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Are your oven’s buttons unresponsive, and it’s getting in the way of your baking plans?
That sucks! Ovens are an essential part of our daily lives, whether you’re planning a quiet family dinner or a get-together with friends – no oven, no food. At least not if your recipes call for baking.
I know how annoying it can be to have your oven fail and become unresponsive, especially when you’ve owned it for a very short time. But don’t worry; you’ve come to the right place for answers. Below, you’ll find a list including 3 simple steps you can follow to bring your oven’s buttons back to life.
When your oven’s buttons are unresponsive, try power cycling the appliance, cleaning the button area thoroughly, or replacing the button panel interface if all else fails.
Read on to get your oven’s buttons back to normal!
Why trust us? This article was written by Craig Anderson and James Blackford.
Craig has helped thousands of other homeowners repair their appliances since 2016.
James is one of our resident appliance experts with over 16 years of experience. He currently works as a Master Technician for SquareTrade, and runs his own appliance repair business.
Why Your Oven’s Buttons Are Unresponsive
Unresponsive oven buttons can be very annoying – especially when you have plans to cook during the afternoon. While there’s no cookie-cutter solution or cause to the issue, I’ve found there are several common culprits that you should check first to save time and money.
#1 Power Cycle the Oven
The first thing I recommend you try when your oven’s buttons are unresponsive is to power cycle the appliance. Like modern computers, digital ovens work by running several background processes. Naturally, such processes are not as complex as those in your Gaming desktop PC, but even then, they can be affected by bugs and glitches.
By power cycling your oven, you’ll be giving the appliance a chance to restart many of its internal processes and reload them from scratch, hopefully resolving any issues related to the button interface.
Solution: In my experience, the simplest way to power cycle your oven is by unplugging it from the wall outlet and waiting a few minutes before plugging it back in. Alternatively, if your oven is too heavy or you don’t feel like moving it, you can also cut the power to your kitchen via your circuit breaker. Typically, the breakers are labeled, so you should have no problem identifying the one belonging to your kitchen.
Once you’ve power cycled the oven, test it again to see whether the buttons are working normally. If so, you’re done! But if not, don’t worry; there’s still a lot of ground to cover.
#2 Clean the Button Area
Provided power cycling fails, the next thing you’ll want to try when your oven’s buttons are not working is cleaning the button area. I know it can be hard to believe that gunk, grease, and other food residue can get in the way of how your appliance’s buttons work, but unfortunately, it’s true.
Cleaning your oven frequently is not only a good practice that can help your food processes be more hygienic but also a very effective way to keep everything running like clockwork.
Solution: You can clean your oven by using a damp, clean cloth with warm water. However, if you want to go the extra mile and disinfect the appliance properly, you can use a mixture of equal parts water and vinegar in the cleaning process.
From what I’ve seen, the cleaning solution can also help break down stubborn grease spots to make the job easier.
#3 Replace the Control Interface
Lastly, let’s consider the possibility that the reason your oven’s buttons are unresponsive is that the control interface inside the appliance is faulty.
A faulty control interface can manifest for many different reasons – from factory defects to short circuits and even power surges in your area. Whatever the case may be, it’s important to diagnose the control interface and replace it if necessary.
Solution: My usual advice when your oven’s control interface is acting suspiciously and you think it’s faulty or failing is to disassemble the frontal panel of your appliance and replace the part. Here are some simple steps you can follow:
- Unplug the oven from the wall outlet or cut power to your kitchen from your circuit breakers.
- Pull the oven from the wall to access the unit’s back panel.
- Undo the screws holding the panel in place.
- You should now see the control panel. Please undo the screws holding it in place.
- Take a picture of the connections for reference, and then disconnect any wires connected to the oven.
- Once you’ve removed the control panel, use a heat gun to remove the buttons overlay from the old panel.
- Install the buttons overlay on the new board and reconnect it to the oven.
- Once the new interface is connected, reassemble the oven, restore power to your kitchen, and see whether the issue was resolved.
Does Your Warranty Cover Faulty Control Panel Repair?
It depends on the manufacturer and the specific policy within your warranty documents. Most manufacturers offer 1 year of warranty after the date of purchase for any factory defects and other issues that may arise; however, not everything will be covered – especially when there’s a fault that appears due to improper use.
If you’re uncertain about your warranty status and what it covers, do not hesitate to call your manufacturer and ask all the necessary questions.
Making Your Oven’s Buttons Responsive
That about covers it!
When your oven’s buttons are unresponsive, it can be frustrating and very concerning, as you might think you’ll have to replace the entire appliance to get things back to normal.
Luckily, as I hope this piece has helped you better understand, addressing the most common causes behind an oven with unresponsive buttons can be easy and quick. More often than not, something as simple as power cycling the appliance or cleaning the button area can 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 week!
-Craig.
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