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You open the oven and pull out the cookie sheet, only to find your oven is not cooking evenly. Half-baked cookies or pizza are not going to cut it! What can be done?
Electric ovens are an efficient way to cook a family meal or bake a batch of cookies. However, an oven that isn’t cooking evenly can be a major inconvenience. The only way to solve the problem is to figure out what it is, so why is your oven not cooking evenly?
A defective heating element, faulty temperature sensor, or a malfunctioning control board are common reasons an oven isn’t cooking evenly. Solutions include using a
In this article, I’ll discuss the most common reasons why your oven isn’t cooking evenly. I’ll also explain how to fix these issues. Let’s get started!
1. The Heating Element is Defective
If your oven isn’t heating evenly, there is a good chance that your heating element is defective. You can determine the functionality of the heating element through visual inspection or by using a
When visually inspecting the element, look for breaks and blistering. You’ve found your culprit if there is visible breakage or blistering.
A damaged element can be dangerous. Not only can it cause uneven heating, but it can also explode. Even if there are no signs of damage, the heating element may still be why your oven isn’t cooking evenly.
Read: KENMORE Oven Is Not Heating? How To Fix It?
How To Fix?
If there are obvious signs of damage to your heating element, it is time to replace it. However, if your heating element is intact, further testing should be done using a
Here’s how to test your oven’s heating element.
- Disconnect the power at the breaker and wear cut-resistant gloves.
- Pull the oven range away from the wall just far enough to reach behind and unplug it from the receptacle.
- Pull the range out further to give you plenty of room to work, and remove the panels on the back of the oven.
- Disconnect the wires connected to the element through the back of the oven and test it for continuity. This test will determine if there is a continuous path for the electricity to flow through.
- Set the multimeter to the ohms or resistance setting.
- Touch the probes to the terminals.
The element is good if the continuity reads between 10 and 40 ohms. If there is no continuity or the resistance is far outside the 10 to 40 ohms range, the element is faulty and must be replaced.
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Read: Whirlpool Oven With Locked Door E2 F3. What Is It And How To Unlock It?
2. The Temperature Sensor is Faulty
The temperature sensor manages the adjusting and reading of the oven’s internal temperature. If it’s not working properly, the oven’s temperature will be too high or too low but will never reach the intended cooking temperature.
Some signs that the temperature sensor is faulty include the following.
- Uneven baking
- Overheating
- Turns off early
- Doesn’t turn on
Read: Why Frigidaire Oven Door Is Locked. How To Unlock?
How To Fix? (Oven not cooking evenly)
Disconnect the wires to the sensor and use a
A good temperature sensor should have around 1,080 ohms at room temperature. You will need to replace the temperature sensor if the reading is far lower or higher than 1,080 ohms.
It is important to know that you cannot do a continuity test on a temperature sensor. Oven temperature sensors have a high ohm value that misgauges a continuity test on most multimeters.
3. The Control Board is Malfunctioning
The control board controls the bake and broil elements and exhibits the time and temperature. If the control board isn’t sending power to the heating elements or it’s not displaying the temperature or time, it is defective and should be replaced.
How To Fix?
You must remove the control board cover and visually inspect it to fix this issue. If you notice any charred or blackened areas on the board, it could be a failed component or a short circuit.
Make sure all wires are secure. A loose wire can prevent power from going to where it needs to. If the control board has visible damage from a failed component or short circuit, you will need to replace it.
Read: Is It Safe To Use Oven After Fire?
4. The Convection Fan Motor Is Damaged
A motorized fan forces air to circulate inside a convection oven to maintain the desired temperature. If the fan motor is defective, the oven won’t bake evenly.
How To Fix?
To determine if this is your issue, you can inspect the fan by turning it manually. If it doesn’t turn easily, the fan is damaged. You can also use a
If it fails electrically or the fan blade is difficult to turn by hand, you will need to replace the fan motor in your oven.
Read: F76 GE Oven Error Code – Troubleshooting Guide
5. The Thermal Fuse Is Blown
Some ovens use a thermal fuse, while others use a limit switch. A thermal fuse disconnects the power if the oven is overheating. The elements won’t receive power if the thermal fuse is blown or the limit switch is faulty.
How To Fix?
To fix this issue, use a
- Disconnect the wires and isolate the fuse.
- Set the
multimeter to the ohms or resistance setting. - Place the probes on each terminal.
The fuse is still good if the
6. Oven Not Sitting Level
An oven stands alone and is placed into a built-in slot on a countertop. Sometimes the oven may be placed in a slot where the feet of your range are not completely even. This issue with levels could be because the floor it sits on may not be truly level. If the oven is not sitting level, then your food will not cook or bake evenly.
How To Fix?
A leveling issue can be an easy, non-expensive fix. An oven has leveling feet, which means you can adjust the feet of a range easily to ensure the oven sits level even if the floor under it is unlevel. The leveling of your oven is simple to correct and just takes some twisting of the front feet of your range.
You can lengthen or shorten each foot of the oven by adjusting the threaded shaft that connects the foot and oven. Once you have ensured that your oven is level, try baking something to see if this is the issue. If your food comes out baked evenly, then the problem is solved.
Summary
If your oven isn’t baking evenly, this can be due to something as simple as needing to adjust the feet or something more technical that will require a
Once the problem is narrowed down, you’ll know if something needs to be replaced or if you need to buy a new oven range.
Understand what to look for and what signs indicate the exact problem. We’ve looked at potential problems and provided steps on how to go about testing each part safely.
