What does an oven temperature sensor do?
For gas ovens, an igniter or spark electrode is used to ignite the gas being supplied through the burner tube to create a flame to heat the oven. The igniter will remain on to keep the gas safety valve open until the oven reaches the designated temperature. On gas ovens that use an electronic control board and temperature sensor, the appliance’s control will utilize the sensor to assist in regulating the oven temperature by monitoring the resistance to the electrical current as the temperature varies. When the selected temperature is reached, the control will shut off the voltage to the igniter. This cycle is repeated throughout the baking or broiling process to maintain the proper oven temperature.
When you select the bake or broil function on an electric oven, the oven control will allow either one leg of alternating current (120 volts) or two legs of alternating current (240 volts) to travel to the bake or broil element, closing the circuit and causing the element to heat up. As with gas ovens, if you have an electric model that uses an electronic control board, the oven sensor will be used to monitor the oven’s temperature. When the selected temperature is reached, the oven control will shut off the voltage to the element. As noted above, the cycle is repeated to maintain a consistent temperature.
NOTE: The temperature designated by the control is only an average; the actual temperature will fluctuate throughout the cycle. Convection ovens will reduce this fluctuation by using a motorized fan, with or without its own heating element, to circulate the heated air evenly throughout the oven cavity.
If a gas oven temperature sensor is defective, the resistance reported to the control board could be inaccurate, resulting in an incorrect oven temperature. If an electric oven temperature sensor is faulty, the voltage being sent to the bake or broil element may be shut off prematurely, or the element may not receive any voltage at all.