How Do I Know If My Oven Element Is Blown? Quick Checks and Solutions

If your oven isn’t heating right or your food is taking forever, you might have a blown heating element. One of the fastest ways to check is to see if the element glows orange or red when it’s on—if it doesn’t, you probably need a new one.

Sometimes you’ll spot visible cracks or damage on the element, which is a pretty clear sign something’s wrong.

You might notice your oven isn’t reaching the temperature you set, or maybe it cooks unevenly. When the oven’s clean and well-maintained but still acts up, the heating element is usually the culprit.

If you know what to look for, you can get to the bottom of the issue quicker—or at least tell a repair tech exactly what’s up.

Recognizing a Blown Oven Element

You can usually spot a blown oven element by checking for damage and paying attention to how your oven behaves. These clues help you decide if it’s time to test or swap out the element.

Visible Signs of Damage

Take a good look at your oven element. Are there cracks, breaks, or spots that look blistered?

Burn marks or melted areas are dead giveaways. If the element looks warped or has missing chunks, it’s not going to heat the way it should.

Sometimes you’ll see spots that have turned white or gray, which often means the element’s worn out.

Unplug the oven before you get too close. If you can, pull the element out a bit to check both sides. Damage anywhere usually means you’ll need a replacement.

Symptoms During Oven Operation

A blown element makes your oven heat unevenly or not at all. You might find it takes way longer to preheat or never gets hot enough.

Sometimes only one part of the oven stays cool while the rest heats up. If the element is supposed to glow but stays dark, that’s a big red flag.

A weird burning or electrical smell while the oven’s on is another warning sign. If you notice any of this, grab a multimeter and test the element. Here’s a quick guide: how to test an oven element with a multimeter.

Steps to Test and Diagnose Oven Element Failure

To figure out if your oven element’s actually blown, you’ll want to check its condition and test its resistance. That way, you know what you’re dealing with before you start buying parts.

Performing a Visual Inspection

Unplug your oven or flip the breaker first. Open the oven door and get a close look at the heating element.

Check for cracks, blisters, or burn marks. Those are the classic signs it’s done for.

Does the element glow bright orange when it’s on? If it stays dull or cold, there’s a problem.

Notice any warping or breaks? That’ll mess with heating and usually means the element’s shot.

Cleaning off grease or burnt food won’t fix a broken element, but it does make it easier to spot damage.

Using a Multimeter for Testing

A multimeter helps you see if the element’s working by measuring its resistance.

Unplug the oven and take out the element. Set the multimeter to ohms (Ω) or resistance mode.

Touch the probes to each end of the element. A good element usually reads between 10 and 50 ohms, though it depends on your oven.

If you get no reading (infinite resistance), the element’s dead. If it reads zero, you’ve got a short, so it needs replacing.

If you want more detail on this, check out How To Test An Oven Element With A Multimeter.

Safety Precautions When Handling Oven Elements

Always turn off power to the oven before touching any electrical parts. Unplug the oven or switch off its breaker—seriously, don’t skip this.

Use insulated tools so you don’t risk electrical shocks. Don’t grab the element with your bare hands; you could get burned or hurt.

Wear gloves to keep your hands safe from sharp edges and grime.

Let the oven and element cool down all the way before you even think about poking around.

If you’re not confident about testing or replacing parts, just call a professional. It’s not worth the risk, honestly.