Electric stoves and ranges are scary. They use too much power. Therefore, whenever they malfunction, consumers cannot help but worry. They expect the appliances to either shock them, catch fire or explode. Fortunately, you can fix some stoves by simply resetting them. But how do you reset an electric stove? Do you simply press a button? What are the appropriate procedures? This guide will tell you.
Do Electric Stoves Have A Reset Button?
Electric stoves don’t use reset buttons. You can reset it by unplugging the appliance, waiting half a minute, and plugging it back in.
Depriving the control board of power for a time is enough to reset it. Computers are the same. Do you remember the last time your laptop developed a minor fault? When you called the electrician, what did they say?
They probably told you to restart the machine. Most devices follow a similar procedure. Admittedly, this is not true in every case. Some large oven ranges use reset buttons, especially the custom-built models. But those are extremely rare, and you won’t find them in residential settings.
What does this mean for you? If your electric stove is misbehaving, you don’t have to despair. Just look at the manual. Manufacturers don’t include reset buttons in their stoves.
However, they also know that appliances of this ilk require routine resetting, especially when a malfunction occurs. Therefore, they include reset procedures in their manuals.
The notion of using reset procedures may worry you, especially if you have a washer and dryer. Washers and dryers are complicated because their reset procedures are long-winded. It isn’t enough to press a few buttons. You have to turn the dial several times to complete the process.
In fact, the reset procedures for some washers are so long that many consumers will hire technicians to come and reset their washers. Electric stoves are different.
Some of them are very sophisticated, and they have several dials and buttons. However, you can reset them in two or three steps. Manufacturers want to limit the time you spend tampering with their stoves.
Therefore, they are incentivized to simplify reset procedures. If you can’t find the reset procedures in the manual, or if you don’t have the manual, check the internet.
Send the manufacturers an email. They will reply with detailed instructions. Better yet, check YouTube. Look for videos with in-depth instructions. You can also talk to your friends and family. Anyone that has a similar model can guide you.
Read Electric Stove Noise(Buzzing, Clicking, Humming, Popping)
How Do You Reset An Electric Stove?
Your manual has the best answers, and if you don’t have one, you can try the following:
1). Turn Off The Breaker
- Look for your stove’s breaker. This assumes that your unit has one. It is enough to switch the breaker off and on.
- But when you switch it off, wait 60 seconds.
- Don’t turn it back on immediately. If you want to reset the appliance because of an error code, watch for the error code. Can you see it? Has it disappeared? Do all the other functions work?
You have to reset some ovens multiple times to eliminate the problem. Although, you can’t expect resetting to solve every problem. If a malfunction persists, don’t waste time resetting the stove. Call an expert.
2). Pull the Power Cord Out Of The Outlet
This is the easiest way to reset an electric stove. Pull the plug out of the outlet, wait a few seconds or minutes and then push the plug back into the outlet. Again, the objective is to deprive the appliance of power for a specific period.
You can extend that period from a few seconds to several minutes, depending on your observations.
Don’t forget to check the cord. Some stoves will seemingly malfunction because of a damaged power cord. The plug is another common culprit. If the plug is loose because the prongs cannot maintain a firm grip on the slots of the outlet, the stove may refuse to start.
3). Switch The Breakers In The Electrical Box Off
Some stoves are hardwired into the circuit. You can’t just unplug them. Instead of resetting them with the breakers on the unit, you have to switch the breakers in the electrical box off.
This may present a challenge if you never bothered to label the breakers because you have to start by identifying the circuit powering the stove. You can accomplish this task by switching the breakers off one at a time and checking the lights and appliances in different rooms.
Once you identify the appropriate breaker in the box, take a moment to label it. After that, you can turn it off for a minute before switching it back on.
Anyone can use the steps above to reset their stove because they are extremely generic. They will work on most models. However, some units have unique reset procedures. This is why the manual is so important.
For instance, an electric stove that uses the ‘Clear/Off’ button to reset the appliance – you must press this button several times until the LCD display goes off and the stove shuts down. You could argue that, in this case, ‘Clear/Off’ is a reset button. However, that is not necessarily true.
Pressing ‘Clear/Off’ is not enough. Rather, this is merely the first step. Once the stove turns off, you must disconnect the appliance from its power source. If the unit uses an ordinary plug, this means pulling that plug out of the outlet.
But if the device is hardwired, you can switch the breaker off. Wait 60 seconds and reverse this process. Connect the plug to the outlet, if it has one. Switch the breaker back on if the stove is hardwired.
Your model may follow a similar procedure. It may ask you to perform specific tasks before pulling the plug.
What Happens After Resetting An Electric Stove?
Did you notice an error code on the LCD display? If that is the case, that error code will disappear once you reset the unit.
You can also test the other functions of the device. If the problems persist, try different solutions, including:
1). If the control panel doesn’t respond, look for the child lock feature. It may remain enabled even after a reset.
2). Check the circuit breaker if the stove refuses to work. A surge might have tripped it. Resetting the breaker will fix the problem
3). Does the stove use a fuse? Check and replace burnt fuses.
4). Inspect the device for loose connections. Are the wires intact? Can you see torn jackets and burn marks? Don’t be tempted to fix these issues yourself. You may void the warranty.
When Should I Reset My Electric Stove?
Have you ever stopped to wonder why people reset their stoves? Various problems will trigger this response, including:
1). Is the stove on? Some people resort to resetting procedures because the appliance has refused to turn on. You wouldn’t expect people to solve this issue by resetting the unit. After all, resetting means turning the machine off, but the stove is already off.
However, if the stove has a breaker, performing a reset using the breaker may solve the problem.
2). Is your stove working? Some stoves will switch on, but the coils won’t work. They won’t produce the heat you need to cook your food.
3). Are the indicator lights working? Many stoves use indicator lights to reveal the status of the appliance. They will alert you when the device completes a particular procedure. They will also warn you if something goes wrong.
Therefore, if the indicator lights have stopped working, you should reset the electric stove. Otherwise, you are basically flying blind.
4). You can reset the stove if the appliance has failed to attain the temperature you need. Some devices will produce too much heat. Others won’t generate enough.
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