Why Won't My Oven Door Close?

Ovens are truly an essential modern appliance. Few homes can function without one. And no oven can function with a door that won't close. This can be a huge annoyance when everything else on the oven seems to be working perfectly. While an oven door that won't close is far from the worst issue you can be facing with your appliance, it can be a tricky one and, like all things with an oven, requires you put safety first when checking things out.

More often than not, an oven door that won't close is a mechanical issue or even a bit of user error so you won't have to deal with any electrical components. That being said, you still need to shut off your oven before you go poking around and be as cautious as possible when troubleshooting issues, even as something as low danger as an oven door.

The first issue to get out of the way is your oven rack placement. In virtually all modern ovens the oven racks are movable throughout the oven and sometimes they can be hard to get in the right spot due to some safety designs in the way they sit in their tracks. Make sure the oven racks are pushed all the way back and locked into position and not blocking the door. This simple check could alleviate a few hours of work and annoyance if you catch it early in your investigation.

Your oven door is outfitted with a gasket. This gasket is a piece of rubber that runs along the frame of the door and creates the airtight seal needed for the oven to maintain temperature when the door is closed. Look at the gasket and wipe it clean to remove any debris that may be cluttering its path and preventing a tight seal. Next check it for any obvious signs of damage or wear. If you can't find anything and still think the gasket is to blame, you may be simply dealing with a faulty gasket and will want to look at replacing it with a new or higher end one to ensure a tight seal.

Sometimes the door won't close because it physically can't. Like any door, the oven door has hinges that allow it to open and close and this can be the culprit behind an oven door that finds itself stuck in the open position. Take a look at the door hinges. Are they rusted? Damaged? Is there something obstructing them? This can be an issue with older ovens so if you've had your oven for a while and you're experiencing this issue, it might be time to call someone to replace the hinges to get your oven closing again and back up and running.