July 2017

Jul 201715

How Does a Gas Oven Work?

joel oven repair

The humble gas oven has been with us since the 19th century, and while electric ovens are rather more common nowadays, gas ovens are still used in countless kitchens all over the world. While they can only be installed by a Gas Safe-registered engineer here in Britain, they are generally a lot cheaper to run than their electrical counterparts, which is a big plus if you're looking to ensure that your kitchen is as cost-effective as possible.

Image from Kitchen Economy

But how does a gas oven actually work? Today, we'd like to take you 'under the hood' of your gas appliance to explain what each individual part does and how they all come together every night to cook your dinner.

Gas oven parts

First of all, we're going to introduce you to the key components of a gas oven. These include:

Oven Burner - This is the part that actually cooks your food. When you switch on a gas oven, what you are actually doing is lighting the burner.
Spark/Ignition Generator - Found in gas ovens that rely on electric ignition (more common in modern appliances). When you turn on the oven, this part generates a spark that lights the natural gas used to fuel your oven.
Flame Failure Device/Thermocouple - Some gas ovens (especially older models) have a constantly-burning pilot flame instead of an electric ignition generator. While these ovens are turned on, natural gas is allowed to flow through to the appliance, where it is ignited by the pilot flame; if the pilot flame goes out during cooking, it's the job of the flame failure device to cut off the gas supply so as to prevent the build-up of flammable gas.
Thermostat - A thermostat measures the temperature inside your oven when the burner is lit. This part is responsible for ensuring that your food is being cooked at the temperature you set using the oven controls.

How gas ovens work

Gas ovens cook food via a gas-fuelled burner. These appliances require a steady supply of natural gas to function - the gas is ignited by either an spark generator or a small pilot flame depending on the model.

When you turn on your gas oven, what you are actually doing is opening the gas supply and allowing gas to flow from the mains to your appliance. You may have to press an ignition button to activate the spark generator inside your oven - this will create a spark that ignites the gas and lights the burner. Alternatively, if your oven uses a constantly-lit pilot flame, this will ignite the gas for you.

During cooking, the thermostat inside your oven measures and regulates the heat to ensure that the oven cooks at a consistent temperature without getting too hot. Once the temperature reaches the required level, the burner will be extinguished and the gas supply cut off. When things begin to cool, the oven will switch itself back on until it is back to the right temperature.

Need a new part for your gas oven? Go to the Cooker Spare Parts homepage and enter your make and model number to find compatible spares!

Jul 201714

The Different Types of Oven

Andrew news, oven repair

In short, the different types of ovens are electric, gas, conventional and convectional. Your cooker is an incredibly important appliance. It is of course responsible for cooking your roast dinners and your frozen pizza's; and without it, you're left with your microwave to cook your meals - which would be a real struggle. That's why it's important to know the difference, and we can help.

Because your cooker is so vitally important, you want to make sure you're purchasing the correct cooker to suit your needs - whether that is an electric or gas cooker, or a conventional, or convectional oven. We're going to help you decide which cooker you need, by creating a handy guide of the different types of oven that are available.

Electric Ovens

We start this guide with the most popular choice of oven - the electric oven. An electric oven works by using heating elements placed on the walls of your oven cavity, which heat up when an electrical current is passed through them. Electric ovens are cheaper to buy than a gas oven, but because they run off electricity, they're a tad more expensive to run.

Electric ovens are easier to use, and will cook your meals more evenly than a gas cooker. If you're too concerned about your energy bills, and you want a high performing cooker, then an electric cooker is the choice for you.

Gas Ovens

A gas oven cooks your meals by using burners instead of using heating elements. Gas is sent to your oven burner and a spark electrode will ignite your oven burner, producing heat and cooking your meals. Gas ovens tend to be a little more expensive than electric ovens, but a gas oven is cheaper to run that an electric oven, so you'll make this money back over time. But, it's important to consider that a gas outlet is needed in order for the cooker to function, and installation would be an extra cost on top, if you don't have one already fitted.

Gas ovens tend to be more popular with bakers because they heat and cool quicker than an electric cooker; they allow you to have exact control over the temperature of the oven; and because gas ovens allow for additional moisture which will prevent baked goods from hardening and becoming brittle, before the inside of the baked the treat is cooked.

As well as choosing how you want your oven fuelled, you also have to decide if you want your oven to be fan assisted.

Convectional or Conventional

Conventional ovens heat the air inside your oven to cook your meals, whereas Convectional ovens use fans to circulate this hot air around the oven cavity, cooking your food faster and more evenly. Convectional oven tend to cost more but provide a better quality of cooking. The choice really depends on how often you use your cooker, and whether or not you'll value the added bit of quality.

No matter which type of oven you decide to choose, you'll be able to a spare part for it amongst our range of cooker spare parts if your cooker ever becomes faulty.

Browse Our Cooker Spare Parts

Jul 201712

Belling Oven Not Working? Here's How To Fix it

Jack oven repair

If you think your Belling oven may be broken, it's time to take a look at the reasons why this might be and what you can do to fix it. From not cooking your food at all to burning your food to a crisp, we have a solution to your problem.

Please note: we would strongly recommend you use a qualified gas-safe or electrical engineer to diagnose and carry out the repair for your appliance.

Common Causes

There isn't just one fault that could cause your appliance to stop working. So we've compiled a list of the different Belling cooker parts that may be broken if your cooker or oven isn't working.

Electric oven element.
Gas or electric thermostat.
Hob element.
Gas ignition electrode.

What You'll Need

In order to make sure you have the smoothest repair possible, it's important that you find the following details to find the correct replacement part.

Model and serial number - this will be found on a data badge on your cooker or oven.
Owner's manual (optional).

Once you've found the source of the problem, don't hesitate to call our team on 02920 452 510, email us at enquiries@cookerspareparts.com, or enter your model and serial number details in the search bar above.

Belling Oven is Not Heating Up

You can test whether your Belling oven is heating up correctly by turning the oven on, setting the temperature and letting it sit for five minutes.

If the oven cavity is not hot when you open the door, it is likely that your oven element is broken.

Belling Oven Elements

The Fix

The electric oven element is the piece of the oven which is responsible for providing heat to the oven, so if this is broken your oven will not heat up at all.

Luckily, cooker elements can be replaced quite easily and are reasonably priced at around £10-£30. We've even got a step-by-step guide to help you replace your broken part.

If you think this is your issue, feel free to call our sales team on 02920 452 510, email us on enquiries@cookerspareparts.com, or use the search bar above with your model and serial number.

Buy Oven Elements

Belling Oven is Getting Too Hot

If you believe your Belling oven is not working because it is getting too hot, there may be an issue with your electric/gas thermostat. This is the part which ensures the oven reaches the temperature you have set and not above.

Belling Thermostats and Regulators Belling Gas Thermostats

The Fix

Electric thermostats can be a tricky part of the oven to replace, so we've created a handy guide on how you can do just this. However, due to the dangerous nature of gas parts, we suggest you get a qualified gas-safe registered engineer to carry out this repair.

Need help sourcing the correct replacement part? Give our team a call on 02920 452 510, email us on enquiries@cookerspareparts.com, or use the search bar above with your model and serial number.

Buy Electric Thermostats Buy Gas Thermostats

Belling Oven Hob is Not Working

As you will know, the hob is an essential part of any gas or electric cooker. If you find these aren't heating up at all, it may be time to take a look at the hotplate element or the gas ignition electrode.

Belling Oven Hob

The Fix

If you've got an electric Belling cooker, you will most likely be in need of a solid, ceramic or induction hotplate element to get your oven hob to heat up again. Though this may seem a little tricky, you can use our useful guide on how to replace a ceramic hob element!

On the other hand, if you have a gas Belling cooker and the flame is not lighting on your hob, this may be due to the ignition electrode being broken. These are the parts of the oven which provide the spark to ignite the gas flame.

Need further assistance? Give our sales team a call on 02920 452 510, email us on enquiries@cookerspareparts.com, or use the search bar above with your model and serial number.

Buy Hotplate Elements Buy Ignition Electrodes

Unable to find the solution to your problem or need help finding the correct part for your appliance?

Feel free to contact our spares team on 02920 452 510 or email us on enquiries@cookerspareparts.com with your model and serial number details.

Jul 201711

How Does a Thermostat Work?

Andrew cooker parts

There are many parts to your cooker, each with a different role to play, but your oven thermostat is one of the most important parts of all. Found in both gas and electric cookers, the thermostat is an electro-mechanical switch that's in charge of regulating the temperature of your oven - but how does a thermostat actually work?

How does a thermostat work?

An oven thermostat regulates the temperature inside an oven. The thermostat's temperature-sensitive probe measures the oven's warmth, switching the heat on and off as necessary to maintain the correct temperature.

While all thermostats fulfil more or less the same function, different appliances sometimes use different types of thermostat. How your oven thermostat works will likely depend on when your cooker was made.

How older thermostats work

In older ovens, the thermostat is connected to a long copper tube that extends into the main body of your oven. This copper tube reads the temperature of your oven by heating up and relaying this heat back to your thermostat. Once the tube has heated to the set temperature, your thermostat will cut off the the heat source. When the temperature in your oven starts to drop, the thermostat will reactivate your oven burner/element, heating up the oven once again. This cycle continues to repeat over and over again whilst your oven is in use, ensuring that the temperature stays constant.

How newer thermostats work

More modern thermostats are attached to a long probe that extends into your oven. The thermostat is wired to a control board that controls your cooker's components, including the oven's heat source (whether that's a gas burner or an electrical heating element). When the probe senses that your oven has reached the designated temperature, it'll send a signal to the thermostat, which then tells your circuit board to turn off the heating supply. If the probe senses that your oven's temperature has dropped, it'll send another signal to your control panel to ignite the heating source once again.

Need a new oven thermostat?

If you find that your oven's thermostat is not functioning properly, you should not hesitate to replace it, as it may be causing your meals to come out over- or under-cooked. Whatever age your cooker is, we're confident that you'll find a compatible replacement thermostat here at Cooker Spare Parts.

If you've purchased a new oven thermostat and you're unsure of how to fit to your new cooker, you may find this step-by-step guide helpful.

Jul 201710

Why Is My Oven Too Hot?

Andrew oven repair

So, you’ve burnt your evening meal for the third time this week despite cautiously watching the temperature and your timer. You’re desperately protesting against your other half’s claims that you can’t cook, and to prove this you’ve started looking into why your oven is too hot. Well actually, you may not be wrong – if you’re finding that your oven is continuously getting too hot, it is likely that there is a fault at hand.

An oven that is getting too hot is a common fault in electric ovens. This can be due to a number of reasons, but most cases this can be down to a fault in your thermostat which is not regulating the temperature. Keep reading to find out more reasons why your oven might be too hot.

Reasons Why Your Oven is Too Hot

Faulty Thermostats

If you have a faulty thermostat, it is no wonder that your oven is getting too hot. Once you have set the temperature of your oven, the thermostat’s job is to tell the oven it when it has reached the right heat. If it is faulty, the oven can’t accurately regulate when it is supposed to heat up or cool down.

Luckily, we have a fantastic range of oven thermostats that will correct this problem and allow you to prove your culinary skills once more! View our range of Oven Thermostats here >

Failing cooling fans

Another reason why your oven may be getting too hot? A faulty cooling fan. Without a working fan, it’s too hard for your oven to cool down, which is why it may be overheating. Our range of oven cooling fans will fix this issue in no time! To find a perfect replacement cooling fan for your oven, view our full range here.

Overworked oven elements

In order for your oven to be able to produce heat to cook your food, it needs a working oven element. If your oven element becomes faulty it will potentially create more heat than necessary, causing your oven to become too hot and your food a little too...overdone. It’s important to replace a faulty oven element as soon as you notice a problem, and we have a massive range for you to pick from. Click here to see our full range of oven elements >

If you need any advice on your oven, we are always happy to help. Contact Cooker Spare Parts today for assistance.

How Does a Gas Oven Work?

Gas oven parts

How gas ovens work

The Different Types of Oven

Electric Ovens

Gas Ovens

Convectional or Conventional

Belling Oven Not Working? Here's How To Fix it