Electric Range Won't Turn On

Step-1. Incoming Electricity

First, you will need to check for a tripped circuit breaker or a blown fuse in your homes main circuit breaker box.  If a fuse has blown, replace the fuse with a new one, if you find that the circuit breaker has tripped, flip the breaker back to the on position.

Step-2. Blown Range Fuse

On some range models an internal fuse is used to shut the range off to prevent any further damage to the appliance.  If the fuse has blown, the range won’t turn on, the fuse can be tested using an analog or multimeter, if the fuse does not have continuity, the part is faulty and will need to be replaced with a new one.  Before replacing the fuse, you will need to inspect or troubleshoot the various electrical components within the range to determine what caused the fuse to blow in the first place.  You will need to visually inspect the internal range components, look for burnt wires, burnt wire connectors, signs of damage on all of the ranges heating elements and the elements terminal connections.

Step-3. Broil Element

The broil element is located on the inside of the range cavity at the very top and is used for broiling.  Quite often the broil element is used to help preheat an electric range faster.  If your element has stopped working you will need to inspect it for visual signs of damage, such as burn marks, bubbling or blistering, burnt or melted terminal ends or a broken place on the element.  A broil element can be tested for continuity using a digital multimeter or an analog test meter, If the test shows no continuity, the broiling element will need to be replaced to fix the problem.  If the test shows the element has continuity, it is good and more troubleshooting will need to be performed.  Safety Reminder –Please keep in mind that just because a broil element doesn’t look hot, does not mean that it isn’t hot, it can still burn you.  You will need to be sure to wear safety gloves while you are inspecting or troubleshooting any of your ranges parts.

Step-4. Bake Element

The bake element is located on the bottom part of the interior cavity on free standing and slide in ranges.  If you have noticed that your electric range is not heating while you are trying to bake, the bake element may have burned out.  You can test the element for continuity using either a digital meter or a multimeter.  If the test shows no continuity, the baking element will need to be replaced to fix the problem, if the element does have continuity it is good and more troubleshooting will need to be performed.  Safety Note – Please be sure that your range has had plenty of time to cool down before you begin testing or removing any internal or external parts.  Some range parts can hold heat for quite sometime and will still burn you long after the appliance has been turned off.

Step-5. Temperature Sensor

The temperature sensor is used on newer model ranges with an electronic control, the sensor is used to sense the temperature inside of the range.  The sensor communicates with the ranges electronic control board, which adjusts the temperature as necessary.  On newer model ranges, a fault code should display on the control panel if the temperature sensor has failed to work properly.  You will need to refer to your owners manual, under the ranges fault codes.

Step-6. Surface Heating Element

The surface heating element is used on the cooktop surface on some electric free standing and slide-in range models.  If your range has a surface element that is not heating you can test the part for continuity with a test meter.  If the test shows that the element has continuity it is good, if the test shows no continuity, the element is bad, the solution is to replace the broken surface element to fix the problem.  Troubleshooting tip – If you do not have a test meter, an analog meter can be purchased fairly cheap online or from one of the larger hardware stores, a test meter really is a time and money saver while troubleshooting the numerous electrical parts used on a range.  Electrical parts can be diagnosed either good or bad very fast, instead of just assuming that an electrical part is bad and replacing it, only to find out that the part wasn’t faulty and the problem lies elsewhere with another broken range part.

Step-7. Electronic Control Board

You will need to visually inspect the ranges electronic control board, the control board is a very difficult part to test with a test meter.  You can look for a loose wire harness connection or a melted or burnt component on the either side of the control board.  If any of the mentioned damage is found, the control board is more than likely bad and will need to be replaced.

Range Troubleshooting Videos

Electric Range Won’t Heat

Electric Range Won’t Broil

Electric Range Won’t Bake

Electric Range Surface Element Won’t Heat

Amana Range Parts

GE Range Parts

Hotpoint Range Parts

Jenn Air Range Parts

Kenmore Range Parts

LG Range Parts

Maytag Range Parts

Samsung Range Parts

Whirlpool Range Parts

Roper Range Parts