Ahead of the holiday season, as experienced appliance repair experts we would like this time for you to turn our attention to ovens. You would not want to have all family gathered for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner and realize in the middle of cooking that your stove needs repair. It is this time of the year that we receive the phone calls for oven repair, often when it is too late for the holiday meal not to be affected. Check your oven well before the holidays to avoid that. In most cases ovens, as all appliances show the signs of potential problems way before they actually break down. Another good reason to keep a good eye on an oven is – it is one of the most common causes of fire – and we do not mean the towel that accidentally caught fire. We mean its electrical system and heating elements. While you might think that some of the baking problems are your own fault – this might not be the case at all.

Is your oven calibrated properly?

If you feel that something is not quite right with your oven – run a simple test. Use an independent thermometer for this test. Put the thermometer on the center of the middle rack (ideally you should be able to take a reading without opening the oven door). Set up the oven temperature for 350. Take a few readings 15 min apart from each other. If the temperature is different by more than 5 degrees – it means it needs calibration. Other common problems:

Oven distributes heat unevenly.

If you noticed that a part of your dish burns too fast, while the other part remains undercooked, it might mean that your bake or broil element is burnt out or malfunctioning. To confirm the problem you can do a simple test using sliced bread: lay slices of bread on a cooking sheet and put in the oven. Bake it for short time and take it out and check for the burn pattern. Take a snapshot it will help our technician to confirm the problem. Although you might try and cheat your stove by regularly rotating the baking dishes inside – the problem heating element will eventually burn.

One of the heating elements on the cooktop is not working.

If you noticed that one of the heating elements is not working, or working unreliably – book the service appointment right away as it points to the problem with the electric circuit. While avoiding using that burner is a temporary solution – it is best if the circuit board is getting looked at. As ovens happen to be in the epicenter of cooking and all the messy processes related to it – such as spilled oil, flour or other substances it does require more cleaning – and not only for cosmetic purposes – think of it as your oven maintenance. Greasy elements and parts will not perform properly and are at a higher risk of damage.

If you noticed that your oven is not functioning properly – give us a call or book an appointment at I-fix appliances. We service all makes of stoves, oven ranges, and cooktops in the GTA.