[t5816k0]

When you turn the oven on only the top element puts off some heat. The control panel does not indicate a problem. The oven will heat a little and the temperature on the screen will only reach about 200 after about 1/2 hour. The bottom element stays cool to the touch. Should I replace the lower element or could it be something else?

[denman]

Here are your parts
Wiring (ref30/res30) replacement parts for THERMADOR RDDS30V | AppliancePartsPros.com
Bake element is Item 24 in Section 10

Should I replace the lower element or could it be something else?
I would check it before replacing it as it could be other things.
Unplug or remove power from the unit.
Remove the bake element usually a screw or two and it pulls forward.
Undo the wires from it. I like to clip something onto the oven wires so they do not disappear into the back.
Measure it with a meter.
Should be around 10 ohms.
Often you can see where it burned out but not always.

If you do not own a meter, I would suggest you purchase a one. You can get a decent digital multimeter for under $20.00. You do not need fancy though it is nice if the leads are a couple feet long.
If it saves ordering one unnecessary part it has paid for itself and you end up owning a useful tool.
Most places will not let you return electrical parts so if you order it, you own it.
A couple things to watch when measuring ohms and continuity
1. Always remove power from the machine otherwise you could blow your meter.
2. Always disconnect at least one side of any device you are checking. This eliminates the possibility of measuring an alternate/parallel circuit path.
3. When checking for closed contacts and continuity use the lowest scale (Usually 200 ohms). Then try higher scales. This scale is 0 to 200 ohms so if the device you are measuring is 300 ohms this scale would show an open circuit which it is not, you are just measuring outside the scale's dynamic range.

There is a good STICKY at the start of this forum about it's use.