Tip & How-To about Ovens

Oven not Working or Oven not Heating

If your gas oven is not working or not heating then you need to check this out. Today’s gas ovens are not often do not use the simple thermocouple with a pilot to prove the flame anymore. They have a much more complicated method of lighting the burner and proving the flame.

The use of electric igniters has become the standard for many ovens today. The thermostat calls for heat, power is supplied to the igniter, then after a certain amperage draw on the igniter, the gas valve is energizes to open and allow gas to flow starting the flame. As long as the amperage draw on the igniter is high enough then the gas valve stays open till the thermostat is satisfied.

Sometimes the igniter will crack and no current will go through and the igniter will not even heat up or glow. Sometimes the igniter will wear to the point where it will still heat up and glow, but the current draw will not be high enough to allow the gas valve to open. This creates a confusing situation where you look into the oven and see the glow from the igniter, but get no heat because the burner never lights up. If this is the case then you will need to replace the igniter even though it seems to be okay. The only way to know for sure is to know what the current draw requirements are for that gas valve and to have an amp meter to check the current draw.

Most of the time the problem will be in the igniter, and not the gas valve. Gas valves can go bad, but that is the case in only a very small amount of the situations. It is a pretty safe bet that if you have a problem with you gas oven lighting that you have a problem with your igniter.

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burners work fine, pilot light in oven is on, but oven won't ignite
Make sure the thermocoupler is being heated by the pilot light flame. It could also be gunked up but you can clean it with a scouring pad, or it might need to be replaced. The thermocoupler is the most likely cause because if it isn't heated then the gas valve will not open up and no gas will flow to the burner. Since your pilot light is on then you do have gas to the valve.

Aug 28, 2011 | Ovens

3 Answers

I have a bakers pride pizza oven and the bottom oven Including the pilot light) continue to go out for no apperant reason. I have changed the thermocouple 3 times and the pilot light once. Sometimes it works for weeks and sometimes it goes out after 30 minutes model 151
Several things to check. First be sure the pilot light flame is directly striking the thermocouple. It is a pencil sized rod that is next to the pilot light. Sometimes people reduce the size of the pilot flame to save gas. You may need to increase the pilot flame. Follow the small gas line from the pilot flame back to the gas valve. There is a screw where the small pilot gas line goes into the valve. Remove the screw and then deep in the hole is a tiny screw that can only be reached by a tiny flat blade screw driver. Turn the screw counter clockwise to increase the pilot flame. The thermocouple needs to be red hot to work properly. The second item to check is to see if there are any breezes that occasionally blow through the kitchen. Sometimes the hood fan will draw air under the ovens and actually blow the pilot flame out. Same fix, increase the flame. You may also experience low gas pressure to the appliance during heavy usage. You would need a manometer gauge to check for proper gas pressure. In short, if the oven goes out during your busiest time when everything gas powered is on, the oven may be starved for gas.

Sep 09, 2010 | Bakers Pride FC-616 Gas Single Oven

1 Answer

can't get pilot light to stay lite in oven
make sure the thermocouple is positioned above pilot light this part needs to be heated up by the pilot light to keep gas going to the pilot light. if the thermocouple is positioned above pilot light and it doesn't stay light, replace thermocouple.

Apr 04, 2010 | Stoves Premier 600GRa Gas Single Oven

1 Answer

kenmore gas oven model no. 273 3248296 pilot free ignition wont fire up
Hi

If it won’t fire then it is possible that the oven control is not sending gas for the pilot light. The pilot light works but no main burner ignition - possible pilot assembly is dirty and the pilot flame is too small, safety valve and thermocouple is faulty, the bulb from the safety valve is out of position and the pilot flame is not touching the thermocouple bulb. Some ranges use a standing pilot light ( small flame is on all the time ) while others use an spark ignition to light the pilot light flame and the pilot light flame heats up the thermocouple bulb to allow the main gas to flow through the oven burner.
The flame needs to heat the bulb up enough to tell it to open the gas valve. Several things can go wrong here that keep this from happening:
The pilot flame may not be hot enough, usually because the flame is yellow instead of pure blue or is too small. The cause for this is usually a dirty pilot assembly. The pilot assembly would either need to be cleaned or replaced.
The thermocouple bulb may not be positioned properly in the flame. You can't heat the bulb properly if it's not in the pilot flame! The thermocouple bulb needs to be in the upper third of a pure blue pilot flame--that's the hottest part of the flame.
The thermocouple itself may be burned out. It happens. It's an internal part of the gas valve so, no, you can't just change the thermocouple bulb separate from the gas valve.
But when you turn on the oven or the thermostat calls for heat, the pilot flame gets bigger and jumps down so it can heat up the thermocouple bulb. This extra gas to increase the pilot flame size comes from the thermostat.
If the pilot flame jumps upwards or just gets bigger, but doesn't shoot down, then you need to replace the pilot assembly.
If the pilot flame size does not increase or jump down when turning on the oven thermostat, then the problem is the thermostat not sending enough gas to the pilot assembly. It's also possible that the pilot gas supply tube has a hole in it somewhere.
One final point on the spark-assisted pilot ignition systems. The spark comes from the spark module--the same module that sends spark to your surface burners to light them up. If you're not getting a spark when you turn the oven on, then there are several possibilities:
There could be a problem with the switch in the thermostat. You can confirm this by doing a simple continuity test of the thermostat contacts. If you don't read zero ohms when you turn the switch on, replace the thermostat.
The spark module could be bad. You'll need to measure the voltage at the oven terminals of the spark module when you turn on the oven. If you get 120v but no spark, it's probably a bad spark module. Replace it.
Could be a bad spark wire or broken electrode.

Please do rate the solution and revert for further assistance.


Thanks
Rylee

Sep 10, 2009 | Kenmore Ovens

1 Answer

SF114PXSBO Whirlpool Gas Oven won't heat
your ignitor is bad, the thing that glows in the broiler compartment. two 1/4" screws and one plug, simple fix. you can do it. just call a local parts store with model # and brand,

Mar 30, 2008 | Whirlpool SB160PEE Gas Single Oven

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