The short answer
On a gas oven, suspect the igniter first: it glows, the valve never opens, and the oven stays cold. On an electric oven, look for a visibly broken bake element and then at the supply, because one leg of a two-pole circuit can be lost while the clock and the light still work.
Identify what you have
- Gas oven: igniter glows, no flame follows — The classic weak-igniter picture.
- Electric oven: element with a break, blister or burn mark — A visible verdict, and the commonest electric fault.
- Broiler works but bake does not, or the reverse — Points at one element or its switching rather than at the supply.
- Oven runs cooler than the setting — Sensor, calibration or a leaking door.
- Clock and light work, nothing heats at all — A lost supply leg on a two-pole circuit is a real possibility.
- Not this fault: it heats but the door is hot at the top — That is the door and seal page.
Ranked, split by fuel
- Gas: weak igniter that no longer opens the safety valve — First on any gas oven, and the reason to watch the burner rather than the display.
- Electric: bake element failed — First on electric, and often visible from inside the cavity.
- Supply: one leg of the two-pole circuit lost — Second on electric, and it produces a live display with no heat.
- Oven sensor drifted — Third, and it usually shows as running cool rather than as no heat.
- Control board relay not closing — Fourth, and it presents as one function working and another not.
- Gas supply shut off or a valve fault — Last, but always worth confirming that other gas appliances work.
Diagnose in this order
- Watch what happens at the burner or the element during a preheat — Seeing is faster than reasoning here.
- On gas, time how long the igniter glows before you conclude anything — An igniter that glows without a flame is the answer.
- On electric, inspect the bake element for a break or blister — It is visible from inside a cold, empty cavity.
- Check the breaker, both poles, before ordering any part — A lost leg imitates a failed element exactly.
Owner-side checks
- Let the cavity cool, empty it, and look directly at the element or burner — The single most informative step on this page.
Tools: torchAbout 15 min
- Start a preheat and watch the element glow or the igniter light — Note whether heat ever appears at all.
About 15 min
- Check that other gas appliances in the house work — Confirms the supply before anything is blamed.
About 10 min
- Switch the breaker fully off and on once — A two-pole breaker can drop one leg and still look normal.
About 10 min
- Compare oven temperature with a separate oven thermometer — Turns a running cool complaint into a measurement.
Tools: oven thermometerAbout 30 min
- Stop before disconnecting any element, valve or sensor — Those are service connections carrying either mains or gas.
Gas and electricity together
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel. A capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. If you smell gas: do not switch anything on or off, leave the building, and call the gas utility or your emergency number from outside. Do not look for the leak yourself. Never attempt to light an oven burner manually, and never run an oven with a damaged element in place.
When to call
Call for a gas oven whose igniter glows without producing flame, for an electric element that is visibly broken, and for any oven that is cold with a proven supply. Call as well if the oven runs cool after the door seal has been checked, because the sensor and its calibration sit behind the rear wall. Stop and call immediately if you smell gas at any point during the investigation.
Other faults on this oven
Scope of this page
Generalized across oven families and both fuel types under this badge. Where a family-specific or model-specific page exists, that page is the more precise answer. Not here: element ratings, igniter current values, sensor resistance tables, calibration offsets and valve part numbers, all of which differ by family and by fuel.
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
