The oven won't heat up

Q: The oven won't heat up

In Canada, when an oven won't heat, the first thing to rule out is a setting — a delayed-start, timer, or Sabbath mode, or a clock that isn't set, will keep an oven from starting. On an electric oven, the next suspect is a burned-out bake element, visible as a break or blister in the metal loop; on a gas oven, it's usually a weak igniter that glows but never lights the gas. Also check whether the range's breaker has tripped. A failed control board or oven sensor is possible but least common, and that one is a technician's job. If you smell gas when the oven tries to light, stop, leave, and call your gas utility from outside.

A cold oven is frustrating — but it's often a setting or a single inexpensive part, not the whole appliance giving up.

tuneWhat are you noticing?

Select anything that matches and the checklist below reorders to fit. Not sure? Skip it.

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Start here

In Canadian kitchens, start with the controls. Make sure the oven isn't in a delayed-start, timer, or Sabbath/demo mode and that the clock is set — many ovens refuse to heat until the time of day is set. Cancel any active program, set a normal bake temperature, and listen for the oven to start. It costs nothing to rule out and is the single most common reason an oven won't heat.

Ranked from real-world failure data. The order updates as you select what you’re noticing above.

Likely causes, in the order to check them

Showing the typical order

Beginner-friendly Doable, with care Safety-critical Call a pro

visibilityHow to check

report Cut the power before you touch the elementAn oven bake element runs on 240 volts and its terminals stay live until you remove power. Unplug the range or switch its breaker OFF and confirm the oven is dead before opening anything or touching the element. If working near a 240-volt appliance circuit isn't something you're set up to do safely, this is a quick, inexpensive job for an appliance technician.

With the oven cool, off, and unplugged (or the breaker off), look closely at the lower bake element for a break, blister, bubble, or bright scorched spot — a visible break confirms it.
If it looks intact, remove the two mounting screws at the back wall, ease the element forward, and disconnect the two terminals.
Set a multimeter to continuity/ohms across the two terminals: a good element reads low resistance (roughly 10–40 ohms); an open reading (no continuity) confirms a burned-out element.

buildmultimeter schedule15 min

handymanHow to fix it

With the range unplugged and confirmed dead, remove the two screws holding the old bake element, transfer the wires one at a time to a matching replacement, screw it back in, restore power, and test a short bake cycle.

Unplug the range or switch its breaker OFF and confirm the oven is dead before touching any wire.
Remove the two screws holding the element to the back wall of the oven cavity and gently pull the element forward to expose the two terminals.
Move the wires to the new element one at a time so you can't mix them up; if a wire tries to slip back into the insulation, hold it with pliers. Match the new element to the old one's shape, wattage/voltage, and terminal spacing.
Screw the new element in, restore power, and run a short bake to confirm it glows evenly and heats.

schedule30 min savings$20–60

Oven bake element (electric range)Match the shape, wattage/voltage, and terminal spacing/mounting to your old element or the model number

gavel Check your province first AB: homeowner may do this · BC: homeowner may do this · ON: homeowner may do this · PE: homeowner may do this · QC: homeowner may do this
Replacing a plug-in bake element on an unplugged electric oven is appliance repair, not fixed house wiring — generally owner-permitted across Canada. Confirm nothing in your warranty or lease restricts it.

visibilityHow to check

Set the oven to bake and watch the igniter — usually a bar or cylinder near the burner at the bottom of the oven cavity.
A healthy igniter glows bright yellow-orange within a minute and the burner lights with a soft whoomph; a weak one glows dull orange or takes far longer, and the gas never lights.
If it glows but never lights after a minute or two, the igniter is too weak to open the gas valve — the classic sign of a failing igniter. Turn the oven off if the burner does not light.

buildNo tools schedule10 min

handymanHow to fix it

report This touches the oven's gas ignition systemReplacing a gas-oven igniter means working at the burner and disturbing a gas connection. Shut the gas off at the range's valve and unplug the range before you start, keep any flame away, and soap-test the joint afterward. A glow bar is fragile and the ignition safety system must reseal gas-tight — if any of this is outside your comfort zone, hand it to an appliance technician. If you ever smell gas, stop, leave, and call your gas utility, not this page.

With the range unplugged and the gas shut off, remove the oven floor panel, unplug the old glow-bar igniter, fit a matching igniter without touching the glow bar with bare fingers, reconnect, soap-test the disturbed joint, and test a bake cycle.

Unplug the range (or shut off its breaker) and turn the gas supply to the range OFF at the shutoff valve behind or under it.
Remove the oven floor / flame-spreader panel to reach the igniter mounted at the burner.
Disconnect the igniter at its two-wire plug and unscrew its bracket. Handle the new igniter by the ceramic base only — skin oils can shorten a glow bar's life, and the bar is brittle.
Mount the matching igniter, reconnect the plug, restore gas and power, and run a bake: the burner should light within a minute. Brush a 50/50 dish-soap/water mix on the gas connection you disturbed and watch for growing bubbles before leaving it running.

schedule40 min savings$30–90

Oven glow-bar igniter (gas range)Match the style (round/flat bar) and amperage rating to your old igniter or the model number

gavel Check your province first AB: homeowner may do this · BC: homeowner may do this · ON: homeowner may do this · PE: homeowner may do this · QC: licensed professionals only
Owner replacement of a gas-oven igniter is often permitted as appliance repair, but the gas connection is licensed work in several provinces — confirm the local rule before publishing as DIY.

verifiedWhy this one goes to a pro

Diagnosing a failed control board or oven temperature sensor means taking meter readings inside a live 240-volt (or gas) appliance and matching the exact replacement part to your model. Getting it wrong can leave the oven unsafe or ruin the new part. Leave this to a licensed appliance technician.

Your notes travel with the request — what you saw, what you ruled out, when it started — so the pro arrives with a head start instead of a mystery.

sort

Why the list is in this order

We don’t sort by likelihood alone. We sort the way a good, honest tradesperson thinks: rule out the free, safe, common causes first. That’s why the cheap checks outrank the expensive repairs — and why anything dangerous gets a hard stop instead of a pep talk. The order exists to save you money, not to sell you anything.