When you're struggling with an inconsistent, unreliable, or malfunctioning electric oven, you may find yourself with underbaked, overbaked, and unevenly baked foods. This is frustrating, and it may leave you feeling like you need to buy a new oven. Unfortunately, a new oven can be costly and, if that's not in your budget right now, you might wonder if there is anything else that you can do. You might find that installing a new element in your oven fixes the problem. Here are some things that you should know about replacing your electric oven's heating element.

The Elements Are Model-Specific

If you decide to buy a new heating element for your oven, make sure you search the proper make and model to get the part. Most places with appliance parts for sale will have many different types of electric oven heating elements, so narrow them by make and model first, then make sure that the shape and dimensions match the one that's in your oven now.

The Elements Are Easy To Change

For those who have never changed the element in an electric oven, the process may feel intimidating. Don't let it overwhelm you. In fact, you may be surprised at how easy it actually is. Unplug your oven so that you don't risk any potential electrical exposure. Then, open your oven door and remove the racks.

With the racks out of the way, you will see the area where the heating element passes through the rear wall of your oven. There should be a couple of screws on each side holding the element in place. Remove those screws and set them aside. You'll need them to install the new one.

Gently pull the element forward, drawing the element as well as the electrical wiring connections out of the back panel of the oven. Disconnect the wires from the old element, then remove the element. Put the new one in its place, connect the wires, then feed the wires and the heating element tips back into the oven. Once the new heating element is in place, secure it with the screws before replacing the racks and plugging your oven back in.

The Element May Require Calibration

Once you install the new element, test the temperature in the oven compared to the thermostat. You may need an appliance service technician to calibrate the thermostat accordingly for the new element.

The electric oven heating element is one of the simplest appliance parts to work with. If you need to buy appliance parts, reach out to an appliance service in your area.