Stoves, as appliances go, are not that complicated. In fact, of all the appliances you will ever own, stoves may be the easiest ones to repair on your own. Here are three easy stove repairs you can make yourself, as long as you are careful and follow directions closely.
1. One or More Burners Will Not Heat
If you have already checked to make sure the heating elements are snapped into the stove top completely, remove two burners and plug them into each other's connections. If making the burners switch places still does not get them to work, or if the burner that is now plugged into the bad burner's previous spot does not work, it is not the burners themselves. The next step is to unplug the stove from the wall and lift the range up to examine the wiring that connects to each burner's plug.
If the wires in the bad burner plug are dangling, loose or disconnected, you can carefully tighten these wires up or reconnect them by closely examining how the wires on the other burner plugs are connected. Then plug the stove back into the outlet. Push all of the burners back into their rightful places in the range and turn them on. If the malfunctioning burner still does not heat, consult an appliance repair company like Master Tech Mechanical.
2. Stove Does Not Seem to Be Getting Any Power
This is probably the easiest repair of all.
- Unplug the stove.
- Push your stove away from the wall and check the cord's connections to the stove.
- Tighten any screws that keep the cord attached to the stove.
- If there are no loose screws, remove the cord and replace it with a brand-new cord, making sure to tighten the screws through the cord's fastening loops or wires.
- Plug the stove back in and test it by turning on a button.
If it works, there is nothing else you have to do. If it does not work, there is something else wrong and you need to keep looking for another electrical problem.
3. The Stove Alarm or Timer Goes Off Randomly
If your stove alarm or timer goes off randomly while you are cooking, it could be one of two things.
- There is a short in the circuit board that registers the signals from the controls.
- The sensors under the button that sets the timer or alarm is still depressed, even when the button itself has returned to its normal unpressed position.
To fix this problem, press and hold the appropriate but malfunctioning button for a few seconds. Your stove may continue to beep or make noise. Hold the button down until the noise stops and then release it. If this problem happens every single time you cook, you may need a professional to take a look at the circuit board and button controls inside your stove.