Signs Your Oven's Upper Heating Element Is Going Bad

If you have noticed that your oven is having problems with baking your food or the breaker is tripped each time you use the oven, you may wonder what is causing the problem. If so, look for the following signs that your oven's upper heating element is starting to go bad.

Food Cooks Unevenly

One of the most obvious signs that there is something wrong with your heating element is that the food you are trying to cook in your oven does not come out evenly. Either parts of the dish are not cooked while others are overdone, or it takes two or three times longer for the food to get done.

If the upper heating element is starting to go out, it will have periods when it does not heat up to the correct temperature. Then, there may be times when parts of it become overly hot, resulting in areas of your food that are burnt to a crisp.

Element Shows Various Colors While Heating 

If your food is cooking unevenly, you can find out if the element is going out by observing the color of it. Normally, the element has a bright orange hue that is consistent throughout the coils.

However, if the heating element is going bad, you will have sections that will either have no color or burn with a reddish hue. You can check the color of the heating element by turning the oven on and checking it after a couple of minutes before it reaches the temperature of the thermostat setting.

Smell of Burning Plastic Is Detected

An advanced sign that your upper heating element is getting ready to fail completely is the smell of burning plastic. Whenever you turn on your oven, you may be overwhelmed with the stench, especially while the element is heating up.

This odor occurs when the plastic connections attaching the element to the electrical plug inside the oven have started to deteriorate. Every time you turn on your oven, the intense heat further melts the connections. Eventually, the plastic will develop holes that will expose the internal electrical components, which will then fry and make the element fail completely.

If you have noticed any of the above signs, the upper heating element in your stove is probably getting ready to fail. Contact a business that deals in appliance parts to find the right heating element for your oven so that you can replace it before it completely goes bad.