Fix Oven: Common Problems, Costs, and When to Repair or Replace

When you need to fix oven, a household appliance used for baking and roasting food, typically powered by electricity or gas. Also known as a range oven, it’s one of the most used appliances in the kitchen—and one of the first to break down when something goes wrong. Whether it’s not heating up, taking forever to preheat, or throwing error codes, a faulty oven disrupts meals, schedules, and sanity. The good news? Many oven issues are simple to diagnose and fix, often without needing a technician.

Most oven problems come down to a few key parts. The oven heating element, the coil inside the oven that glows red-hot to generate heat is the #1 culprit. If it’s cracked, burnt, or doesn’t glow, it’s dead. Replacing it costs under £100 and often takes under an hour. Then there’s the oven control board, the digital brain that tells the oven when and how much to heat. It can fail after years of use, especially in older models, and repairs here can get pricey—sometimes more than half the cost of a new oven. And don’t ignore the thermostat. If your oven runs too hot or too cold, it’s often not the food—it’s the sensor.

Age matters. If your oven is over 13 years old, repairs start to lose their value. A £200 fix on a 15-year-old unit might seem fine until you realize a new model uses 30% less energy and comes with smart features. And if you’ve had the same repair done twice in a year? That’s a sign the whole system is wearing out. Don’t throw money at a dying appliance—check the math. Look at the cost of the part, the labor, and how many more years you’ll realistically get out of it.

Some fixes you can do yourself. If your oven won’t heat, unplug it, open the back panel, and check the heating element for breaks or discoloration. A multimeter can tell you if it’s getting power. If the oven light works but the heat doesn’t, it’s almost always the element. If the display is blank or flashing error codes, the control board might be the issue—but that’s trickier. Leave that to a pro unless you’ve done electronics work before.

And don’t forget the door seal. A cracked or loose gasket lets heat escape, making your oven work harder and raising your bills. A quick visual check and a $20 replacement seal can save you hundreds over time.

Below, you’ll find real-world guides on diagnosing oven failures, replacing parts, comparing repair costs, and deciding when to walk away. No fluff. No theory. Just what works for Taunton households dealing with broken ovens—whether it’s a 20-year-old model or one that stopped working last week.