How to Test The Heating Element in Your Electric Oven

If you have found that your electric oven appears to be working as normal, but it is not producing any heat, your first instinct would be that the heating elements are not working. In the electric oven, two heating coils, one on the top and one on the bottom, heat the tub to the appropriate temperature. If one or both of these coils are malfunctioning, your oven will not produce heat. However, it could be that the actual heating element is malfunctioning or some other part is malfunctioning that caused the coils not to work. As such, you need to be able to test the heating elements so you can quickly move onto the other potential issues. However, how to test a heating element to someone unfamiliar with appliance repair is not immediately apparent, but not difficult to do.

The first step to any oven repair is to turn off the electricity to the oven either via the circuit breaker or by unplugging it. Once done, you will need to detach the elements. The bottom heating element may need to have a metal cover lifted up to reveal it. On both heating elements, there will be a mounting plate located on the back of the oven tub. You simply need to unscrew that plate and pull the heating element forward. Once done, you will need to disconnect the wire harness that powers the heating element. Once disconnected, be careful not to let the wires slip back into the hole. They can be fished out, but it is a difficulty that can be avoided.

With the elements disconnected, you can check them with a multimeter set to resistance. Touch the probes across the terminals on the heating element. If the multimeter reads that there is no continuity, then you will need to replace the heating element.