An undercooked cake or raw brownies are certainly not anyone’s idea of delicious. You may know this all too well if your oven bakes unevenly.
Our common oven problems troubleshooting guide walks you through the causes of an oven not cooking evenly.
Oven Bakes Unevenly –
Troubleshooting Guide
1 – Bake Element Burned Out
What it is: The bake element is one of the parts that works to heat the oven and cook the food inside it.
How it fails: With extensive use, the bake element can burn out, causing it not to work. If this happens, heat is only supplied by the broil element, and you’ll find that your oven bakes unevenly.
How to Diagnose it: Inspect the bake element for physical damage to determine if it is burned out. You will see burn marks or blisters on the element and need to replace it.
2 – Broil Element Burned Out
What it is: Like the bake element, the broil element helps heat the entire oven and cook your food.
How it fails: If the broil element isn’t working, the oven will not bake evenly. It too can burn out over time.
How to Diagnose it: Inspect the broil element for burns or blisters. If you see physical damage, replace the broil element.
3 – Convection Element Burned Out
What it is: All the oven’s heating elements, including the convection element, work together to heat the air inside your oven.
How it fails: Over time, the convection element may burn out, leading to an oven not baking evenly.
How to Diagnose it: Use a multimeter to test the convection element for continuity. If none is detected, replace the failed part.
4 – Temperature Sensor Defective
What it is: The oven temperature sensor helps regulate heat, in conjunction with the control board.
How it fails: If the temperature sensor is not putting out the right amount of resistance as the heat rises, your oven won’t bake evenly.
How to Diagnose it: You can test this part using an ohm meter, and replace the sensor if it is not working properly.
5 – Convection Motor Not Running
What it is: The convection motor is responsible for making the convection fan circulate air inside the oven. For a convection oven to heat evenly, this fan must be working properly.
How it fails: The convection motor can fail, or the motor shaft may stop moving freely, causing uneven baking.
How to Diagnose it: Test the motor for continuity or attempts to turn the motor shaft by hand. If it does not turn freely, it will need to be replaced.
Learn more about the most common oven repair problems.