FAQs | Ranges & Ovens

All ranges and wall ovens that feature electronic controls have fault codes programmed into them. These codes help our Bodewell appliance technicians quickly diagnose issues with your oven or range. Though we can't list all fault codes for all past and present wall oven and range models, you can visit this page for a helpful guide to their meanings. If you encounter a fault code on your appliance, call our trained service technicians at Bodewell to set up a visit to correct the issue.

If the oven on your GE Appliances range is not working, but the burners are working, try checking the following:

• Make sure your oven controls are set correctly, either Bake or Broil.
• On self-clean Ranges with a mechanical self-clean oven door latch, check your oven door to make sure the latch is unlocked.
• Check your oven knobs to make sure they’re in the correct position. If you’ve removed the control knobs for cleaning, make sure you’ve reinstalled them in the proper position.
• Check the electric bake element in your oven. Turn your range off and either remove the fuse or turn off the circuit breaker that supplies power to the range. Then, unplug your range and carefully inspect the bake element, lower element, for cracks or breaks.
• If you find that the bake element is cracked or broken, it will need to be replaced. You can purchase a replacement bake element or other parts from our GE Appliances Parts & Accessories website.

Learn more about your range oven issues here.

To get the best cooking performance from your radiant smooth glass cooktop, we recommend using medium to heavy-weight cookware. Also, flat bottom pans are essential for good cooking performance since the bottom of the pan needs to touch as much of the glass as possible for ideal heat transfer. Most cookware brands today have flat bottoms. Older, used cookware and/or thinner cookware will often show signs of no longer being completely flat across the bottom of the pan, which can affect its cooking performance. Non-flat pans can also crack the glass. Check out our Range - Steps to Check Cookware for Best Performance article for even more information.

The only time an oven door should be locked is during the Self-Clean cycle. If the oven door on your GE Appliances range or wall oven is locked and won’t open, check for these issues:

• If the oven door is locked accidentally while food is in the oven, let the oven cool to room temperature and then try to unlatch the door.
• If your range has electronic oven controls, turning the circuit breaker off for a few minutes and then turning it back on can release the door latch switch and unlock the door.
• If you’ve tried the above recommendations and the oven door still doesn’t unlatch, you may need service.

Read this article for more recommendations on how to unlatch a stuck oven latch.

Directions for setting the clock on your GE Appliances range or wall oven vary depending on the model of range or oven you have. Follow these basic instructions or visit this page for more detailed information.

• For ranges with LCD touchscreens, touch the screen to wake it up, press Settings, and then Clock or Set Clock. Next, follow the onscreen directions to set your clock.
• For models with a clock or Set Clock pad, press the Clock or Set Clock pad and then press the pad twice to go into set mode, clock flashing. Press the + / - pads or the number pads, depending on your model, to set the proper time and then touch the Start pad. The time of day will then show in the display.

Though the preheat time for GE Appliances ranges and wall ovens varies depending on the appliances model, the starting temp of the oven, the room temperature, and the number of racks in the oven, we do offer expected preheat times. Review the information listed and then visit this page for more information.

If your range or wall oven is installed at its proper voltage, 120 volts for gas and 240 volts for electric, you can expect the following typical preheat times for your oven:

• Electric ovens with hidden bake elements and gas ovens can take 15 to 20 minutes to preheat.
• Electric ovens with a hidden bake element and the fast preheat feature can take 7 to 10 minutes to preheat.
• Ovens with a visible bake element can take 5 to 10 minutes to preheat.

If your GE Appliances range burners aren’t heating or aren’t working properly, check for the following issues:

• If your top burners do not work but the clock on your range does work, your appliance power cord connection may be wired improperly. We suggest that you contact your range installer for further assistance.
• Check the circuit breaker or fuse that supplies power to the range. Make sure the power cord is not loose and that it is snugly plugged into the wall outlet. On most slide-in and free-standing ranges, you’ll need to pull out the lower storage drawer to access the plug and verify that it’s properly connected. Or you may need to slide the range away from the wall to verify the cord is securely plugged in. If you’ve verified that the power cord is plugged in securely and your burners still don’t work, your appliance power cord connection may be improperly wired. You will need to contact your range installer for assistance.
• On electric coil burner models, check the individual burners. If one burner does not heat, remove it and plug it into another burner receptacle of the same size. Then, turn it on and see if it heats up. If it still does not work, the element may need to be replaced. See our Electric Range & Cooktop - How to Replace Calrod Element article for further assistance.
• You may also want to check out our Electric Range & Cooktop - Coil Burner Sensi-Temp Technology article.

Always be sure to unplug your appliance from the power supply before attempting any maintenance or cleaning. Visit this page for more recommendations for electric range burner issues.

Before using your glass cooktop for the first time, we recommend cleaning it with a GE Appliances approved cooktop cleaner like Weiman Glass Cooktop Cleaner & Polish or CeramaBryte Ceramic Cooktop Cleaner. Follow up with daily use of this cleaner to help keep your cooktop looking new. For more detailed information about removing burned on residue or other marks, visit this page.

NOTE: Use of sponges or cleaners other than those recommended can result in damage to your cooktop.

Before running the Self-Clean cycle, be sure to remove all cookware, racks, liners, food, and any heavy food pieces. You may need to use a plastic scouring pad and water to remove excess heavy, baked-on food.

For non-electronic control ranges and wall ovens, follow these basic instructions:

1. On ovens with window doors with shields, slide the door shield closed, and then close the door.
2. If your oven model has a latch release button, push and hold the latch release while sliding the oven latch to the Clean position. Turn the oven Set and oven Temperature knobs clockwise to the Clean setting. If the Temperature knob doesn’t have a position labelled Clean, turn the knob to any temperature.
3. Push in and turn the STOP dial from the present time of day two hours for lightly soiled ovens or three hours for heavily soiled, for example, if the current time is 9:30, set the clean stop dial to 12:30 for a three hour cleaning cycle.
4. The Clean light will come on immediately to indicate the Clean cycle has begun. On some range and oven models it may cycle on and off. This is normal.
5. The Lock light will come on about 30 to 40 minutes into the cycle.
6. When the Clean cycle has ended, the Clean light will turn off.
7. About 30 to 40 minutes after the Clean light has gone out and the oven has cooled, the Lock light will go off.
8. After the Lock light turns off, push and hold the latch release button while sliding the latch back to Cook.
9. Return the oven SET knob to OFF.

Do not set the oven for self-cleaning if the oven clock isn’t working properly or if the oven lamp cover is missing as this could cause problems with the cleaning cycle.

When using your range oven or wall oven, you might notice a clicking sound. This is merely the control relays cycling the bake and broil elements on and off to accurately maintain oven temperature. It’s a totally normal sound while using GE Appliances ranges and ovens. In fact, due to the precise control our ovens have at keeping temperatures accurate, you may hear more clicking noises in your new oven compared to your older oven. To learn more, visit this page.

When using your range oven or wall oven, you may hear the fan running. This is totally normal. Many ovens offer convection cooking features and have a convection fan inside the oven. Cooling fans are a part of the design of many of our GE Appliances ranges and wall ovens as they help keep the components and controls from getting too hot.

Some range and wall oven models use fans to help cool the oven after self-cleaning. The cooling fan for the electronic controls is thermostat controlled and may run throughout the entire baking cycle and continue even when the oven is turned off. This is considered part of normal operation. For additional information on your oven’s cooling fan, please visit this link or see the following:

• Range and Wall Oven - Oven Cooling Fan is Running Too Long
• Range & Wall Oven - Clicking and Other Noises
• Range & Wall Oven - Normal Sounds During Use
• Oven Fan Run Time

If the temperature inside the oven on your range or wall oven doesn’t seem to be correct, please check the following:

• Make sure the oven is preheated and is set to the proper temperature.
• Check the type of cookware that is being used and the placement of the cookware.
• Make sure heat is not being blocked from circulating within the oven.
• Make sure you are not losing heat by opening the oven door too frequently or placing pans or racks in the wrong way keeping your door from closing completely.
• Check your heating elements to be sure they are working properly.

Then, if you’re following recipe times and temperatures carefully and still think your oven is not at the correct temperature, you can adjust the temperature yourself to meet your specific cooking preference.

• You can easily test to see if your oven is cooking properly using the “biscuit test.” For more information, you can take a look at the Range & Wall Oven - Oven Temperature Bake Test article.
• See the “Adjust the Oven Thermostat” - “Do It Yourself” section of the Owner's Manual for directions about calibrating your oven thermostat.
• When checking your oven temperature, use a high quality oven thermometer. Cheap, low quality thermometers are usually not very accurate.

Yes, it’s normal to notice steam or smoke coming from your oven vent when you’re baking, convection baking, roasting, or broiling. This may be more noticeable depending on what you’re baking. Your oven vent is located near the control panel on most free-standing ranges and wall ovens, so seeing steam or vapor near there is common. For more information, read this support page.

If you think your electric range burners or surface is too hot, use these tips to identify the problem:

• Oven vents are located near the rear burner on electric ranges with Calrod coils. If the burner bowl is turned the wrong way, it could block the vent and cause heat to build up under your cooktop.
• Oversized pans can trap heat between the pan bottom and the cooktop surface. To remedy, don’t let pans hang over more than 1” on each side of the burner.
• If your drip pans are covered with foil, it can transfer more heat to the cooktop. Drip pans should be left uncovered.
• Dark or porcelain-coated drip pans can conduct more heat from your burner to your cooktop surface. Regular aluminum drip pans conduct less heat.

To learn more, visit this page.

Since fall 1988, all of our freestanding, slide-in. and drop-in ranges include an anti-tip device with the appliance purchased. The bracket is key to safe operation of your GE Appliances range. When excess force or weight is applied to an open oven door, it provides protection against the appliance tipping forward. For more information, read this article on anti-tip range brackets.

If you’re using Convection Bake or Convection Roast cooking mode on your oven and the oven won’t set to the right temperature, the oven may have the Auto Recipe™ Conversion feature. Many ovens that offer convection oven baking and roasting offer this conversion feature.

When the oven is set for Auto Recipe™ Conversion you may see CON appear shortly after setting the temperature and then the oven will automatically set for 25 degrees less than the temperature entered. On most newer Ranges, though, the display will show the set temperature, not the converted temperature, when the Auto Recipe™ Conversion is in use. For more information on convection cooking, read this article.

If your range clock was set but now the display is blank, unplug your range for about 30 seconds, and then plug it in again to reset the controls. Then, you’ll need to follow the instructions for setting your clock in your owner’s manual for your range. Learn more here.

If your oven is cooking too fast or too slow, you may need to consider these things:

• For new wall ovens or ranges, the oven thermostat has been correctly set at the factory and is more likely to be accurate than the oven which it replaced.
• When using recipes you've used for a long time in your previous oven, know that differences in timing or cooking performance between your old and a new oven are not unusual.
• For the first few uses, follow your recipe times and temperatures carefully and use the rack positions recommended in the Cooking Guide in the Owner's Manual for the specific model you own.

If you still think your new oven is baking too hot or too cool, you can calibrate the thermostat following the directions in the Owner’s Manual for your range or oven. Look for “Adjust Oven Thermostat” in the Settings section of the control panel for model specific instructions on how to adjust your oven’s thermostat. Learn more here.

If the burners on your gas range or cooktop or gas range are clicking, please check the following:

• If the burner igniters click in the OFF position, make sure you push in and turn the knob completely to the OFF position and the knob has popped back out after you release it.
• Moisture left after cleaning can also cause the igniters to click intermittently. Let the appliance dry for a few hours and check it again.
• Even when only one ignites, it’s normal to hear multiple burners click. Only the one you are attempting to light should ignite, though.

If you’ve checked these issues and still feel the clicking is happening, you may need to have your range serviced. Read here for more information.

If your oven temperature cannot be set above 290 degrees or there is an ERR in the display, the oven is probably set for Celsius degrees instead of Fahrenheit. Follow these steps to set it to Fahrenheit, click here to view video instructions:

• Press the BAKE and BROIL HI/LO control pads at the same time for 3-5 seconds until the display shows SF.
• Press the COOK TIME and BROIL HI/LO control pads at the same time. NOTE: On some models you’ll only need to press BROIL, refer to your use and care manual to see which one is correct. The display should show C. Press both pads again until F shows in the display. It should now be set to Fahrenheit degrees.
• Press START to finish this setting.

To change the temperature setting back to Celsius, follow the instructions provided above, but instead of final display showing F, it will change to C. This information is included in the Owner's Manual for the specific model you own.

If your burner(s) aren’t clicking and will not ignite, check for these issues to try to get them working again:

• Make sure you turn the burner knob to the Lite position. You should only turn the knob to the desired cooking setting after you make sure the burner is lit and the flame is visible.
• Make sure the burner caps are on the correct burners. Your range or cooktop may have one or more burners of different sizes, so, if a medium burner cap is placed on a small burner, the burner won’t work properly. Verify that each burner cap is in the correct position.
• Make sure the range or cooktop is plugged in and/or receiving proper electrical power. Ensure the circuit breaker or fuse that supplies power to the appliance has not been tripped.
• On your gas range, try turning on the oven. If the oven works but no surface burners will work, then you’ll need to contact service.

Visit this page for more information.

Some cooktops and ranges rely on surface temperature limiters to monitor the temperature of the ceramic top. If the surface temperature is still hot, the cooktop may still show that the surface is on. On other radiant glass cooktops, the ON indicator is timed and will stay on for 30 minutes past the last time the burner was switched on and heated. This gives time for the surface to cool down before the indicator light turns off. Read more about hot surface indicators here.

Visit this link for a list of all GE Appliances brand range support articles to help you learn more about your range and troubleshoot any issues.

When troubleshooting issues with your GE Appliances, you can use keywords to search our knowledge base to find help. You can also search through our video gallery to find Maintenance and Support Videos. You’ll also find OEM parts and accessories in our Parts & Accessories store. If you still need help, have an appliance question, need to schedule a repair, or find a replacement part, you can reach us by phone, email or chat here.