Some Canadian home-owners might still consider DIY as a cheaper alternative to calling out and paying for someone to repair their oven. When choosing a company for oven repair, obviously cost is a huge factor in selection and understanding what that covers. So, at present, how do oven repair costs measure up to simply buying a new one?

Disposable income has played a huge part in convincing Canadians to not simply adopt a DIY policy (when it comes to oven repair); indeed, when it comes to household appliances in general, smaller appliances tend to be replaced when something goes wrong. With larger appliances such as ovens however, lower upfront costs have helped offer a wide range of choice.

Cost of repair

If you’re going to budget for calling out to have your oven repaired, there are some potential costs to take into consideration:

• $130-$260 – per project cost
• $135-$300 – average spend on a call-out
• $100-$260 – average cost per hour for a repair person

Some of the most common faults are as follow:

• Broken burner – this will need a new burner
• Oven door stuck – it may be the touchpad is stopping it from closing or the self-clean latch isn’t properly lined up
• The oven isn’t working – this could be the valve or baking igniter; it depends on whether it’s gas or electric. If gas, there’s a problem between the thermocouple and pilot light
• Heating is poor – this will likely need to be replaced as it will be a problem with the controller (if an electric oven) or igniter in a gas oven
• Bad temp – this will need a replacement; it’s probably the temperature dials or thermostat
• Fault with baking – this also depends on whether the oven is gas or electric. If electric, a replacement part is needed; if gas, the valve will need to be looked at for gas flow into the oven
• Burner is too hot – it may just be a switch replacement needed
• The indicator light isn’t working – switch replacement

As you can see, with many aspects of oven problems, it may simply be a case of replacing a switch or just a dial but equally, it might require a new component part, which is why it would always be advisable to call a repair professional. However, you can make sure you get some guarantees on their work. So before committing to hiring someone, look around for at least 2 or 3 estimates and feel free to ask:

• Are any damages caused during repair covered by them?
• Can you have a written guarantee?
• Do they have any previous client examples, testimonies or information about previous work?
• Would they accept card payment and/or cash?

The one thing you want to ensure is that by shopping around, your oven is being repaired by a reputable individual or company – the last thing you want is to find yourself needing it to be looked at again in a few weeks or a month’s time.

New oven?

If your oven is no longer under warranty or the quote you receive indicates that you might be spending hundreds of dollars on a repair, it may be just as prudent to look around at deals for new ovens. As a very rough indicator of prices, here’s what some US research suggested as average price ranges. We’ve converted it to equivalent Canadian dollar price ranges:

• Stand-alone – $400 – $2,370
• Wall $900 – $4,900
• Convection – $1,300 – $3,000
• Baking – $3,000 – $46,000
• Residential industrial quality – $4,800 – $28,000

It’s worth bearing in mind a number of other factors. If you’re choosing an electric oven, then you might have more digital controls but be at the mercy of a power cut. With a gas oven, you have instant heat but will need a gas line and possibly a vent hood.

Best options going forward

So, if you’re in the position of needing your oven repaired, shop around to see how much it would cost to fix and do consider how long it would also last following repair. If your overall costs are even close to buying a new oven, then you have to consider the best option for you. After all, there’s a huge difference in prices for each type of oven. Clearly, a stand-alone might set you back up to $1,000 but if you have an expensive wall oven costing $4,000 and it would set you back $400 in repairs, then maybe a repair is your best option.

With the huge range of options available these days online (as well as in-store), you should have a good range of choices, whatever decision you make; take your time, look around and you’ll reach the best decision.

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