Repair your electric stovetop and oven by yourself

If a cooktop heating coil on your range has burned out, or your electric oven is not heating, you may be able to fix it yourself without having to pay for a professional servicing. Here are some tips.

1. It's usually a very easy job to replace a cooktop heating coil. On many ranges, you can simply pivot up the coil and pull it out of its connection, much as you would pull a plug out of a wall socket. On other ranges, the wires are secured to the coil with a couple of screws that you'll need to remove. (Be sure to unplug the stove before you work on it.)

2. Get a replacement coil at an appliance store — take the old one and the stove model number with you; if necessary, you can order one from the manufacturer (check their website). There is one kind of coil that is tricky to replace: If you have the kind of coils that turn up to make them easy to clean under, the connections are probably soldered. For soldered coils, it's best to call for service.

1. The heating element on an electric oven is also easy to replace — it's just held in place with screws. (Again, remember to unplug the stove.) Remove the screws holding the elements to the back of the oven, and gently pull the element out about five centimetres (about two inches). Now just unscrew the two wires connected to the element.

2. Test the element with a length of lamp cord attached to a plug. Attach the two lamp-cord wires to the two terminals on the element, and plug in the lamp cord. Make sure the element is on a surface that can't be burned, and be careful not to touch the element.

3. If the element is no good, it won't heat up; you should get a replacement at an appliance-parts supplier. If the element is good, it will get warm, but not red-hot, within a few minutes. If it does get red-hot, however, that means that your stove has another problem that's causing the oven not to heat properly and it's time to call a service person.