A Whirlpool oven fan is a small, typically round electric fan inside the oven. When turned on, it circulates the oven, creating heat and moisture that helps cook food.

It’s unfortunate when the fan stops working properly—or stops at all—but there are steps you can take to fix this problem once you’ve pinpointed where the problem lies. Read on for more details about Whirlpool fan troubleshooting!

Many people want a Whirlpool or convection oven for convenience and speed in cooking food; however, some people don’t know how to work with these features properly or want to know how to avoid common problems.

This page describes frequent reasons a Whirlpool fan stops operating, including oven and stove issues. You will learn how to fix the problem once you identify it.

A whirlpool fan works by blowing outside air through a heating system or coil to heat it, which warms your food as it circulates inside the oven. The fan is supposed to turn on automatically when you turn your oven on and turn off whenever your food is finished cooking. If your fan does not do this, you must troubleshoot and fix it yourself if necessary. 

Common problems that can cause a Whirlpool fan not to turn off include a defective thermostat, dirty filters, and a bad heating element or belt. 

If your fan does not turn on, you may need to check the circuit breaker located on the top of your oven. You might also need to replace it if the circuit trips.

If you have an older oven that uses gas rather than electricity, then you should aim all of these methods at the pilot light instead of at the heating element or belt because it works slightly differently. These steps are summarized below:

My Whirlpool oven fan won’t turn off; How do I fix it?

The Whirlpool oven fan may not come back on once the oven is shut off, or the fan will only run for a few minutes and then stop working.

First, it’s important to realize that this has been a problem with some of the newer Whirlpool ovens due to a faulty component that controls the Fan Relay. This component is relatively easy to fix but costs more in parts and labor. 

If you don’t ever have to deal with this problem, it can be ignored and not a big deal. But if you run into this issue and want to avoid the hassle of unplugging your oven in the middle of a recipe and then plugging it back in, there is a relatively simple solution.

  • First, what happens when the appliance turns off?
  • In the Oven Fan Control Board (which is located inside your oven), two relays control the fan speed of your oven: one controls the high speed (speed 1), and another controls the speed (speed 2). 
  • The problem is that the high-speed relay interrupts the low-speed relay. 
  • This is why your fan will only work for a few minutes, then stop and not come back on.

How to fix a Whirlpool oven fan that won’t turn off.

  1. Check to ensure that the high/low switch is in the correct position.
  2. Ensure there’s nothing loose inside your oven and that you have the proper parts in place.
  3. Open up your oven door and remove all of your racks and shelves. 
  4. Unplug your oven and remove the bottom panel from the oven by unscrewing the four screws holding it in place.
  5. Now you can see inside your oven. In this scenario, it’s a cooktop, so not much can go wrong. If your oven has a convection system, make sure nothing is loose.
  6. Next, slide the main control board out of its clip and check the High/Low switch in the top left-hand corner in red. You want the switch placed so that the high (1) position faces up.
  7. Now you can look at the circuit board on the back of the control board and see the wires’ color; mine was red and black. If you see that your control board is white with a couple of black wires, then your control board is already in the correct position.
  8. Use a small Phillips-head screwdriver and unplug the oven from its power cord. 
  9. Next, look for where it’s marked high-speed terminal and unplug it. This will cause the high-speed relay to stop working and prevent other parts from functioning inside your oven.
  10. Next, re-plug the power cord back into your oven and plug it back in. If everything is working properly, you should see your oven turn on and the fan starts running.
  11. Once the high-speed relay is removed, and the high-speed terminal is plugged back in, use a screwdriver to adjust your low-speed terminals in purple, so they’re all facing up.
  12. Next, ensure the high/low switch is set to the high-speed position. 

Why is my Whirlpool oven still hot after 30 minutes?

The Whirlpool oven keeps getting hotter and hotter after 30 minutes of being turned off. Here are some reasons why this might happen and some solutions to help you get your oven back in check.

  • The timer has just been set for the first time and has not learned how long it takes for the oven to cool down to its desired temperature.
  • There is steam from a pot on the stove or a dishwasher running nearby.
  • The power is out in your home, causing your oven’s thermostat not to work properly.
  • There are too many users in an area, and they can’t turn their gas burners off after use.

In all of these cases, the oven will get hotter and hotter after 30 minutes. If possible, set your timer to 30 minutes before leaving home. If you have several people coming over, ensure that all gas burners are turned off by the time you leave for work or school so everyone can get out simultaneously.

If you notice that the temperature of your oven when you first turn it on is much lower than when it’s done cooking, try turning up the thermostat a few notches and see if that helps.

Conclusion

As is probably apparent, this fix isn’t super quick, but if you don’t need your oven to work promptly and don’t want to deal with unplugging it every time you use it, this may be an option. Most people will agree that it’s not crazy expensive compared to fixing a broken appliance, so even though it can be costly, that’s not a reason not to repair your oven.