If you’re anything like me, the thought of a self-cleaning oven fills your heart with joy.
No need to put on rubber gloves? Source steel wool? Or spend the afternoon with your head and shoulders awkwardly lodged under the stove?
Sign me up.
There’s a good reason why the self-cleaning function (technically known as the pyrolytic function) is standard nowadays on nearly all brand-name ovens.
But, when your oven suddenly stops self-cleaning, it can make for a real meltdown (pun intended). Whether you’re preparing to host a major holiday meal or simply baking cookies on a weekend afternoon, you’ll want to know what to do.
If the problem persists, of course, you’ll want to call an appliance repair technician. But before you get to that point, there are a few simple tricks you can try on your own. Let’s take a look:
Troubleshooting Before Self-Cleaning
Before you attempt to run the self-clean cycle in your oven, be sure that you don’t need to use the oven for the next few hours. It takes anywhere from 30-120 minutes for the self-clean cycle to run and another 1-3 hours for the oven to cool down afterward.
Ensure that you have good airflow (such as an open window or fan) to reduce smoke and smells as old oven residue is incinerated to ash. And, though it may seem counterintuitive, take a moment to do a brief pre-clean where you remove any large chunks of gunk from your oven’s interior. This will streamline the cleaning process and make it more effective.
If you encounter a problem turning on your oven’s self-clean function, make sure you have selected the correct program and also that your oven door is tightly sealed or locked (some ovens lock automatically during self-cleaning). Check that the heating elements are producing heat and that there is no obvious damage to the power cord. Also, ensure that your home’s breaker is on and that your oven is getting electricity.
Troubleshooting After Self-Cleaning
If you’ve already run the self-cleaning cycle and now something seems funky about your oven, here are a few things you can try.
If the door doesn’t unlock, try waiting a little longer for the interior to cool down. Remember, the oven can reach temperatures up to 500℃ during self-cleaning, so it can take a while to be safe to open. You can also manually double-check that the door lock is not defective; the lock mechanism is often found behind the control panel on the front of the oven.
If the oven attempts to self-clean, but the results are incomplete or disappointing, consider that your oven’s heating element, temperature sensor, safety thermostat, cooling fan, or catalytic liners may be damaged or faulty.
KAR in Winnipeg
If none of the tips above do the trick for your self-cleaning oven, it’s probably time to seek out oven appliance repair services. KAR in Winnipeg dispatches qualified technicians quickly to your home and provides reasonably priced and warrantied service. If you need assistance with your self-cleaning oven (or any other appliance in your home), call KAR today.
