Is my oven electric or gas?

Unlike the hobs on top of your cooker it is not always easy to see whether the oven itself is electric or gas, how can you even work this out? Well, luckily for you, we have this handy dandy guide.

Heating Element

The biggest giveaway will be if a heating element is visible. Electric ovens use heating elements to warm themselves up whereas a gas oven uses a live flame. So with this in mind, you know that if you can see a heating element then you must have an electric oven.

Heating Element in a Oven
Heating Element in an Oven

These can be at the top of the oven, bottom of the oven or even both. If you see something like this in your oven then it is an electric oven.

Gas Ovens

Gas ovens are powered by a live flame. This will often be visible, I remember with my parent’s old oven you could see the flame at the back, flickering away. This is not always true though and it is sometimes hidden, so this is not a surefire way to know if your oven is gas-based. Just because you can’t see a flame doesn’t necessarily mean your oven is not gas-powered.

Just Listen

This is actually a really effective way to find out if your oven is gas-powered. When you turn the oven on listening for the sound of first gas, then ignition and flame. If you hear all this, and it usually is very audible then you obviously know you are working with a gas-powered oven.

Power Cord

If the power cord coming out of the oven is thin then it is a gas oven. Fully electric ovens use a lot of power and as such need thick, beefy cables to power them.

Daniel Berry

Hey, I'm Dan, I studied computer science with artificial intelligence at Loughborough University. I try to bring my tech knowledge to the posts where it is needed while also offering a DIY view to go with Sam's professional view on tools. I am a very keen DIY'er and have experience of doing everything the completely wrong way.

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