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Is your oven rattling more than a snake in the middle of the desert?
You’re not alone! Although ovens are not meant to rattle, thousands of homeowners find themselves in a similar situation to yours and are left scratching their heads in confusion.
Having a rattling oven is not only an annoying source of unwanted noise but also a cause for concern for most people. After all, it’s only natural to think that the source of the rattling is a broken internal component or worse.
But don’t worry; you’ve come to the right place for answers. Below, you’ll find a list including the 3 main causes behind a rattling oven and simple solutions for each.
When you’re dealing with a rattling oven, try checking for debris hitting the oven’s fan, loose screws in the appliance’s back wall, or damage to the fan and its blades.
Ready to make your oven quiet? Let’s go!
Why Your Oven Is Rattling
There are several possible reasons why your oven is rattling – from something as simple as a loose screw to a more complex and expensive repair, such as broken fan blades.
To save you time and effort, here are some of the things I typically consider first when trying to address a rattling oven.
#1 There’s Debris on the Fan
In my experience, debris hitting the fan is one of the most common causes behind an oven that’s rattling for no apparent reason. Your oven’s fan is normally at the back of the appliance, so cleaning the area is often difficult.
However, if you want to stop the rattling and keep your oven in good condition, my usual advice is to pull the unit out a couple of times a year and give it a good cleaning.
Depending on what’s making the rattling noise, the issue can be more or less urgent. If it’s just gunk buildup food residue, the fan is not in immediate danger. But if the fan blades are hitting a metal object or one of your appliance’s internal wires, it’s an entirely different story, and the issue must be addressed as soon as possible.
Solution: I’ve found that oven-cleaning sessions are best handled when the appliance is unplugged, and the gas supply valve is closed. Please ensure there’s no gas or electricity running into your oven before proceeding any further. Then:
- Carefully pull the oven out of the space it’s in (if the appliance is mounted onto kitchen cabinetry, you may need another person to remove it.
- Once you have clear access to the oven’s rear wall, check for debris, stuck food, and any other object that might be touching the fan as it spins.
If you spot any foreign objects, carefully remove them, clean the oven’s back wall, and place it back where it belongs.
#2 A Screw Is Loose
Once you’ve determined food residue and other debris aren’t to blame, the next possible reason why your oven is rattling is a loose screw.
Although ovens don’t move too much, the constant rotation of their fan can slowly result in one or more screws loosening at the back of the appliance, causing the rattling.
Luckily, I’ve found that fixing such an issue is as simple as it sounds. The entire process shouldn’t take you over 10 minutes.
Solution: If you haven’t put your oven back into place after the previous step, check the back wall again and look for loose screws. Even if you don’t see any, my usual advice is to tighten all the screws anyway, just to be sure.
With the oven still removed from the wall, carefully plug it back into the outlet, turn it on, and see if it still rattles. If the oven is now quiet, tightening the screws did the trick! But if not, it’s time to consider a more serious issue – a broken fan.
#3 The Fan Is Broken
Lastly, let’s consider a broken fan as the reason why your oven is rattling. Provided you’ve already determined that neither a loose screw nor food residue or a foreign object is causing the problem, there’s a good chance that one or more of the fan’s blades broke somewhere along the way.
It’s also possible that the fan’s motor is failing, but in my experience, when that happens, there’s no rattling sound.
Addressing a broken oven fan is not super simple, and depending on your appliance’s brand and model, the replacement can be expensive.
Solution: If your oven’s fan blades are broken, you’ll have to call your manufacturer to ask about the cost of repairs, as well as schedule a technician’s visit if you decide to follow through with the replacement. Alternatively, you can buy the parts yourself if you know where to look.
In my experience, part model numbers can typically be found in your product’s User Manual. If you no longer have the manual handy, please refer to our free resource below to find it.
Addressing Your Oven’s Rattling
That about covers it!
When your oven is rattling, it’s natural that you feel worried about the potential cost of repairs and annoyed at the constant, unpleasant noise that has taken hold of your home.
Luckily, as I hope this piece has helped you better understand, addressing the most common causes behind a rattling oven is often easy and quick. In most cases, something as simple as removing food residue and foreign objects from your fan blades and tightening a loose screw will do the trick.
Thanks for reading. If this article was useful and answered your most burning questions, please check out our other resources and free guides below and consider subscribing to our newsletter.
Have a wonderful day!
-Craig.
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