Why is my oven too hot?

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


oven thermostat

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


Oven fan

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 


Oven element
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.
Oven Temperature Setting
 
Have you noticed that your electric oven isn't getting as hot as you need it to be? Is your food under-cooked even after the full recommended cooking period has elapsed? Does every meal you make 'needs a few more minutes' than expected?
 
If so, the root of the problem may be your oven's thermostat. If your oven thermostat is not reaching the set temperature it may be time to replace it, here's some information so you can work out if that is what is wrong: 
 

What does an oven thermostat do?

 
You can think of the thermostat as the supervisor of your electric oven.
 
On its own, the oven element (i.e. the part of your cooker that actually heats up) doesn't know how hot to get - it just starts heating up when you turn the appliance on. The thermostat's job is to know what temperature you've asked for, measure the heat in the oven, and tell the element to switch off once the required temperature has been reached.
 
Of course, when the element stops heating up, the oven will gradually begin to cool, and so the thermostat is also responsible for recognising when the temperature drops - at which point it will wake up the element again.
 

What can go wrong with the oven thermostat?

 
If the thermostat stops working entirely, then in theory the element will just continue to heat up indefinitely, getting hotter and hotter until it burns itself out.
 
However, if you're experiencing the issues we mentioned earlier - thermostat not reaching the set temperature, food taking too long to cook - it's likely that your thermostat has a rather different problem. A thermostat that is improperly calibrated may misread the temperature in the oven, deducing that it is warmer (or cooler) than it actually is.
 
Here's how that plays out in practice:
  • You set the oven to 220°C.

  • The oven element starts heating up.

  • Before the temperature in the oven reaches 220°C, the faulty thermostat mistakenly gets a 220°C reading and tells the oven element to switch off.

  • Your cooker tells you that it's finished preheating, so you pop your food in...

  • ...only to find at the end of the cooking period that your meal is only half-cooked because the actual temperature in the oven was lower than the temperature you set.

Can I fix this problem?

 
Depending on the type of cooker you own, If your oven thermostat is not reaching the set temperature it may be possible for you to recalibrate your oven thermostat by measuring the actual temperature in your oven manually (using an oven thermometer) and adjusting the thermostat as needed.
 
If you need to replace your thermostat entirely, you can buy a new one using the following links:
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