Reasons why the oven is tripping the circuit breaker

1) What Components Does The Oven Have?

The oven contains a number of components that function together to make it work properly. If any of these components are not working correctly then an electrical issue can occur.

• Main Heating Element
• Grill or Broil Cooking Element
• Convection Fan
• Oven Door
• Selector Switch
• Electrical Cord and Connections
• Thermostat
• PCB

All of these components can fail and cause an electrical circuit to trip. Let’s look at each of the potentially faulty components and how they can affect the ovens operation or result in a tripped breaker.

2) What Oven Components Can Trip The Electric?

2.1) Main Heating Element

The main heating element for the oven is one of the main culprits for tripping a GFCI, an RCD or RCCB. As the heating element ages it can begin to break down and the insulation between the element and earth can degrade.

In some circumstances the breakdown in insulation occurs when the oven element expands and earth leakage can increase. This happens as the temperature of the oven increases to a high temperature and components expand with the heat. At a low temperature, the element will not always cause electric trips.

2.2) Grill or Broil Cooking Element

As with the main heating element, the grill or broil element can also be affected with a ground fault or earth leakage problems  as it nears the end of its useful life. When these heating elements expand, they can short circuit to earth. When metals expand, they move slightly so it may only require a slight expansion to cause shorting out somewhere. If a GFCI is tripping then the issue is most likely earth leakage, if the circuit breaker keeps tripping, then the issue could be a short circuit.

2.3) Convection Fan

If the oven trips the electric when the fan comes on, the most likely culprit could be a faulty fan motor. The hot wire could be shorting out on the casing of the motor or the neutral terminal. There could also be a neutral to ground fault on the motor causing live current flows to reach earth leading to GFCI or RCD trips. These issues can occur with older motors or where motors overload and fail.

2.4) Selector Switch

A faulty selector switch can cause the oven to trip. If the wiring at the back of the selector switch has come loose and is touching the case of the oven or a grounded metal part of the oven then this can cause a trip to the electric. If the electric oven keeps tripping the supply when the selector switch is operated it may NOT be the selector switch. The source of the problem could be whichever component the selector switch is sending power to. For instance, the internal lamp could be faulty and trip the electrical supply when selected. If several components are selected at once then it may be difficult to narrow down the root cause without a qualified technician or experienced electrician and an electrical meter or other test equipment.

In some ovens, when the selector switch turns to the bottom element, the fan, the light bulb, and the heating element may all operate at the same time making it difficult to carry out a process of elimination. Simply installing a replacement element may not be necessary if the fan motor is faulty or the internal lamp has somehow shorted out.

2.5) Electrical cord and connections

Instruction manuals are vital when installing and wiring an electric oven. Without careful attention to the instructions, it is easy to get oven wiring wrong. Poor electrical work and faulty wiring are the most common reasons for a breaker tripping. If you have an issue with an oven trip then check the oven circuit and the connections on the back of the electric cooker or electric oven.

2.6) Thermostat​

If an oven thermostat goes faulty the food inside the oven could fail to cook, could overcook or the oven may not heat up at all. These reasons may not cause a circuit breaker, GFCI or RCD to trip though. The most likely cause of a thermostat tripping the electric is that the wiring for the thermostat has shorted out on the grounded parts of the oven, the insulation on the wiring has become damaged or wiring has come loose.

2.7) PCB

​If the oven PCB has burnt out, shorted out or failed then there could be tripping power problems with your electrical panel or consumer unit.

3) Who can fix an oven that trips the electrics?

​An appliance technician, qualified electrician or oven repair specialist would be the first place to start. Not all electricians will repair appliances and not all appliance technicians will carry out oven repairs so it may be best to seek out an oven repair specialist in the first instance rather than making unhelpful enquiries with other service providers.

4) Is a faulty electric oven dangerous?

Whenever there are electrical faults with appliances, there can be electrical danger present. Risk of electrical shock, electrical fires and an overloaded circuit through electrical faults can occur. If your oven is causing a breaker or RCD to trip then do not keep resetting the breaker as wiring damage can occur to your property, electric shock risks can be present and the breaker itself could fail meaning expensive replacement parts and emergency electrician callouts.

5) Why would a new oven trip the electrics?

Where a new oven is tripping a GFCI or RCD, this can occasionally happen. The most likely cause is moisture that sits on the element and causes insulation faults in the appliance. Once the appliance has had time to heat up, run for a while and the moisture has had time to evaporate, the appliance should be fine and should no longer cause a power trip.

6) Fishy smell from the oven?

If you notice that your oven has a strange fishy odour, try and establish if it is the oven or the oven isolator switch. Fishy smells in electrical systems are indicative of burnt out wiring and overheating. If you notice such a smell, shut off the appliance and call an electrician immediately. High power appliances can cause electrical burn out especially where socket outlets and wiring are older, has become loose over time or harbours corroded connections. Tumble dryers are particularly prone to burning out sockets.

7) Summary

​There are many electrical issues that can cause an oven to trip the electric. Neutral wires touching grounded parts, oven wire that has become damaged, circuit overload and electrical components failing especially in an older product. Every kitchen appliance generally has a hard life and will be subject to some form of failure more often than other household appliances. If you suspect that your oven is faulty then a specialist oven repair person would be the best call in the first instance.