Oven doors are designed to be durable, especially against the high temperatures inside the appliance. Although it doesn’t happen often, a glass oven door can shatter. But why would that occur in a Kenmore oven?
Has your Kenmore oven glass door shattered? It’s possible that it had micro-cracks that were invisible to the eye. Once cracks develop, the oven’s heating and cooling cycles will worsen the problem until the glass gives way and breaks. These cracks can happen due to manufacturing defects, hard impacts, or aggressive cleaning. Harsh cleaning chemicals and extreme temperature changes can also cause eventual shattering.
The first step to dealing with this problem is to understand why it happens. That’s where this guide comes in. Here, you’ll discover why a Kenmore glass oven door shatters and how you can prevent it from happening.
Why Has My Kenmore Oven Glass Door Shattered?
The reason your Kenmore oven door shattered is that it suffered damage in the past without you noticing. When it finally shattered, the glass most likely had micro-cracks that weren’t visible to the naked eye, and that damage undermined the door’s structural integrity.
Here are the things that contributed to that problem and eventually led to your oven door shattering:
1. Manufacturing Defects Or Transportation Damage
Firstly, you must consider that there were manufacturing defects involved in your oven door eventually shattering.
For example, the glass door could have already been damaged on the factory floor while it was being installed on the appliance. Then, as you continued using the oven in your kitchen regularly, the repetitive heating and cooling of the glass eventually caused it to shatter all over your kitchen floor.
While this is certainly possible, you should only consider a manufacturing defect as the root cause if you’ve had the oven for less than a year. During that time, the oven is still somewhat new, and that’s when defects like this one will become apparent.
Besides that, the damage to your oven’s glass door could have also occurred after it left the factory. For instance, the oven might not have been secured correctly during transportation from the warehouse to your home, causing similar damage.
If that’s the case, then you’ll also want to check your oven’s warranty terms. Appliance warranties typically cover manufacturing defects and damage during transport. Problems covered by the warranty typically result in free repairs or parts replacements.
However, if the glass shattered after you’ve been using it for more than a year, then the cause is likely something else.
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2. Something Hard Hit Or Pressed On The Glass
Another likely reason that your oven glass door was damaged and eventually shattered is a hard impact. In simple terms, something hard hit the glass and caused the micro-cracks mentioned earlier.
Then, the oven’s repeated heating and cooling caused the damage to become more severe until the glass door finally shattered.
That impact typically happens when the oven door hits one of the metal racks inside while closing. Unfortunately, that’s a common problem when users close the door without ensuring that the racks are fully inside first.
Alternatively, pots, pans, and other kitchenware could have also hit the glass and caused the same result.
Aside from hitting the glass directly, resting those items on an open oven door can apply too much pressure to the glass and also cause it to form cracks.
Read: Kenmore Oven Shows F10 Error Code And Beeps. How To Fix?
3. Too Much Force While Cleaning
Another common cause of micro-cracks in oven glass doors is forceful cleaning.
It’s pretty normal for oven doors to develop stains, especially stubborn ones involving grease and other food bits.
Cleaning those stains can be pretty challenging, so people naturally apply additional force to try and make their glass oven doors look clean again.
However, that additional force can quickly become excessive and cause damage to the glass’ structure.
Again, the damage might only be apparent after a while. But over an extended period with several heating and cooling cycles, the damage will result in the glass shattering when you open the oven door.
Read: Why Oven Not Cooking Evenly?
4. Abrasive Cleaning Products
Sometimes, excessive force isn’t required to damage a glass oven door. Instead, a harsh or abrasive cleaning product can cause that damage with no effort at all on your part.
Using abrasive cleaning products might be effective at removing stubborn stains on your glass oven door, but it’s also more likely to cause damage to the structure of that glass at the same time.
As usual, the damage isn’t obvious at first but only becomes apparent when the oven operates at high temperatures.
Read: Oven Cooling Fan Noise. What Causes And How To Fix It?
5. Excessive Or Rapid Temperature Changes
Last but not least, the high temperatures inside the appliance could be what triggers the glass oven door to shatter. This problem can happen in one of two ways.
Firstly, the high temperatures will worsen the damage that’s already there. Perhaps the glass already had micro-cracks from one of the other causes listed above. Then, running the oven’s self-cleaning function, which involves extreme heat for extended periods, causes the glass to shatter.
Besides that, the problem can also occur due to rapid temperature changes. While glass oven doors are designed to sustain high temperatures, they will still suffer damage if the temperature changes too quickly.
Read: Why Frigidaire Oven Not Heating – Common Causes And Solutions
Can You Prevent An Oven Door From Shattering?
Yes, there are steps you can take to reduce the chances of your oven door shattering, such as the following:
- Push racks in: Firstly, you must make it a habit to push the oven racks fully into the oven cavity before closing the door. Developing that habit will prevent you from ever closing the glass door and hitting the metal racks.
- Don’t slam the door: Besides that, never slam your oven door shut. That will increase the chances of the glass experiencing damage. Instead, close the door gently by holding the handle with your hand instead of pushing it with your leg, for example.
- Use oven-safe cleaning products: When cleaning the oven door, you must do so gently without using harsh and abrasive chemicals. Using plain water and a cloth is usually enough to get the job done, but you can also use oven-safe cleaning products. They’re designed to be gentle on the glass, unlike harsh chemicals.
- Allow for gradual cooling: Avoid sudden temperature changes in your oven. It’s always best to let the appliance cool down naturally instead of forcing it. For example, leave the door closed for an hour after using the self-cleaning function, so the oven cools down slowly and safely.
Again, it’s important to remember that a glass door shattering when the oven is less than a year old is possibly due to a manufacturing defect. So if that’s the case, there was nothing you could do to prevent it.
Still, practicing good oven habits like the ones listed above will lower the chances of your oven door shattering in the future.
Final Thoughts
A shattering oven door can be pretty terrifying, and it’s been known to happen. However, the problem has a logical explanation for why it happens.
Although it appeared suddenly, the damage was done long before in the form of micro-cracks on the glass. Then, the oven’s heating and cooling cycles worsen the problem until one day, the glass shatters.
That damage happens due to manufacturing defects, impact on the glass, aggressive cleaning, harsh cleaning chemicals, and sudden temperature changes.
