Oven Not Heating

Bake or broil that never comes up to temperature

An oven that stays cold, or preheats for an hour and still won’t brown anything, is a common call from San Francisco flats to Daly City and the Peninsula. A gas oven may click and never light. An electric oven may show a preheat bar that never fills. Sometimes bake fails while broil still glows, and sometimes nothing heats. It can be the control, igniter, element or sensor. Gas and 240-volt ovens are not DIY projects.

We fix ovens that won’t heat, Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. We work out of 140 San Pedro Rd, Daly City, CA 94014, and come to you. Call (415) 585-5900 or email service@bayappliancerepair.com. California BEAR #46247.

Common causes (high level)

On electric ovens, bake usually quits because of a burned-out bake element, a weak broil element that helps with preheat, a bad oven sensor, or a control that never switches bake on. On gas ovens, the igniter often glows but is too weak to open the gas valve. We find that one a lot. Thermal fuses, door-lock switches on self-clean models and a half-tripped double breaker can also kill the heat while the light and clock still work.

• Open or blistered bake/broil element (electric)
• Weak igniter that will not open the gas valve (gas, pro only)
• Failed oven temperature sensor or control board
• Door lock or self-clean switch interrupting bake
• Tripped 240V breaker, loose range cord, or gas shutoff not fully open
• Ignition module, safety valve, or wiring faults (gas, pro only)

Burners on top of the range are a different problem; see our stove pages. This guide covers the oven itself: bake, convection bake and broil.

Safe checks, and what not to DIY

Stay with external, unpowered observations. Gas valves, igniters, 240V elements, and hidden terminal blocks belong to a licensed technician:

• Confirm the oven is not in Sabbath, demo, or a locked self-clean cool-down that blocks bake.
• Note whether the clock and interior light work; a dark display plus no heat can be a supply issue.
• For electric ranges, verify both sides of a double-pole breaker are on. Do not open the back panel or probe live terminals.
• For gas ranges, confirm the gas shutoff behind the range is fully open. Do not take apart gas fittings or test with an open flame.
• Look through the glass (door closed) for any glow at bake or broil during a preheat attempt; write down error codes.

Leave these to a technician: replacing gas igniters, opening sealed burner boxes, jumping safety valves, testing live 240-volt bake circuits, or bypassing thermal fuses. Fire, shock and carbon monoxide are real risks. If you smell gas, turn the range off, leave if you need to, and call your gas utility or a qualified technician. Don’t keep trying to light it.

When to call for oven repair

Book service when the oven never reaches set temperature, food is raw after a full preheat time, you smell gas or scorching insulation, error codes repeat, or only broil or only bake works. Same-day appointments are often available by route. Hours are Monday–Friday, 8am–5pm.

In San Francisco, book through San Francisco oven repair. Burners on top not lighting? See stove and range repair. A microwave that won’t heat is a different appliance with its own guide.

What diagnosis looks like

We check gas or electric, test the heat circuit for that type, and tell you straight whether to repair or replace. An igniter, element, sensor or control fixes many ovens that won’t heat when the cavity and door seal are good. Licensed under California BEAR #46247, with appointments Monday to Friday.

Related repair pages: stove repair across the San Francisco Bay Area · Viking appliance repair · Thermador appliance repair · BlueStar appliance repair · GE appliance repair

Book help for an oven that will not heat

Tell us gas or electric, wall oven or range, whether broil still works, the brand and model if you know them, and how we get into the building. Call (415) 585-5900, Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, or use contact or the FAQ. More on services and about Bay Appliance Repair. Messages left after 5:00 PM Friday get a reply Monday.