Over the years, ovens have become an essential part of household kitchens. These machines are specifically designed to ensure food is cooked evenly and in relatively less amount of time. But, since they are electronic appliances, ovens tend to run into problems as well. One of the most common problems tends to be the temperature accuracy. You might be observing that your meals are not cooked properly, and you might think the unit is faulty. We will explain how to check the temperature accuracy of your oven, the common causes of your oven not heating up as it should and if you need to consult an appliance repair professional.
Follow Correct Food Placement Practices
Back in the day, ovens either did not feature a built-in thermostat or were not so accurate. Today, modern ovens come with smart thermostats that ensure food items are prepared in the best manner possible. But this does not mean it cannot run into problems.
Sometimes, the temperature accuracy of ovens can be off by as much as 50 degrees, which is a huge cause for concern. if you are someone who likes to cook delicate meals at home every day, an inaccurate thermostat is going to cause you a lot of problems.
The biggest reason for thermostat inaccuracy is the placement of the food. People tend to overstuff the oven as well to prepare multiple meals at the same time to save some time and effort. But the thing is, there is a reason ovens contain racks.
These racks highlight the fact that the oven can only manage one or two meals at a time. If you were to overstack the oven, the food items would block the thermostat and cause temperature inaccuracies. To prevent that, you need to ensure you follow the instructions mentioned in the user manual.
How To Check Oven Temperature?
If you observe unusual behavior with the oven, especially related to uneven cooking, you might want to check its temperature for accuracy. Fortunately, checking the temperature requires a thermometer and isn’t that easy. But you need to make sure you opt for an accurate thermometer.
You need to keep in mind that an oven that is off even by a few degrees can make a huge difference in terms of quality. To make sure the temperature of your oven is accurate, you need to place the probe of your thermometer directly in the center of the oven’s rack and preheat it to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Once the oven notifies you that it has preheated, you should note the temperature and compare it to the set temperature. Allow the temperature to remain the same for at least 2 hours while taking readings every 15 minutes.
Then, add up all the temperatures and divide the number by the number of times the readings were taken. The final number is going to the average, which should be close to the original set temperature of 350 degrees. If that is not the case, it means the oven’s temperature is not accurate.
What Controls The Oven Temperature?
When it comes to oven temperature accuracy, you should know it isn’t just the thermostat dealing with the readings but also other components such as the electronic control board or circuit and sensing bulb, etc. Modern ovens come with an electronic circuit board that is connected to the oven sensor to help adjust the temperature.
Not only that, all the sensors and other features are also connected to the ECU, as it serves as the brain of the oven. Although these boards are rigid and do not give up easily, power fluctuations can easily damage them and lead to short circuits.
In such a case, the oven will shut down and will need to be repaired. On the other hand, if the oven was recently serviced, it could be that the sensor or sensors were unintentionally disturbed. Depending on the situation, you might want to get them recalibrated or replaced. In some other cases, there can be defects in a range model.
What Are The Causes Of Oven Temperature Issues?
Now that we have discussed what controls the temperature and how you might be able to fix some basic problems let’s dive a bit deeper into what other causes could result in oven temperature issues.
Oven Door Seal Needs Replacing
You might think that a faulty oven door seal won’t have much of a role to play in temperature inaccuracies. The fact of the matter is that it does, and a lot. An oven is an enclosed space with a limited amount of heat inside. The seals are installed to ensure the heat inside does not escape, and the air outside does not make its way in.
This could lead to temperature fluctuations, and you will only notice it when the meals are not coming out prepared the way they should be. To be sure, perform a thorough inspection of the seals. If the seals are damaged, consider their replacement. Spend some time to find the right replacement because any other seal may not work on the oven model you have. You can consult the oven manufacturer or an expert.
Door seal problems are common in refrigerators as well. If your refrigerator is not cooling properly, call in refrigerator repair Springfield services who can inspect and replace the door seal.
Faulty Sensor
An oven heavily relies on the temperature sensor to record and communicate the readings with the ECU. This component helps regulate and maintain the temperature when the oven is running. But, if it is not working properly, the oven simply won’t heat properly as well.
The only thing you can do is access the sensor and try cleaning it. If that does not work, you will need to replace the sensor. Unfortunately, sensors cannot be repaired and need to be replaced.
Heating Element Problems
Heating element problems are quite common in ovens. Even though manufacturers offer warranties for them, they will break down sooner or later. Heating elements could also stop functioning properly if the oven is not maintained regularly. Oil, dirt, and grime accumulation can reduce the performance of the elements.
Then again, you can try cleaning the heating elements to try to get them back to running properly again. But, if the heating elements tend to malfunction, there is only one thing you can do about it, and that is replacing.
How To Prevent Oven Temperature Issues?
The best way to prevent oven temperature issues is by scheduling professional maintenance at least once a year or more, depending on how frequently the oven is used. Professional maintenance is not an expense but rather an investment to keep potential trouble at bay.
Professional maintenance allows the experts to look for components that may be faulty or worn and replace them before they cause any problems. But keep in mind that regardless of how well-maintained the oven is, it will need a replacement, especially when the repairs have become regular, meaning the unit has neared its end.
Conclusion
If your oven doesn’t heat up to correct temperature, you should be aware of the potential causes and how you can fix them. Unless you have the tools and skills to deal with temperature issues, you should entrust an oven repair Alexandria expert to fix them. And make sure that your oven gets the professional care it deserves to be able to run smoothly for years to come.
