Picture this: you’re all set to bake a delectable apple pie. Your dough is rolled, apples are diced, and you’re waiting for the oven to heat up. Then, out of the blue, your oven starts making a peculiar sound. Is your oven making noise when preheating or baking? Let’s take a deep dive and decipher what these unusual oven sounds mean.
Is Your Oven Making Noise When Preheating? Here’s What to Do
Each noise your oven belts out narrates a unique tale. Let’s tune into these tales and find out what they’re telling us about your oven’s health. Are you hearing a rattling, hissing, or booming sound? Let’s break down the reasons for your oven making noise when preheating.
Oven Making Rattling Noise
Hearing a rattling noise, like a handful of dice in a cup? It usually means there’s a loose component somewhere. Maybe a screw has loosened over time, or a panel is hanging by a thread. Here’s what you can do:
- Find the source of the rattling—check the interior, exterior, and back of the oven.
- If you spot a loose screw or panel, tighten it up using a screwdriver. Make sure there’s no power in the oven before you try this, and be very cautious when performing this step.
- If the rattling persists, it’s likely an internal issue. In this case, calling a professional is your best bet.
Oven Making Hissing Noise
A loud hissing sound from your oven is like an alarm bell—it often points to a potential gas leak. If your oven isn’t heating up or lighting but you’re hearing gas, this is serious and requires immediate attention. Here’s how to handle it:
- If you hear a hissing sound and smell gas, turn off the oven.
- Do not attempt to fix this yourself.
- Call a professional immediately. Gas leaks can be hazardous and are best handled by experts.
Oven Making Banging Noise
Hearing a sudden boom from your oven can be unsettling, especially if it’s a gas oven. This often indicates a delayed ignition of the gas. Here’s what’s happening:
- Normally, the igniter should light a small amount of gas to start heating.
- If the igniter is dirty or faulty, the gas won’t light up right away.
- If this doesn’t happen, gas builds up, causing a small boom when it all ignites at once.
- While it’s not as major as a gas leak, you’ll want to have a professional check it out to ensure safety.
Squeaking Sound From Oven
If you turned off the oven, but still hear a squeaking noise. It’s likely your cooling fan. This fan, usually located at the top of the oven, runs after you’ve turned off the oven to cool it down quickly.
If it starts squeaking, grinding, or rattling, your fan might need a cleanup. Over time, falling food particles and the effects of gravity can lead to a build-up of gunk.
Here’s a quick fix:
- Check your owner’s manual for instructions on reaching the cooling fan. In some cases you may want a technician’s help.
- Clean and lubricate the fan carefully.
- If the noise persists, it might be time for a fan replacement.
Recognizing Common Oven Noises
While silence is golden, a completely silent oven is more of a myth. Your oven will make some sounds, even when operating perfectly. It’s pretty normal to find your oven making noise when preheating for these reasons:
- ‘Crackling’, ‘popping’, or ‘oil canning’ sounds as the oven’s metal parts heat up and cool down.
- Dull hum of electricity powering the oven
- Hum of the oven cooling fan motor
- Loud popping of sheet pans warping when they heat up too quickly
- Abrupt pop when sheet pans warp due to rapid heating.
- ‘Click’ sound during baking, broiling, convection cooking, and self-cleaning cycles.
- Whirring of a fan during the self-clean cycle.
It’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with these sounds. That way, you’ll quickly recognize when a noise is out of place.
While many oven noises can be solved with some sleuthing and a bit of DIY, when things start smelling funny or sound really off, it’s time to call the experts.
Enter Handler Appliance, your reliable oven service and repair team. Our mission is to get your oven back to its quiet, efficient self, preheating your meals to perfection without an orchestra of unwanted sounds!
So the next time you find your oven making noise when preheating, remember, you’re not alone. You’ve got this guide, and you’ve got us – Handler Appliance – ready to help with any appliance issues.
