As a home cook who loves experimenting with various recipes, my Kenmore electric oven has been a trusty companion for years. It’s seen its fair share of delicious creations, from crispy pizzas to mouthwatering casseroles. However, like any appliance, it occasionally faces issues, and recently, I encountered a puzzling problem: my Kenmore electric oven wouldn’t heat up, yet the broiler was working just fine. Turns out, it was a faulty control board However, there are some other reasons as well.
In this article, I’ll share my experience and the steps I took to troubleshoot and potentially fix this problem.
The Initial Confusion
The first time I noticed something was amiss, I was preheating the oven for a batch of chocolate chip cookies. To my surprise, it wasn’t getting hot. I checked the temperature settings, ensured that the timer was set correctly, and tried again, but still, nothing happened. The oven’s interior remained stubbornly cool, refusing to budge beyond room temperature.
Now, I was no expert in appliance repair, but I couldn’t help but wonder why the oven was acting up when the broiler, which shares the same heating element, seemed to be functioning perfectly. This discrepancy puzzled me, and I knew I needed to dig deeper to understand the issue.
Initial Troubleshooting Steps
Before calling in a professional repair service, I decided to try some basic troubleshooting to see if I could identify and possibly resolve the problem myself. Here’s what I did:
Power Cycle: The first step was to power cycle the oven. I turned off the circuit breaker that supplied power to the oven and left it off for a few minutes before turning it back on. This simple step can sometimes resolve electrical glitches.
Check the Heating Element: I examined the heating element, the coil at the bottom of the oven that is responsible for heating. It looked fine and didn’t show any signs of damage.
Thermal Fuse: The next thing I checked was the thermal fuse. The thermal fuse is a safety device designed to cut off power to the oven if it overheats. A malfunctioning thermal fuse could be a reason for the oven not heating up while the broiler works. I used a multimeter to check the continuity of the thermal fuse and found it to be functional.
Control Board: Since the oven’s control board controls the operation of both the bake and broil elements, I inspected it for visible signs of damage or loose wires. I also checked if there were any error codes displayed on the oven’s digital display.
Broil Element: I also closely inspected the broil element, just in case it was the source of the problem. A damaged broil element could potentially affect the oven’s overall performance.
Despite all these checks, I couldn’t identify the root cause of the issue. The broiler continued to work as expected, but the oven remained cold.
Seeking Professional Help
At this point, I realized that the problem was beyond my troubleshooting skills. While I’m comfortable with basic repairs and maintenance, the complexity of the oven’s electrical system and my lack of expertise necessitated professional intervention.
I contacted a local appliance repair service and scheduled an appointment. The technician arrived promptly and, after a thorough inspection, identified a faulty relay on the control board. This relay was responsible for activating the bake element, explaining why the broiler was working while the oven wasn’t heating.
The technician replaced the faulty relay, and my Kenmore electric oven was back to its reliable self in no time. As a bonus, the technician also gave the oven a general check-up, ensuring that it was in optimal working condition.
Parting Notes
My experience with the Kenmore electric oven not heating up, while the broiler worked, was indeed puzzling. It taught me the importance of basic troubleshooting and knowing when to seek professional help. While some minor issues can be resolved with a little DIY effort, more complex problems, especially those related to electrical components, should be left to the experts.
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