It was the timer or the switch
Cost you nothing, and that is a good outcome. Worth knowing where that switch is for next time.
Oven Not Working? Try These Checks First
Three of them are free, and one of them fixes more ovens than anything we carry in the van.
Oven or cooktop stopped working? Here is what to check before you book anyone, what the warning signs mean, and when it is an electrician, an appliance repairer or a replacement. Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland and Port Stephens.
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Stop and switch it off if
Do not keep using it
- You can smell burning, or a smell like hot plastic, when it is not food
- You saw a flash, a spark or a bang from inside the oven
- An element is glowing white in one spot, or has split open
- The switch on the wall, or the wall around it, is warm, brown or misshapen
- Anyone has felt a shock or a tingle from the oven, the cooktop or a nearby tap
- It trips the safety switch every time you turn it on
Turn it off at the switch on the wall, or at the switchboard, and leave it off. Someone hurt or you can see smoke: call 000. Anything else on this list: ring us, including after hours.
Is it the oven, or is it the power getting to it?
This is the whole question, and it decides who you should be ringing. An oven is two separate things: a supply, which is ours, and an appliance, which is not.
Nothing lights up at allNo clock, no display, no light when you open the door. The supply is not reaching it. Usually a switch or a breaker, and that is us.
It lights up but will not heatClock on, controls respond, no heat. The supply is fine and the fault is inside the appliance. That is an appliance repairer, or a replacement.
Work out which one you have before you book anybody. It is the difference between the right trade turning up and paying twice.
We do the electrical side and we replace the unit. We are not appliance repairers, so we do not rebuild an oven that has a failed element or control board. What we do is supply and install a replacement, or fit one you have already bought.
Four checks before you book anyone
The first three are free and take about five minutes.
Check the clock is not set to AUTO
This one fixes more dead ovens than anything else, and people are usually annoyed at how simple it is. Most ovens have a timer that will hold the oven off until a set time, and it is easy to nudge on by accident while cleaning.
If the display shows AUTO, a cooking symbol, a letter A, or a flashing time you did not set, the timer is holding it. Look for a button marked with a clock, a pot or the word Timer, and set it back to manual. On many models, holding that button for a few seconds clears it. Your manual will name the exact button, and most are online by model number.
If the clock is blank as well, skip this. A blank clock means no power is arriving, so go to step 2.
Find the switch on the wall and make sure it is on
Most ovens have an isolating switch nearby so you can kill the power without walking out to the meter board. If it has been knocked off, the oven is stone dead and there is nothing wrong with it.
It does not always look the same, and this is the part that catches people out. Look for all three:
- A large switchOften labelled OVEN, COOKTOP or STOVE
- An ordinary light switchSame size as any other, often unlabelled
- An extra switchSitting in the middle of a double power point
Where to look: on the wall near the oven, often above the bench, beside the rangehood, or just inside a nearby cupboard. Plenty of kitchens do not have one at all, so not finding one is a normal answer rather than a failure.
Check the switchboard
Open the switchboard door only, never unscrew a panel, and leave anything labelled Solar or Battery alone. A switch is ON when the lever points up. Ovens usually have their own switch, and it is often labelled.
If one lever is down, push it firmly up. If it stays up, try the oven again. If it snaps straight back down, something is faulty, so leave it off and ring us. If the switch that went off has a Test button, that is a safety switch. Safety switch keeps tripping >
The meter board is on an outside wall on most homes. Where it is not, the switchboard is usually in the garage or a cupboard.
Work out whether it trips when hot
If the oven runs for a while and then trips the safety switch, that is the classic sign of an element breaking down. As it heats up it starts leaking to earth, which is exactly what a safety switch is watching for.
It feels intermittent and people often keep resetting it. Do not. Note roughly how long it runs before it goes off, because that tells us a lot before we arrive.
What your result means
No power is reaching it
Dead with the switch on and the breaker up. We test the supply, the isolator and the connection at the oven.
Fault finding >
The oven itself has failed
Power is arriving and it still will not heat. Repair it, or replace it. We supply and install, or fit one you have bought.
Oven and cooktop installation >Want this sorted?
Tell us what is going on. We ring you back, usually the same day.
When to call an electrician about an oven
Nothing lights up at all
No clock, no display, no oven light. The supply is not getting there, and that is ours. We test back from the oven to the board and find where it stops.
It trips the power once it gets hot
Usually an element on its way out. We confirm it is the appliance rather than the wiring, so you are not replacing an oven that was never the problem.
Why it trips >
There is no isolating switch
Some kitchens have none, which means the only way to kill the power is the switchboard. Fitting one is quick, and it is worth doing while we are there for anything else.
You are replacing it anyway
Measure the opening before you buy, because a new oven is rarely the same size as a twenty-year-old one. Send us a photo of the opening and the switch and we will tell you what fits.
Appliance installation >Renting, or managing rentals?
Renting? Do the free checks above first, then tell your property manager what you found. Saying the clock is blank, or that it runs for ten minutes and trips, gets the right trade sent the first time.
Property managers: a photo of the oven, the rating plate and the switch near it usually tells us whether it is a repair, a replacement or a supply fault before anyone attends. We supply and install, or fit an owner-supplied unit, and invoice the same day with before and after photos. Rental appliance replacement >
Related home services
Oven and cooktop installation
Supplied and fitted, or we fit the one you bought.
Read more >Fault finding and repairs
No power to the oven, tripping circuits, dead points.
Read more >Safety switch keeps tripping
The switch with a Test button will not stay on.
Read more >Appliance installation
Ovens, cooktops, rangehoods and the points behind them.
Read more >Oven and cooktop questions
Why has my oven stopped working but the cooktop still works?
They are often on separate circuits, and on many kitchens they have separate isolating switches. Check the switch on the wall near the oven and the switchboard before assuming the oven has failed.
My oven has power but will not heat. What is that?
If the clock and the controls light up, the supply is fine and the fault is inside the appliance, usually an element or a thermostat. That is an appliance repairer rather than an electrician.
Why does my oven trip the safety switch?
Most often a failed element. As it breaks down it leaks to earth, which is exactly what a safety switch watches for. It often trips only once the oven gets hot, which is why it seems intermittent.
What is an oven isolation switch?
A switch on the wall that turns the power off to the oven or cooktop without going out to the meter board. It is usually near the oven, often above the bench or beside the rangehood. Plenty of kitchens do not have one.
My oven clock says AUTO and the oven will not turn on. Why?
The timer has been set, often by accident, and the oven will not run until it is cleared back to manual. It is one of the most common reasons an oven looks dead, and it costs nothing to fix.
Can you supply the new oven as well as fit it?
Yes, either way. We can supply and install the replacement, or fit one you or your landlord has already bought.