How to Fix a Stove - DIY

Big party at your place tonight and the stove is on the fritz? Even worse, a nice romantic dinner planned and you just can't do take-out again. Never fear, most of the parts on a standard electric range top are easy to replace.

First step, narrow down the trouble. If nothing works, not even the clock and the indicator lights, you've probably blown a fuse or kicked a breaker – but you've already checked that. Right? Right. So let's assume we have power, clock works, lights work, maybe even the oven works. 

The most common failure is for a burner to stop heating or stop heating enough. If all of your burners go out at the same time, and you still have power to the stove, there are internal problems and you need to call in the service tech. If it's just a burner, we can handle that in a jiffy. No Problem.

Most electric range tops have an arrangement of four burners, two small and two large. The burner elements themselves simply plug into a socket hidden under the range top. You can lift up the burner and pull it out, then replace it by plugging in a new burner. If another burner of the same size is working, try switching them. That will tell you if the burner is bad. If it is you can pick one up at the hardware or home improvement store and replace it.

If the burner is okay when you try it in another socket, the next likely culprit is the socket itself. Lift the range top and look underneath at the socket the burner plugs into. On most ranges this is done by lifting the front of the range top. This allows for easy cleaning beneath the burners. You have been cleaning beneath your burners haven't you? Of course you have.

Inspect the socket for cracks, charring, and broken or frayed wires and connections. As long as you are there, check all four sockets, burners, and any wiring visible. If one or more sockets show excessive wear they are easily replaced. One screw holds the socket in place and, though you may need to cut the wires going to the old socket to attach the new socket, the new socket comes with wire nuts designed for that very task.

Home improvement stores carry a wide range of the most common replacement parts. While you are there buying new sockets and/or burner elements, go ahead and pick up some new burner pans and rings to make your old stove look brand new.

If the socket is good, and the burner is good, the next logical suspect is the control switch. Again, the wonderful thing about an electric stove is that so many parts are interchangeable. You can switch the switches just like we did the burners. But first pull out the stove, or lift out the range top, and unplug it.

Electric stoves have large three-pronged plugs and use 240 volts, not the 120 volts your other kitchen appliances use. That is twice as many volts, so you can imagine it will shock you twice as bad. Respect it. But you are always careful with your electric appliances. Right? Right.

If you remove the back cover from the control panel you can see all the controls and their wiring. These switches generally have plug-in type electrical connections for easier replacement. This also makes it easier for us to test our suspect control switch.

Disconnect the wires from the suspected bad switch, noting which wire goes where, and tape them off so they can't touch anything or each other. Disconnect the wires from another switch that controls the same size burner that you know is working. Connect these wires to our prime suspect making sure you plug the right wires in all the right places.

Plug in the stove and turn on the control switch we believe to be faulty. If the control switch works with the new wires the control is good and there is a problem with the internal wiring of the stove. You will need to call in the service tech, but since you have narrowed down the problem and the service company probably charges by the hour, you have still saved yourself some money.

If the control switch still doesn't work with the new wires then the switch is bad. The faulty control switch can be replaced as easily as the faulty burner socket. You may need to visit an appliance dealer to get the right control switch for your make and model of stove, so go ahead and remove the switch and take it with you to match. Just be sure to plug those loose wires back into their original control switch.