A faulty oven can make eating well very tricky. Over cooking can waste ingredients; and it could put your family at risk of food poisoning if your cooker is not getting to a high enough temperature.

Replacing your oven can be costly, particularly with a gas oven which needs to be fitted by a gas safe registered engineer. But some oven faults can be put right with a simple spare part and a quick repair.

Is a broken oven an emergency?

Faulty gas ovens and grills need to be looked at promptly by an engineer on the gas safe register because there is a risk of a gas leak or carbon monoxide release. Signs to look out for with a gas oven are:

• smell of gas or smell like rotting eggs anywhere in your home
• hissing sound from the oven or gas line

Call your energy supplier’s emergency line if you suspect a gas leak.

Difficulties lighting your gas oven can indicate a carbon monoxide leak. And if your carbon monoxide alarm is going off, get an engineer to visit.

Scorching of surfaces round the oven can suggest that the door seals are worn. And if the oven’s door handles and controls get very hot during use, there might be an issue with the cooling fan. Both of these can be repaired.

Can I repair an oven myself?

Some oven parts, like fans and elements, are easily replaced. Check your appliance’s manual to see what you can and can’t do yourself. Many manufacturers have a helpline you can ring to get advice on simple oven repairs. And a quick web search will turn up plenty of videos and how-tos on common cooker repairs. Be sure to choose a reputable source: professional repair companies, or manufacturers are the most reliable.

What maintenance do ovens need?

Most ovens will need routine cleaning to stop dirt and grease building up. If your oven is visibly dirty, smells dirty and smokes when you open the door, it’s time for a clean.

You can either use a professional oven cleaning service, or do it yourself. Oven cleaning products can be strong stuff, so glove up and ventilate well. Some ovens have a pyrolytic cleaning function, which chars the grime into dust that you can sweep out.

It may be worth getting your oven serviced from time to time – this will pick up any issues before they disrupt your family’s mealtimes.

To find out more about what routine maintenance your oven needs, check the manual. If you don’t have the manual for your oven, try the website Manuall.

Do I need to get my oven serviced when it comes out of storage?

It’s likely that you’ll want a gas oven to be reinstalled by a registered gas safe engineer, so it’s worth asking them to service it at the same time to make sure it’s all in working order and to save the need for another call-out a few weeks later.

Give your oven a thorough clean before putting it into storage. This will reduce the chances of any nasty mouldy surprises when you put it back into use. Self-storage insurance will give you peace of mind while your oven is being stored. And a Store and Insure self-storage insurance policy will cover your oven while it is being transported from home to storage and back again (provided it is in a closed vehicle. Get a quick quote today to see whether we can save you money on your self-storage insurance.