My Range Element Won't Heat

Malfunctioning Elements

• The heating elements on your electric stove will eventually wear out and no longer heat up. Before you look at any other possible explanations for why the heating element is not working, you need to test whether the element itself is the cause. To test an element, you need to remove one that is not working and plug in another element you know is working. If the replacement element heats up, then you know that the problem element is worn out and needs to be replaced.

Socket Connection

• Another potential source of a problem with a heating element problem is a loose or bad socket connection. When you install the element, you plug it into the socket connection below the surface. If you remove the heating element and inspect the prongs that you insert into the socket, you may see that the prongs are blackened, indicating a problem with the connection. Shine a flashlight under the stove top surface and inspect the socket. If the socket is blackened or charred, you need to replace it. You must unplug the stove before beginning, and then remove the screw that anchors the burner to the stove. Remove the screws that hold the wires in the old socket, then reverse the removal steps to install a replacement socket.

Problem Switch

• When you turn the control knob that operates the heating element, you are activating an electrical switch that controls the flow of electricity to the heating element’s socket, which supplies the electricity needed to heat up the element. As with the socket, you must unplug the stove before testing the switch, then turn the burner knob on. You have to remove the screw holding the wire to the switch’s H1 terminal, then place a the probes of a multimeter on the H1 and H2 terminals to see if any power is flowing to the switch. If it isn't, you must replace the switch with a new one.

Solid Disc Elements

• If your stove has a solid disc element that is not heating up, you will need to access the element from below to test it. You first have to remove the screws from the front lip of the range top, allowing you to lift the stove top and prop it up securely. Study and label which terminal the wire connections go to, using tape, before removing the wires from the heating element. You then have to test the heating element’s terminals with a volt-ohm-milliammeter, or VOM, to see if the terminals have gone bad. If the VOM does not register a wattage reading that is high enough for the model of stove, you need to remove the old heating element and install a new one.