There’s nothing quite like the sinking feeling of putting a Sunday roast in the oven and realising it’s cooking unevenly, or worse, catching a whiff of gas near the hob. Cookers take a daily battering in most homes, and it’s easy to put up with small niggles for months before finally calling someone out. But a few of the most common problems are simpler — and cheaper — to sort than people expect.
If you’ve got a gas cooker, the golden rule is that any repair work must be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer. It’s not just good practice, it’s the law, and it’s there to protect you and your family. An annual gas safety check is well worth booking in too, to make sure everything is running safely and efficiently.
For electric ovens, one of the most overlooked culprits behind poor performance is a perished door seal. Once the seal starts to go, heat escapes every time the oven’s on, forcing it to work harder and pushing up your energy bills — and it’s usually a quick, low-cost fix. Thermostats can drift out of accuracy over time too, which explains why a cake that used to come out perfectly might now be over or under-baked; replacing an old thermostat restores accurate temperatures and cuts down on wasted energy.
If you’re weighing up a new cooker altogether, it’s worth knowing induction hobs are currently the most energy-efficient option, heating pans directly through electromagnetism rather than warming the glass surface first.
For households in Peverell and across Plymouth, Ace Domestics carry out cooker repairs and installations, from routine servicing to full appliance swaps. Find out more at cookerrepairsplymouth.co.uk/.