Oven Not Heating? Match the Symptom to the Part
Say whether the range is gas or electric first; the same complaint points to different parts on each. The error codes mentioned below come from GE's and Frigidaire's support pages.
- Gas oven glows orange but never lights, or takes ages to preheat
- A glo-bar igniter has to draw enough current to open the oven's gas safety valve. As it ages it can still glow while falling short of that threshold, so the burner lights late or never. Less often the safety valve itself has failed. Whirlpool also suggests confirming the shutoff valve on the gas pipe behind the range is in the On position. KitchenAid's check: hold a small mirror beside the oven burner, under the floor panel on many models, and look for a flame while the igniter glows.
- Cooktop burners light, oven stays cold
- On a gas range the surface burners use their own spark igniters, so working burners prove gas is reaching the range and little else. The oven igniter or valve is still the prime suspect. On an electric range, a working cooktop with a dead oven usually means a burned-out bake element or a relay on the control board.
- Food burns outside and stays raw in the middle
- A temperature sensor that's been bumped, is failing, or reads wrong because a sagging broil element sits too close to it. Whirlpool and KitchenAid both describe the sensor as a thin tube at the back of the oven that should stand at a 90° angle to the wall. GE's F2 or F20 and Frigidaire's F10 mean the oven sensed a temperature above its limit; switch it off and don't keep cooking if the code returns.
- Broil works but bake does not, or the reverse
- On electric ovens one element has usually failed, and a burned element often shows a blister, split or bright spot. Gas ovens with a separate broil burner have a second igniter up top that fails on its own schedule.
- Door stays locked after self-clean
- The lock motor or lock switch has failed, or the control never registered that the cavity cooled. GE shows F9 or FC for a door lock circuit fault; Frigidaire uses F90 to F94. Let the oven cool completely and cut power at the breaker for a minute before calling. Sometimes the lock releases on restart.
- Blank display, nothing responds
- A tripped breaker, a dead outlet behind a gas range, a failed keypad or the control board. GE assigns F0, F1, F6 and F7 to keypanel problems. Whirlpool says a breaker that trips again after you reset it needs a professional.
Why Gas Ovens Stop Working When the Power Goes Out
Houston storm season makes this worth knowing before the lights go out. According to GE Appliances, the glo-bar igniter and the gas valve in a gas oven both need electricity to open, so an oven that was baking when the lights went out shuts off and no gas flows to it. The same GE guidance says the surface burners on a gas range can still be lit with a match: hold the lit match to the burner, then turn the knob to LO.
Electric ranges get nothing during an outage, cooktop or oven. When power returns on either type, GE notes the clock has to be reset and any bake program entered again, because the control doesn't keep those settings.
Outages matter for repairs too. If a gas oven that worked before the storm won't light afterward, check the breaker and the outlet behind the range before assuming the igniter died. A display that stays blank, or a control that throws codes it never showed before, is worth mentioning when you call, since a surge can damage a board.
Oven Igniter Replacement Cost and Other Range Repairs
HomeGuide puts a typical oven repair at $150 to $350 and a stove repair at $100 to $300, with a national stove and oven average near $250. HomeGuide also says gas appliances typically cost 10% to 20% more to repair than electric ones. All of these are national ranges; a Houston quote comes from the repair company.
| Repair | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Trip and diagnosis fee | $70 to $130 | Usually folds in the first hour on site |
| Gas oven igniter | $150 to $325 | Part $20 to $50; most of the cost is labor under the oven floor |
| Gas burner igniter (cooktop) | $100 to $200 | |
| Bake or broil element | $150 to $450 | Part $15 to $100 |
| Temperature sensor | $100 to $250 | |
| Thermostat | $100 to $350 | Older ovens with a mechanical thermostat |
| Gas safety valve | $150 to $400 | |
| Control board | $150 to $600 | Part $60 to $250 |
| Door glass | $125 to $500 | |
| Gas oven repair overall (Fixr) | $100 to $600 | Electric oven repairs $100 to $200; oven average about $200 |
| Gas stove repair overall (Fixr) | $150 to $400 | Average about $200; the typical job is an igniter |
Parts and labor unless noted. Other appliances are compared in the Houston appliance repair cost guide.
Sources: HomeGuide: Oven repair cost · HomeGuide: Appliance repair cost · Fixr: Oven repair cost · Fixr: Gas stove repair cost
Gas Range or Electric Range: What Tends to Wear Out
The fuel type decides which parts are in play, so the diagnosis starts in a different place for each.
Gas ranges and ovens
- Oven glo-bar igniter under the floor panel, the usual reason a gas oven heats slowly or not at all
- Cooktop spark igniters and the spark module, often affected by boil-overs
- Gas safety valve, less common and pricier
- Still depends on household power for the oven igniter, valve and controls
Electric ranges and ovens
- Bake and broil elements, which often fail with a visible blister or split
- Coil elements and their receptacles, or radiant elements under a glass top
- Infinite switches and relays that control each burner
- Temperature sensor and control board, shared with gas models
Texas Gas Law and Houston Permits for Range Work
Texas law folds gas appliance work into its definition of plumbing. Texas Occupations Code §1301.002 defines plumbing to include any fixture, appurtenance, appliance or piping used to supply or distribute gas, along with its installation, repair, service and maintenance.
Section 1301.053 of the same chapter exempts a narrow case from the plumbing license: appliance installation and service work (water heaters excluded) that connects an appliance to an existing opening with a code-approved appliance connector, when it's done by an appliance dealer or a dealer's employee. When you book a gas range repair, ask the repair company whether the job involves the gas connection, and who will handle that part.
Inside Houston city limits, the Houston Permitting Center requires a plumbing permit for the point of connection to a fuel gas appliance. The permit has to be obtained by a master plumber registered with the City of Houston, and the work is inspected. If your job touches the gas connection or piping, ask the Permitting Center's plumbing section what applies to it. Bellaire, Missouri City, Stafford and Sugar Land residents should check with their own city.
What to Note About Your Range Before You Call
A few minutes of notes help the technician bring the likely part on the first visit.
- Gas or electric, and the style: freestanding, slide-in, wall oven or double oven
- Brand and model number, often on a label around the oven door frame or behind the storage drawer
- Any code, written exactly as the display shows it
- An oven thermometer reading: KitchenAid's test is the center rack, 350°F, checked after 20 minutes
- Whether the cooktop burners still light, and whether the problem began after a power outage
- The range's age, and whether it's still inside the first-year manufacturer warranty
Is an Older Range Worth Repairing?
Usually, yes. Gas ranges hold the longest life expectancy of any major appliance in the National Association of Home Builders study (published 2007 from 2005 data), at about 15 years, and electric ranges come in at 13. HomeGuide suggests considering a new oven once it's more than 10 to 20 years old, and Consumer Reports' rule is not to spend more than half the cost of a new product fixing an old one.
Try it on two examples. A $150 to $325 igniter on a 12-year-old gas range is an easy call, because the rest of the range may have years left. A control board quoted near $600 on an electric range at 13 years, with a cracked cooktop waiting in line, deserves a comparison with replacement prices first. The repair or replace guide runs the numbers for every appliance.
Brand notes and warranty contacts are on the GE range repair, Frigidaire and Whirlpool pages. On the phone, name the brand and ask whether the repair company services it. Codes beyond the ones above live in the error code library, and the coverage list shows which Houston, Bellaire, Missouri City, Stafford and Sugar Land ZIPs are served.
Oven and Stove Repair Questions
Why does my gas oven take so long to preheat?
A weakening igniter is a common cause. It still glows, but it takes longer to pull enough current to open the gas valve, so the burner lights late and preheating drags. HomeGuide's national range for replacing a gas oven igniter is $150 to $325 installed, and the part itself is only $20 to $50.
My oven runs hot or cold. Can I fix it without a repair?
Sometimes. Whirlpool says that if your thermometer shows the oven off by 15°F or more, you can usually recalibrate it through the controls; the manual explains how. If it's off by 100°F or more, Whirlpool says to call a professional instead. Check that the sensor tube at the back hasn't been knocked out of position first.
Why do my stove burners click but won't light?
Moisture or food around the igniter after a boil-over is the usual culprit, followed by a burner cap sitting off-center or clogged burner ports. Let everything dry for a few hours before trying again. Constant clicking once it's dry points to a spark switch or module; the cooktop repair page covers burner faults in detail.
Can a gas range be fixed the same day in Houston?
Ask about same-day availability on the call (calls are handled in English); it depends on the repair company's schedule that day. An igniter is a small, common part a technician may already carry. Safety valves and control boards tend to be special orders matched to your range's model, which can mean a second visit.
Should I keep using an oven that shows a high-temperature code?
No. GE's F2 or F20 and Frigidaire's F10 both mean the oven detected heat above its normal limit. Frigidaire's reset is to unplug the range or switch off its breaker for about 30 seconds; GE says a minute or two at the breaker sometimes clears a code. If it comes back, leave the oven off until it's checked.