Stove
Won't Turn On
Nothing happens anywhere on the stove: no burner heats, the oven stays cold, the clock and lights are dark, or the display lights up but nothing will start.
Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm
- 5 checks before you book
- 5 questions that narrow it
- 6 causes, cheapest first
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What it
usually means.
When every part of a stove goes dead at once, the problem is almost always power reaching the whole appliance rather than the burners themselves. An electric stove runs on a double breaker, and one half can trip while the other stays on, leaving the clock lit but the burners cold. The heavy plug behind the stove can work loose when the stove is pulled out for cleaning, and the terminal block where the cord connects can burn. On a gas stove the burners need power only for the spark, so in a power cut many can still be lit with a match, while an oven with an electric igniter will not light at all. A stove that has power but ignores every key is often in a lock or showroom mode rather than broken.
The 6 causes, cheapest first
Answer these first
Is the clock or display lit, or is the whole stove dark?
Is the rest of the kitchen working, and is there power in the neighborhood?
Is the stove's breaker on, and are both halves of the double switch in the same position?
Was the stove pulled out, cleaned behind or moved shortly before it stopped?
Does the display show a lock symbol, the word Demo or a flashing message?
Check these
before you book.
Stove won't turn on: 5 checks, and none of them costs anything.
Find the stove's breaker in the main panel, switch it fully off and then on again, and note whether it trips again.
If you smell gas or burning, or saw sparks before the stove went dead, do not reset anything; follow the steps on those pages first.
Look at the display for a lock or demo symbol, and hold the lock key for the time your manual gives to release it.
Also worth checking
- Check whether other outlets and lights in the kitchen work, and whether a power cut in the area has just ended.
- On a gas stove during an outage, light a burner by hand only if your manual describes it, and leave the oven off.
How soon does it need a visit?
A stove that will not turn on is not an emergency by itself. It becomes one if the breaker trips again right away, if there is a burning smell or sparks, or if you smell gas; stop and follow the safety steps for those.
The causes,
cheapest first.
6 things stove won't turn on turns out to be, from breaker tripped, or only half of it to dead control board.
The cost guide-
01 no repair
Breaker tripped, or only half of it
Reset the stove's breaker by switching it fully off and back on. If it trips again, stop using the stove and book a visit, because something inside is drawing too much current.
-
02 no repair
Plug pulled loose behind the stove
The plug of a stove can slip partly out of the outlet when the stove is moved. With the breaker off, a helper and care for the floor, the stove can be eased forward to check it; a gas stove should not be pulled on its gas line.
-
03 no repair
Control lock or showroom mode on
Many stoves with touch keys have a lock for children and a demo mode for store floors. Both leave the display lit and the stove unable to heat; the manual shows how to turn them off.
-
04 low to moderate
Burnt terminal block or cord
Where the power cord joins the stove at the back, a loose screw can burn the connection until one leg of power is lost. Often the clock works but nothing heats.
-
05 low to moderate
Blown fuse or thermal cutoff inside the stove
Some stoves protect their controls with a fuse or a heat cutoff that opens after a surge or an overheated oven. The stove stays dark until the part is replaced and its cause found.
-
06 moderate to highest
Dead control board
A board damaged by a surge, a storm or moisture can leave a stove with power at the plug but no response anywhere.
What else
it could be.
Most often confused with stove display blank or flashing, then stovetop not heating.
All problems
The makes
it happens on.
32 makes on this site; stove won't turn on can show up on any of them. Each mark opens that make's own page.
All 32 brandsStove Won't Turn On,
where we come out.
9 metros, each with its own page.
All service areasTampa BayFL · 31 areas
Miami / South FloridaFL · 47 areas
New York MetroNY · 75 areas
HoustonTX · 36 areas
ChicagoIL · 50 areas
Los AngelesCA · 95 areas
San DiegoCA · 31 areas
Questions about
stove won't turn on.
The clock works but nothing heats. How can that be?
Can I cook on my gas stove during a power outage?
My stove died after a thunderstorm. Is the board gone?
We just moved in and the stove will not start. Where do I begin?
Back to your everyday
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