A GE Oven Whose Broiler Would Not Work in Pasadena

A GE Oven That Could Bake but Not Broil in Pasadena

A homeowner in Pasadena called A+ Appliance Repair and Maintenance about a GE JKP27 oven whose broiler had stopped working. The oven otherwise functioned, but the broil setting produced nothing. It is a common and specific complaint, and the fact that the oven can still bake while the broiler is dead is actually the biggest clue to what is going on.

Baking and broiling use different elements

In an electric oven, heat comes from heating elements, and there are typically two of them: a bake element at the bottom and a broil element at the top. They do different jobs. The bake element provides the general, surrounding heat for baking and roasting. The broil element, up top, provides the intense, direct, top-down heat that broiling requires, the high heat that browns and sears the surface of food from above.

Because baking and broiling rely on these two separate elements, they can fail independently. That is exactly why this oven could still bake while the broiler did nothing: the bake element was fine and doing its job, while the broil element up top had failed. A dead broiler with a working bake function is the classic signature of a failed broil element.

Why broil elements fail

Like any heating element, the broil element is a wear part. It endures repeated cycles of heating to high temperatures and cooling down, and broiling in particular runs it hot. Over time an element can burn out, develop a break, or fail visibly by blistering or splitting. When it goes, the broiler stops producing heat, even though everything around it, the controls, the bake element, the rest of the oven, is working normally. It is one of the more common oven repairs there is precisely because these elements are worked hard and eventually wear out.

The repair

Our technician confirmed the broil element was the failure, which the symptom of a working bake function and a dead broiler already pointed to, and replaced the broil heating element. With the new element installed, the broiler once again produced the strong top-down heat it is supposed to. Our technician confirmed the broil element heated correctly and the broiler worked the way it should, verifying the repair rather than just installing the part. On an element replacement, confirming the element actually heats and the function works is how you know the job is complete.

A repair worth making

A failed broil element is a good example of a repair that is well worth making. It restores a whole cooking function, broiling, that the oven had lost, and it is a targeted, sensible fix rather than a reason to replace the oven. There is no need to give up broiling or shop for a new appliance over a single worn element. Restoring the broiler brings the oven back to its full range of use.

Caring for your oven's elements

A few habits help oven elements last and help you catch problems. Keep the oven reasonably clean, since heavy buildup around an element can affect it over time, but be careful and gentle around the elements themselves, as they can be brittle. Take a look at the elements now and then when the oven is cool; a bake or broil element that is visibly blistered, split, or has a break in it is on its way out or already failed. And if the broiler or the bake function stops producing heat while the other still works, that points to the specific element for that function, which is a fixable, common repair.

About A+ Appliance Repair and Maintenance

We service GE, Whirlpool, KitchenAid, LG, Samsung, and every other major oven and range brand throughout Pasadena and the surrounding San Gabriel Valley. Our technicians are certified and carry common parts, so an element repair like this one can usually be diagnosed and completed in a single visit.

We quote the price upfront before any work begins, we waive the service call fee when you move forward with the repair, and every completed repair is backed by our full repair warranty. If your oven's broiler or bake function has stopped heating while the other still works, we can replace the failed element and restore full use of your oven.