Quick answer: An oven that won’t heat while the stovetop works almost always has a failed bake igniter (gas) or bake element (electric); the two run on separate paths past the shared supply. Check the breaker and the mode setting, then call. Typical repair: $150–$350. If you smell gas, stop and ventilate first. Expert Repair Company: $99 diagnostic, waived with repair, (279) 225-1050.
An oven that won’t heat while the stovetop still works almost always points to one part failing in isolation: the igniter on a gas oven, or the bake element on an electric oven. The stove and oven run on separate circuits or gas paths past the shared supply line, so one going out rarely takes the other with it. Below is how I sort gas from electric on the phone, what you can safely check yourself, and when a gas smell means stop and call the gas company instead of me.
Why is my oven not heating up but the stove works?
The burners and the oven’s heating components are wired or plumbed separately once past the shared gas line or main electrical connection, so a single failed part, an igniter, a bake element, or a safety valve, can take out the oven alone. A total range failure that kills both usually points upstream, to the breaker, the gas shutoff, or the control board.
Quick checks you can do safely
Turn off the oven and let it cool before opening the door. If you smell gas at any point, stop, leave the house, and call the gas company before calling anyone else, including us.
- Confirm the oven is set to bake, not the clock or a timer function; a bumped dial is a common false alarm.
- Check the breaker panel. Electric ranges often run on a dedicated 240-volt breaker separate from burners, display, and light.
- Watch through the window during preheat. A gas igniter should glow orange-red for 30 to 90 seconds before the flame catches; an electric bake element should glow orange within a minute or two.
- Listen for a click and hiss with no flame, meaning the igniter is glowing but not drawing enough current to open the gas safety valve, a genuine failure, not something to retry.
- Time the preheat. Over 15 to 20 minutes to reach 350°F points to a weak element or igniter, not a fully dead one.
- Note a recent self-clean cycle, a known trigger for a blown thermal fuse on electric ranges.
What not to do: never relight a gas oven repeatedly if it clicks without catching flame, never bypass the door switch to force it open while heating, and never ignore a gas smell to try one more thing yourself.
Gas oven causes, most to least common
1. Weak or failing igniter
The igniter glows, sometimes dimmer than before, and the flame never catches or takes two or three tries. This is by far the most common gas oven failure. DIY on some ranges with the bottom panel removed, but the igniter also opens the safety valve electrically, so most homeowners call for this one.
2. Gas safety valve
The igniter glows fully bright the whole time and never dims to open the valve, so you get a hiss with no flame. Technician job, always, since a misdiagnosed gas valve is a safety issue, not a convenience one.
3. Gas supply issue
Every burner and the oven fail to light, or light with a weak yellow flame instead of blue. This points upstream, to the gas shutoff valve or a closed supply line after other house work. Not a DIY fix; treat it like the gas-smell rule and call the gas company first.
Electric oven causes, most to least common
1. Bake element
The oven runs for the cook time but never gets properly hot, or the bottom element is not glowing at all. This is a straightforward, inexpensive swap on most freestanding ranges. DIY for a comfortable homeowner: unplug the range, remove a few screws, disconnect the wire terminals, and swap the element.
2. Broil element
The oven bakes fine but the top element never glows under broil, or vice versa. The part is the broil element at the top of the cavity. DIY, similar difficulty to a bake element swap.
3. Thermostat or temperature sensor
The oven heats but runs too hot, too cold, or cycles erratically against the set temperature, and dishes come out under- or over-cooked even though the elements clearly work. The part is the temperature sensor probe, or on older analog ranges, the thermostat. Technician job, since the reading needs checking against actual cavity temperature.
4. Control board or relay
The display works and the oven appears to start, but neither element ever glows and no error shows. Technician job: this gets misdiagnosed as a dead element more often than any other fault, because from the outside they look identical.
5. Thermal fuse, often after self-clean
The oven stopped heating shortly after a self-clean cycle, and the display and light still work normally. The part is a one-time thermal fuse that trips at extreme temperature to protect the wiring, common on Whirlpool, Maytag, and Kenmore-built ranges. Technician job, usually accessible from the back of the range.
Preheat slow versus not heating at all, and F-codes
A slow preheat, 20 minutes or more to reach 350°F, points to a weakening igniter or a partially failed element. An oven that never climbs off room temperature, or trips a fault code in the first few minutes, points to a fully failed igniter, a tripped safety valve, or a dead element with no current reaching it. An F-code generally means the control board detected an open sensor circuit, a stuck relay, or a keypad fault, rather than naming the part. Write the code down before clearing it; it narrows the diagnosis once a technician is on site.
GE, Frigidaire, and Samsung/LG notes
GE and Frigidaire gas ranges commonly use the flat glow-bar igniter, which weakens gradually rather than failing all at once, so a slower preheat is worth addressing before it stops lighting. Samsung and LG electric ranges lean more heavily on the temperature sensor and control board for even heating, so an uneven-cooking complaint there is more often a sensor or board issue than a simple element failure. Viking, Wolf, Thermador and Bertazzoni ranges use the same igniter and sensor logic with pricier parts; see brands we repair. A built-in microwave over the range that runs without heating is a different repair, covered on the microwave repair page, and a dishwasher beside the range that leaves water in the tub is covered in dishwasher not draining.
When to stop and call
Stop and call if you smell gas, if the igniter glows without ever producing flame, or if you’ve confirmed the breaker and mode setting and there’s still no heat anywhere. Expert Repair Company provides oven, range, cooktop and stove repair across the Sacramento area, and we carry the common igniters, elements, and thermal fuses for GE, Frigidaire, Whirlpool, and Samsung on the van. Call (279) 225-1050, Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Same-day appointments are often available.
What the repair usually costs
Oven, range, and cooktop repair typically runs $150 to $350, with an industry average around $250. An igniter runs $150 to $325; a heating element runs $150 to $450. See the dishwasher and oven repair cost guide for the full table and the 10-year rule.
Get the oven heating again
If your oven clicks without lighting, or you smell gas, stop and handle the safety step first. Otherwise, run through the checks above, note what you see through the window, and call Expert Repair Company for oven, range, cooktop and stove repair. The $99 diagnostic fee is waived when you approve the repair, and $25 covers each additional appliance checked on the same visit.
