning if the blades appear stiff.
If you have to take money out of your own wallet for the reparation, expect to pay anywhere between 100$ and 275$ for a new fan.
Replacing or Fixing The Heating Element
The oven’s heating elements can often be found on the top and bottom of the oven’s inside. They’re also famously known as “coils”, and I’m sure you’ve either seen them or accidentally touched them as you reach for your food. These coils are responsible for producing heat in the oven.
If the heating element is malfunctioning, a technician will begin by visually inspecting the element to see if there is any damage to it or if the element has come loose. Obvious signs of damage or a loose element can are easy signs of a malfunctioning element, however, sometimes the damage on the element is on the inside, hidden by the outer casing.
You may think that a malfunctioning heating element will stop producing heat completely, but that’s not always the case. Sometimes, a malfunctioning heating element will instead produce more heat than needed, this can cause the oven to overheat.
After visibly inspecting your heating element, test different parts of the heating element using a multimeter to see if you can spot any anomalies. If any of these tests fail, replace the heating element.
Replacing an oven’s heating element will cost anywhere from 60 to 150 dollars depending on the model.
How Do I Prevent an Oven from Overheating?
Preventing an oven from overheating is all about monitoring the oven’s behavior to spot irregularities in the oven’s effectiveness. The majority of us will most likely have a hard time preventing the oven from overheating because we don’t consider the risk or possibility.
The average user won’t be observant enough to keep track of the time it takes for the oven to heat up to the desired temperature and then cool down. Keeping track of such things can become quite helpful in the future.
Don’t obsess about it. I’m just saying that you should do a check every now and then to see if the oven still acts as intended. If it takes more or less time to reach the set temperature, if the oven has a hard time cooling down, and if the temperature measured in the oven doesn’t match the temperature the knob is set to.
When you start noticing an issue with your oven, you want to call an expert as quickly as possible instead of waiting for the oven to fail completely.
Can Ovens Explode?
The kind of explosion that I picture in my head when I hear the word explosion is not something you should expect from an oven. There may be some documented cases but I believe they’re extremely rare and include a combination of outer factors.
With that said, a fair amount of users have reported their glass doors exploding and sending shattered glass all over their kitchen. This has happened to most brands and should not be seen as an indication of lesser quality.
Glass oven doors contain tempered glass, a kind of glass that’s heated to extremely high temperatures and then cooled down rapidly to strengthen it against high heat.
An oven’s glass door shattering has little to do with overheating. Instead, here are a few things you can do to minimize the risk of breaking the glass door.
- Be careful when placing pots, dishes and trays on an open glass door.
- Be careful when cleaning the glass. Don’t use more force than necessary when wiping the glass and make sure to use the right type of products.
- Don’t expose the glass to extreme temperature fluctuations. Placing an ice-cold dish on a hot glass door can cause the glass to shatter or weaken it substantially.
- Make sure the oven racks are in place when you shut the oven door to avoid smashing the door against the racks.