On an electric oven, look at the element before suspecting anything else. A failed bake or broil element is the single most common cause of no heat, and you can usually see the problem — a working element glows an even orange across its whole length; a failed one has a dark gap, a visible break, or does not glow at all.
Check the element first
Switch off the breaker feeding the oven before removing anything or reaching near an element, even one that appears cold.
Run the oven briefly (with something safe to observe, from a distance, and only if you are confident isolating power afterward) or check a recent memory of how it looked — a healthy bake element glows a consistent orange across its full length within a few minutes. A section that stays dark, or an element that does not glow anywhere, has failed at that point.
Common causes
| Cause | How likely | Typical sign |
|---|---|---|
| Failed bake element | Very common | Element does not glow, or glows unevenly with a dark section |
| Failed broil element | Common | Bakes fine, broil setting produces no heat |
| Tripped breaker (often one leg only) | Common | Oven completely dead, no display or partial display |
| Failed igniter (gas ovens) | Common on gas models | See our gas oven guide instead |
| Faulty temperature sensor | Occasional | Element works but oven runs far too hot or cold |
| Blown thermal fuse | Occasional | Oven completely dead despite power confirmed at the breaker |
| Control board fault | Uncommon | Everything else checks out |
How to check it
- Confirm power at the breaker
Switch the oven’s breaker fully off and back on rather than glancing at its position. Ovens on electric ranges often share a high-draw double-pole breaker, and a partial trip can leave some functions working and others dead.
- Inspect the element visually
With the oven off and safely accessible, look at the bake element on the floor of the oven for any visible break, blistering, or a section that looks different from the rest. A break is sometimes visible as a small gap or bulge in the coil.
- Test with a multimeter if you have one
With the oven unplugged or the breaker off, a continuity test across the element’s terminals confirms whether it is intact. No continuity means the element has failed internally, even if no visible break is obvious.
- Check for a blown thermal fuse
Many ovens have a thermal fuse, separate from the household breaker, that cuts power if the oven overheats. This is a common cause of a completely dead oven that has power confirmed at the breaker, and it is usually located near the back panel or control area.
- Replace a confirmed failed element
Bake and broil elements are among the most straightforward oven parts to replace — they typically unplug from a connector at the back and are held by a couple of screws. Match the exact part for your model rather than assuming a universal fit.
Bakes but will not broil, or vice versa
Because bake and broil elements are separate circuits, one can fail while the other works perfectly. If baking works but broiling produces no heat (or the reverse), you have already narrowed the fault to that specific element — there is no need to check the other one.
When to call an appliance engineer
Call an engineer if the element is confirmed intact but the oven still will not heat, if a replaced element does not resolve the fault, if the thermal fuse keeps blowing (suggesting a deeper overheating issue), or if you suspect the temperature sensor or control board. On gas ovens, any fault beyond a visibly non-glowing igniter belongs with a gas engineer — see our dedicated gas oven guide.
Stop and call a qualified appliance technician or electrician if you find scorched or melted wiring, smell burning, see water that has reached electrical components, or if the fault returns immediately after a repair. Never bypass a safety device — thermal fuses, door interlocks and flood switches fail for a reason, and defeating one converts a broken appliance into a fire or flood risk.
