Fan Oven Is Not Heating Up – Guide to Replacing a Faulty Fan Oven Element.
A fan oven that has stopped heating up is probably the most common oven fault that professional oven/cooker repair engineers are called to. The cause in most cases is simply a faulty fan oven element. To employ the services of a repair company is going to cost you in the region of £75 - £125 to complete the job.
With a little time, though and our FREE online guide it should take less than half an hour to repair, and the element can be purchased from us for as little as £17.49 ! Why not Save youself some money and read on ...
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The Diagnosis?
Note that in some cases, but not all, when the fan oven element fails it will trip the consumer unit's rcd. Once it is reset the following symptoms will be apparent:
1. Fan oven is not heating up, however
2. The fan in the oven is working fine, and
3. All other functions of the oven are working ok
4. The thermostat light does not go out.
5. On removal of the Fan Oven Element (see below) there are visual signs of burning, blowing, or splitting etc.
6. Using a test meter the Fan Oven Element is ‘open circuit’.
DIY Oven Repair - Replacing A Faulty Fan Oven Element
First of all ALWAYS isolate the oven/cooker from the mains supply. If your oven is ‘hard-wired’ in then turn it off at the wall AND at the consumer unit. These types of installations SHOULD have there own circuit to isolate at the consumer unit. NEVER rely on the switch alone. Some of the modern single built in ovens use a standard plug; ensure that it is removed before you attempt to replace your fan oven element.
Fig 1
In Figure 1 we can see inside the oven and the back plate that is located at the rear.
Fig 2
Whether your oven is built in or freestanding, single or double, the first step to take before doing anything else is to remove the ‘back-plate’ from inside the fan oven as shown in Figure 2. Elements used to heat fan-assisted ovens are always located at the rear, behind the back plate. Back plates vary in how they are fixed in place, but normally they are held by between 2 and 6 screws.
Fig 3
Once the back plate has been removed the fan oven element and the fan blades will be exposed Figure 3. In many cases you will be able to detect at this stage that the element is indeed at fault. There may be visual signs of burning, blowing, bulging, or splitting, in a particular area of the fan oven element. This is the confirmation of diagnosis that you are looking for. Be aware, however, that in many cases there will be no obvious visual signs of failure whatsoever. With the element exposed It will also now become apparent whether or not the replacement of the element can be done from inside the oven, or if it will be necessary to gain access to the rear of the oven.
Fig 4
In most cases there will be no need to remove the oven and dismantle it any further. If the element is simply screwed in place with the screw heads showing then you are in luck. It is just a matter of removing these screws Figure 3 and disconnecting the wires. In these circumstances once the fixing screws have been removed the element will come away from its position. Be careful not to inadvertently pull off the electrical wires that are connected to the element as you pull the element free. In some instances manufacturers leave hardly enough wiring which can make it difficult to remove the connections. If you happen to pull off a connection the wire may remain in the rear of the oven and you will have to gain access to the rear as in Figure 4.
In this article we are dealing with an oven that requires access to the rear. Once the oven has been removed we can then take off rear cover which is held in place by any number of screws.
Fig 5
With the rear panel removed you will now be able to see the wiring harness, fan motor, and the fan oven element fixings and connections.
In Figure 5 you can see a full view of the rear of the oven.
Fig 6
Figure 6 shows the connections and fixings in more detail. These will vary from oven to oven, however identification of them is simple. The fan element fixings are always going to be close to the round fan motor which will always be located about the centre of the oven. The fixings will also vary with some elements be held in place with screws whilst others with nuts and bolts. In our case there are 2 screws holding the element in place. There are 2 electrical connections and 1 earth wire. It matters not which way round the 2 electrical connections are placed, however, it is essential that the earth wire is reconnected in the same place. In some instances particularly with Bosch/Neff ovens some of the replacement elements do not have an earth tag fitted. In these instances where an earth wire connected to the original element it will be necessary to isolate the earth wire to the wiring harness in order to keep it safe from the fan motor or live connections.
Fig 7
Once the fixings have been undone and the wires disconnected the fan oven element can be removed (Remember to note the positions of the connecting wires). You can now check the element again for any obvious signs of burning, blowing, splitting or bulging. If there aren’t any of these signs apparent you can double check the state of the element with an electrical test meter or continuity tester.
When replacing a faulty fan oven element ensure that you do so with a recognised replacement spare part, which can be obtained from us. Be sure that all connections and covers are replaced as they came off.
