Hi Suz, I’m glad you reached out before using it again, because this one is a safety issue. An oven that keeps heating and makes the whole outside of the stove hot shouldn’t be used until it’s fixed. Please turn it off at the breaker for now, especially if the element glows even when the oven is set to off.
What’s going on
Your GE RB526 is an electric range with an electronic control. The new bake element isn’t the problem. An element can only heat when the control sends it power, and right now the control is sending power and never stopping. Since this started right after the old element burned out, there are two common reasons.
1. The relay on the control board is stuck
When a bake element burns out, it often fails with a short and a spark. That surge can weld the bake relay on the control board closed. After that, the board can’t turn the element off, so it heats non-stop, way past your set temperature. This is the most common cause of what you’re describing.
2. The temperature sensor isn’t reading right
The sensor is a thin metal probe on the upper back wall inside the oven. Sometimes it gets bumped or pushed back into the wall while the element is being replaced. If it isn’t sitting in the oven, it can’t feel the heat, so the control keeps heating. That would also explain the light staying on. Check that it sticks out into the oven and is screwed in firmly. If you have a meter, unplug the oven and measure it: about 1,100 ohms at room temperature is normal.
What to do next
- If the sensor looks fine and reads correctly, the control board (or just its relay) needs to be replaced. The board is usually around $150–$300 for the part, or roughly $300–$450 installed.
- Your range is over 12 years old. If the board is hard to find or the quote is near the top of that range, a new basic electric range is in the same price area, and that’s a fair reason to replace instead.
Either way, please don’t keep baking with it as it is. The heat can damage the wiring and the cabinet around it. Tell me what you find with the sensor, and I’ll help you decide which way to go.