Appliance Spares
Quick answer: An oven that won’t heat is most often a burnt-out element — and it’s one of the biggest money-savers going. A new fan-forced, bake or grill element is about $26–90; a tradie doing it typically costs $220–480 once you add the $100–165 call-out (usually a one-hour minimum) to parts and labour, and a replacement oven runs from several hundred to a couple of thousand dollars. The catch: oven elements are hard-wired to 240V mains, so isolate the power first — and in some cases it’s legally a licensed job.
Last updated August 2026
What a dead element really costs you
Here’s the part nobody tells you before you pick up the phone: a repairer’s call-out or diagnostic fee is typically $100–165 just to turn up and look, charged before a single screw is turned. Most set a one-hour minimum, so even a ten-minute element swap gets billed as a full hour on top of the call-out. Add parts and labour and a full oven repair commonly lands at $220–480.
Now look at the part itself. A fan-forced oven element is usually in the $26–90 band. That’s the whole reason this fault is such a good DIY story: if you can confirm it’s the element and you’re set up to do a mains job safely, you keep roughly 75–85% of what the repair would have cost — and you dodge a new oven entirely. The hurdle was never the price of the part. It’s knowing which element you need and respecting that it’s a hard-wired job (more on that below).
Match your oven to the right element
Fan-forced (the ring element behind the fan cover at the back of the cavity) is the one that fails most and the one most people can source and fit. Find your model number on the model sticker — usually around the door frame, the front edge of the cavity, or behind the bottom drawer — then match it to the family below. Prices shown on each part are live.
| Oven brand / platform | Element type | The part (match your model number) | DIY part vs call-out | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Chef · Westinghouse · Simpson · Electrolux | Fan-forced ring | Fan-forced ring element 0122004506 | ~$26–90 vs $220–480 | Fix it |
 Chef · Simpson (older 1976 chassis) | Fan-forced ring | Chef fan-forced ring 1976 (3130403) | ~$26–90 vs $220–480 | Fix it |
 Simpson (2400W fan-forced) | Fan-forced ring | Simpson fan-forced element 2400W | ~$26–90 vs $220–480 | Fix it |
 Smeg · Technika · Blanco · Omega | Fan-forced (SE115) | SE115 fan-forced element | ~$26–90 vs $220–480 | Fix it |
 Concept | Fan-forced (with mount bolts) | Concept fan-forced element 481686 | ~$26–90 vs $220–480 | Fix it |
 Neff | Fan-forced | Neff fan-forced element 499003 | ~$26–90 vs $220–480 | Fix it |
Notice how the top row covers four badges at once. Chef, Westinghouse, Simpson and Electrolux are all part of the same Australian appliance family, and for years they shared the same oven platforms — so one fan-forced ring element (0122004506) fits dozens of models across all four names. If your oven wears one of those badges, that’s very likely your part. Bake and grill elements follow exactly the same cost and safety logic; if yours is a bottom (bake) or top (grill) element rather than the rear fan-forced ring, send us your model number and we’ll check it against the range. You can also browse the full oven and stove parts hub.
First, make sure it’s really the element
The good news is you can confirm this for free before spending a cent. A few checks:
- Light works but no heat. The interior light and fan running while the cavity stays cold is the classic sign a heating element has gone open-circuit. It rules out a dead oven (no power) and points straight at the element or its control.
- Work out which element failed. Ovens usually have separate fan-forced, bake and grill elements. Try each function: if fan-forced won’t heat but the grill glows, you’ve isolated the fan-forced ring; if only the top won’t glow, it’s the grill element.
- Look at it. With the power isolated, a failed element often shows the damage: a blister or bubble on the metal sheath, a bright split, a broken ring, or heavy pitting where it has arced. That’s a confirmed diagnosis.
An element can also fail with no visible mark at all, so a clean-looking ring doesn’t clear it. For the full ranked list of causes and how to test with a multimeter, read Oven Not Heating But Light Works? 5 Causes Ranked. Smeg owners have their own quirks worth checking first in Smeg Oven Not Heating? 4 Causes Ranked.
The honest bit: this is a mains job
An oven element is not a plug-in swap like a drain pump or a door seal. It’s hard-wired to 240V mains, and that changes the rules. Before you go anywhere near it:
- Isolate the power properly. Switch the oven off at the wall isn’t enough for a hard-wired oven — turn it off at the switchboard, and confirm the cavity is dead before touching any wiring.
- Know your state’s rules. Work on fixed, hard-wired appliances can legally require a licensed person in some cases. If you’re unsure, or the connection isn’t a simple plug-in, that’s exactly when the $100–165 call-out earns its keep.
- Be honest with yourself. If you’re not comfortable identifying terminals and torquing connections, don’t. The confident-DIY savings on this site are strongest on the low-risk plug-in swaps — pumps, inlet valves, door seals, belts, filters, brushes and latches. An oven element sits a step above those.
If you are set up for it, the actual swap is straightforward: the element is usually held by two screws inside the cavity and two spade connectors behind the back panel. Follow a proper walkthrough — How to Replace an Oven Element — Step-by-Step DIY (AU) and, for the rear ring specifically, How to Replace a Fan-Forced Oven Element (240V).
When it’s actually worth replacing the oven
Most of the time, a single dead element on an otherwise-sound oven is a clear fix, not a replace — you’re spending under a tenth of a new oven to get years more out of it. Walk away and buy new only when the numbers or the condition say so:
- The oven is well past a decade old and stacking up faults — a dead element plus a failed thermostat plus a cracked door seal starts to approach the cost of replacing it.
- The cavity is rusted through, the door glass is cracked, or the control board is the real culprit and parts are no longer made.
- The all-in repair would come close to half the price of a comparable new oven. For a lone element, it almost never does.
For a straightforward burnt-out element, the maths is lopsided: the part is cheap, the fault is common, and the fix is well documented. That’s a fix-it, not a replace.
Frequently asked questions
Q: How do I know if my oven element is the problem?
A: If the light and fan work but the cavity won’t heat, the element is the prime suspect. Isolate the power and inspect it — a blister, split, broken ring or heavy pitting confirms it. An element can also fail with no visible damage, so if it looks fine, test it with a multimeter as set out in our oven-not-heating diagnostic guide.
Q: Can I replace an oven element myself?
A: The physical swap is simple — usually two screws and two connectors. But it’s a hard-wired 240V job, so you must isolate power at the switchboard and confirm it’s dead, and in some cases it may legally require a licensed person. If you’re confident with mains work, follow our step-by-step guide; if not, this is one to hand over.
Q: Which element do I need for a Chef, Westinghouse, Simpson or Electrolux oven?
A: Those four badges share the same Australian oven platforms, so one fan-forced ring element (0122004506) covers a huge spread of models across all of them. Check the model number on your model sticker and match it, or send it to us and we’ll confirm the right one before you buy.
Q: How much does it cost to replace an oven element in Australia?
A: The element itself is typically $26–90. Having a repairer do it commonly runs $220–480 once you include the $100–165 call-out (often a one-hour minimum) plus labour. Doing the fitting yourself, safely, keeps roughly 75–85% of that.
Q: My oven light works but there’s no heat — what does that mean?
A: It means the oven has power but the heating circuit is broken, which most often points to a failed element (or, less commonly, its thermostat or control). It’s actually a helpful symptom, because it rules out a dead oven and narrows the fault to a cheap, common part.
Not sure which element your model takes? Run your model number through the part finder or send it to us and we’ll check it against the range — then you can decide whether to fit it yourself or, if it’s beyond a comfortable mains job, hand it to a licensed person.
