How Long Do Wall Ovens Last?

When you eventually have to replace your wall oven, you might face some challenges:

• Although manufacturers build wall ovens with somewhat standard dimensions, not just any wall oven will fit in the cabinet where your current oven resides. You’ll need to carefully measure your cabinet opening and choose a wall oven that fits.

• Replacement wall ovens can be fairly expensive.

• Manufacturers often limit wall oven inventories, so the exact model and color you want may not be available right away. You may have to wait several weeks or even months for delivery.

Because replacing a wall oven can be expensive and complicated, take steps to help it last as long as possible — even though you already expect it to last a long time.

Keep your oven as long as possible by following these tips for using and maintaining your oven.

Clean Your Oven Regularly

Don’t wait until the day before Thanksgiving to clean your oven every year. Clean it at least once every 3 months or so. Also, clean your oven soon after any heavy spills; don’t keep using your oven with spills inside, because spills can deteriorate the oven liner over time.

Self-cleaning Oven Tips

Follow the instructions in your owner’s manual to prepare the oven and use the self-cleaning mode. Here are some additional tips for using the self-clean mode in most ovens:

• Ventilate your kitchen and adjacent rooms during the self-cleaning cycle. Smoke and irritating odors come out of the oven vent during cleaning.

• Pets such as birds, dogs and cats can be annoyed or even harmed by fumes coming out of the oven vent during cleaning. Keep pets in a well-ventilated area during oven cleaning.

• Clean out big oven spills before starting the self-clean mode, because big spills produce excessive smoke and fumes during cleaning.

• Remove oven racks before starting the self-clean cycle. High oven temperatures during cleaning can damage oven rack coatings.

After the self-clean cycle ends and oven cools, open the oven door and wipe the ash residue out of the oven.

Manual-clean Oven Tips

Follow the instructions in the owner’s manual and the oven cleaner instructions to safely clean the oven.

• Oven cleaners can produce harmful fumes, so ventilate the kitchen and adjacent rooms when cleaning the oven.

• Wear protective gloves when wiping cleaner and residue out of the oven.

• Thoroughly wipe all oven cleaner out of the oven cavity before using the oven for cooking.

Don’t Line the Oven Bottom with Foil

As tempting as it is to line your oven’s bottom with aluminum foil to catch drips, don’t do it. The foil catches spills but can also melt and damage the oven liner.

Avoid Oven Spills

Use the right sizes and types of cookware to keep foods from spilling over during roasting and baking.

If a dish begins spilling over the sides of its cookware, slide a cookie sheet under the dish to catch spills. Clean the oven as soon as possible after a spills.

Schedule Annual Maintenance Check

Every year without fail, schedule a service technician to professionally maintain your oven. The tech will check wiring, controls, gaskets and door hinges to make sure everything is in top shape.

Adjustments the technician makes during annual maintenance checks can help your oven last longer. You’ll also get better baking results from your oven when everything is working right.

Yearly adjustments and maintenance can also help you avoid costly oven repairs.

Following owner’s manual instructions and keeping your oven well maintained helps delay the challenging task of oven replacement as long as possible. When you eventually do replace your oven, treat your new wall oven with the same care, so it lasts even longer than your old one.