Hotpoint Oven Not Heating Up Fully - Element?

tightauldgit

Just got home tonight and tried to stick a pizza in the oven and half an hour later it's still stone cold. 

Had a poke around and the main oven on my in-built Hotpoint oven isn't really heating up at all. I can feel inside there is some warm air so it's not totally dead but it's not getting close to anything like the set temp. Top oven still works fine but the main one would appear to be borked. Left it on for about 20 mins on max setting and it's still not even up to 80oC apparently. Fan and light working fine.

Bit of Googling suggests its easy enough to fit a new element - is that going to be the issue? The only thing giving me doubt is that it is generating some heat just not enough so wonder if it might be a thermostat issue? 

I'll get the back plate off later and see what I can see, any clues as to what to look for?
 

grumbler

tightauldgit said:

I can feel inside there is some warm air so it's not totally dead...

Bit of Googling suggests its easy enough to fit a new element - is that going to be the issue? The only thing giving me doubt is that it is generating some heat just not enough so wonder if it might be a thermostat issue?

If it's only one element, then it either works or 'totally dead '.

Usually ovens have more than one element, at least top one and bottom one. Then there can be a grill one at the top. This has to be easy to replace, don't know about the hidden elements.

tightauldgit

grumbler said:

tightauldgit said:

I can feel inside there is some warm air so it's not totally dead...

Bit of Googling suggests its easy enough to fit a new element - is that going to be the issue? The only thing giving me doubt is that it is generating some heat just not enough so wonder if it might be a thermostat issue?

If it's only one element, then it either works or 'totally dead '.

Usually ovens have more than one element, at least top one and bottom one. Then there can be a grill one at the top. This has to be easy to replace, don't know about the hidden elements.

The model is a Hotpoint DHS53X - I believe the main oven is only heated by the fan element.  It's definitely doing 'something' as the air is warmer than room temperature in there but it's not heating up to anything approaching even 100oC let alone 200oC.

A new element looks like a cheap and easy fix, but only if its actually a fix.

 

Risteard

If it's heating somewhat it seems far more likely to be a thermostat issue. A failed element won't give any heat.

tightauldgit

Just took the back plate off, tried it and the element wasn't getting hot. Took it off and its reading open circuit plus there's visible damage where it looks to have burnt out. 

So I'm fairly certain the element needs replaced anyway. 

Now why it was warming slightly earlier I have no idea. maybe it got slightly warm and then burnt out and all I was feeling was residual heat being circulated by the fan?

For £12 I'll try a new element anyway. 

JohnB47

If it's open circuit, there's the culprit.

What you felt was possibly just heat being created by the fan motor.

I've found it's difficult to detect temperature differences by hand. Easy to imagine temperature rises when they're not actually there.

ThisIsWeird

tightauldgit said:

Just took the back plate off, tried it and the element wasn't getting hot. Took it off and its reading open circuit plus there's visible damage where it looks to have burnt out. 

So I'm fairly certain the element needs replaced anyway. 

Now why it was warming slightly earlier I have no idea. maybe it got slightly warm and then burnt out and all I was feeling was residual heat being circulated by the fan?

For £12 I'll try a new element anyway. 

More than likely, yes.

You clearly do have a blown element, and it had to blow either this time, or it blew towards the end of cooking the last time it was used. Far more likely it was this time; a cold element draws more current, and that's when they usually pop - ie when turned on from cold, just like incandescent bulbs.

Obviously, completely isolate the power to the oven first.

tightauldgit

So just to close the loop on this thread I received my new element yesterday fitted it in 5 minutes and I now have a fully functioning oven again! Hopefully it'll last for a while but at least the new element seems to have done the trick. Very easy job to do as well.