I’m sure a good majority of us have heard that clicking noise for years without ever questioning what it indicates. I mean, as long as everything’s working and my lasagnas are cooked to perfection, there’s nothing to worry about, right?
Ovens make clicking noises when the control relay cycles between the bake and broil elements to regulate and maintain the oven’s temperature, but can also make clicking noises when the relays lose power then turn back on, indicating that there’s a loose connection somewhere. While the clicking noise isn’t dangerous per se, you should still have someone look at your oven if it starts making clicking noises all the time.
Some newer models even come with a more pronounced clicking sound than older models, making you more aware of its existence.
Nevertheless, as strange as the clicking may sound, it usually doesn’t mean that there’s something wrong with your oven, on the contrary, it may indicate that the oven’s functions work as intended.
While doing research for this, I found out that it can be caused by a variety of different things. Let’s take a look at each reason individually and what you should do about it.
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Should My Oven Make a Clicking Noise?
Every oven doesn’t function the same way. There are different types of ovens and because of that, there are also different types of mechanics or electronics at work behind the curtain. Some of the more popular types of ovens are either gas or electric ovens.
A gas oven uses igniters to light the oven and the burners, whereas an electric oven has elements made up of wires that start transferring heat throughout the oven as the temperature is set and the oven is started.
Both of these can make a clicking noise, sometimes in different situations, and for different reasons – but it’s still the same clicking noise.
When a gas oven is ignited, the igniter makes a clicking sound as it produces a spark to light the burner. You should expect this type of clicking noise to disappear as soon as the burner or oven is lit.
However, few people tend to be alarmed by the few clicks that the start-up process of a gas oven produces, and rarely question it.
Therefore, I’m guessing that in most cases, that’s not the clicking noise that raises awareness, as it occurs when you ignite the burner, not randomly or for a long period of time.
Now, if the sound doesn’t stop, happens randomly, or keeps going even if the oven is turned off, you may have sensed that something is slightly off.
Your oven could continue to make clicking noises because:
- There’s excessive moisture present: One reason why your oven might be making clicking noises is moisture. If moisture makes its way down to the igniter it may cause it to make a clicking noise, repeatedly. It’s a quite common cause and it can make your oven click even when it’s turned off. Thankfully, it usually doesn’t require an advanced solution.
Moisture can be removed by either heating the top burners or the oven and waiting until the moisture has been evaporated completely, or by unplugging the oven and letting it dry for as long as needed. If the clicking noise is produced by moisture, it should disappear when the moisture has evaporated.
- The control relays are cycling between elements: There are bake and broil elements in an oven. The broil setting will only heat the upper element and leave the bottom one turned off, whereas the bake setting will heat both the upper and lower element to distribute heat evenly. As the control relay cycles between these elements, a clicking noise is generated and that is probably what you are hearing if the oven makes the noise during use.
Elements can be turned on and off in order to regulate temperature and maintain the desired temperature.
As the elements are switched on and off they create a clicking noise and that may very well be what you’re heating. If this sound is getting out of hand and happens on a random basis with high frequency, you may have a faulty mainboard or loose connections.
- The stove has not been used in a while: An oven or a stove that has been standing idle may cause more clicking noises. This is because it may take some time for the lines of air inside the pipes to clear to allow the delivery of gas to ignite the burners.
Turn the ignition on, wait for half a minute. If it’s not turned on, turn it off, wait for a minute and then start it again. This should get the gas going and, eventually, reduce the clicking.
- The ignition switch could be stuck: The switch that kickstarts the ignition may be stuck, disabling the function completely. In this case, calling an authorized expert to have them look at it is suggested.
Why Is My Oven Clicking When It’s Turned Off?
As I mentioned earlier in the article, the clicking noise produced by the oven is not bound to happen when the oven is used, or simply turned on. In some cases, the oven keeps making the same sound even though it’s turned off.
This is something that I have experienced and it caused more frustration than I would have expected. Well, frustration doesn’t fit the description as well as worry.
Living in a two-story house with the bedroom located on the top floor and the kitchen on the bottom floor, I would cook food sometime in the evening and a couple of hours later I would be in bed, trying to sleep.
Now, for a short and intensive period of time, my oven would start making clicking noises around the time I was going to bed.
My first thought was that I had forgotten to turn the oven off, which, of course, forced me to get out of bed and go down to the kitchen to monitor the oven only to find it turned off, still clicking.
Regardless, I still went down the stairs to check on it every single time it clicked. I have heard of the boy who cried wolf and I did not want to experience a house fire.
I did the research and found out that it was moisture causing the clicking. I had the oven running without anything in it for a couple of hours then left it to dry overnight.
The next week, the oven made a clicking noise when igniting the burner and then nothing. Now when the clicking begins, I know exactly what to do.
Can an Oven Making Clicking Noises Indicate Danger?
An oven making clicking noises is not dangerous. Once it gets going, the igniter can make 3-5 clicking noises to get the burner going.
However, if the clicking noise acts strange you should definitely get in contact with the manufacturer just to make sure that you’re safe and to troubleshoot the oven.
There are a ton of different ovens available on the market and it can be quite hard to give out general guidelines regarding safety, therefore I will always recommend getting in contact with the company who manufactured the oven, as they are probably most familiar with the mechanics and the errors that may occur with their models.