Common problems
Short answer
An oven that has “stopped working” is usually still heating, just not to the number on the dial. Smith Appliance Repair tests the sensor before anything else — (949) 979-4880.
The sensor drifts with age, the control obeys it without argument, and what arrives in the kitchen is uneven browning or a roast running half an hour long. A sensor is a modest part. No heat at all is a different and usually cheaper story: on gas, a glow-bar igniter too weak to open the safety valve; on electric, a failed bake element or the relay driving it. An oven that went dead the moment a self-clean cycle ended is nearly always a door latch that never confirmed release.
Diagnosis
Listed roughly in the order a technician checks them — which is not the order of how expensive they are, but of how likely.
Most common
The oven reads wrong and heats to that wrong number. Symptoms are subtle and gradual, which is why people blame the recipe for months first.
Most common
The glow is still there, which is why it looks healthy, but the current behind it has fallen below what the safety valve needs. Lighting takes longer each week, then stops. Measurable in minutes with a clamp meter.
Common
On dual-fuel ranges the cooktop working tells you nothing about the oven — separate systems.
Common
The control locks the oven out because the latch has not confirmed release. Looks catastrophic, quick to repair.
Common
Turns a convection oven into an uneven conventional one. Usually a bearing.
Less common
Diagnosed last, after the sensor it reports on has been tested.
If you can smell gas, do not troubleshoot — leave and call the gas company first. We will take it from there.
Before you call
Nothing above asks you to open a sealed system, meter a live board or bypass a safety device. If a step needs any of those, it is not on this list.
Related
Many of these ranges have an offset adjustment in the control menu, and it is a legitimate fix for a small consistent error. It is not a fix for a sensor that is drifting — the error will keep moving.
It means gas is being released for longer than intended before ignition. It is worth dealing with rather than living with.
Reviews
Real reviews from real customers across San Diego County.
Vlad solved an issue with our fridge that we have had ever since we bought it. No one else had been able to figure it out — zero water pressure from fridge as well as a broken ice machine. Would call him again for any future appliance fixes!
Vlad is a fantastic repair man. I thought I was going to have to buy a new washer unit. He showed up on time the next day and within 1 minute had diagnosed the problem. In and out and the washer is working great again!
My refrigerator water and ice maker had not been working for a while. Vlad got back to me quickly and came out the next day. He was on time and professional. He was able to repair my refrigerator and everything is working again.
1,284+ reviews across all platforms. These are real, verified customer reviews.
Same-day appointments available. The $89 diagnostic is waived when you go ahead with the repair.
8am – 7pm, seven days a week · Phone line open 24/7 for scheduling · Fully licensed and insured — California license #A50441.
