Electric Cooktop Not Working? This Could be the Problem

Whether you see cooking as a daily task or an art form that takes time and skill to perfect, it’s important to have your electric cooktop in good working order. Common problems like burners not working or only providing intermittent heat can be incredibly frustrating when you’re trying to create a masterpiece dish for a party or making a snack for the kids. If you have one or more burners malfunctioning, you may have already tried to fix the problem by turning the circuit on and then off again, plugging the stove into a new electrical outlet, or checking to see if you have a faulty power cord. If your electric cooktop still isn’t working, it may be time to call a professional. Before you talk to an appliance technician, check out the issues below.

Problem with the Burner

When only one of your electric cooktop coil burners isn’t heating, the problem could be with the burner itself. If your stove has plug-and-play burners that are easy to remove, you can try turning off the power and switching the faulty burner with one you know is working. If that solves the problems, you can tell your technician that the old burner will need to be replaced with a new one. However, replacing the burners on your electric cooktop may not be an easy task. If switching your burners involves removing burner covers with a screwdriver, using pliers or vice grips to disconnect them, and disengaging safety locks, it’s best to leave the replacement to a professional.

If your electric stove has a glass top and a burner doesn’t seem to be heating properly, look for cracks, scratches, or bubbles on the glass cooktop surface. Damage to the glass can cause slow and uneven heating, so if your glass cooktop looks cloudy or has deep scratches around the burner, ask your technician if the scratches can be buffed out or if it might be time to replace the glass. Remember, you can avoid damage to a glass top stove by avoiding cast iron or other types of heavy or rough surface cookware.

Related Topic: How to Keep Appliances Running Efficiently with Children in the Home

Burner Socket Issue

If your burner heats irregularly or only works intermittently, the problem could be the socket. The burner socket is a small, circular metal part that’s located underneath the electric cooktop. It connects the internal wiring of the stove to the heating element and supplies power when you turn on your cooktop's main switch or push its starter button. If you can easily access the burner socket underneath the cooktop, check to see if it looks burned or charred. If so, it means that the connections have burnt out and can no longer provide power. If you don’t have easy access underneath the cooktop, don’t try to check the burner socket by yourself—it could be dangerous, and you might cause more serious damage.

Trouble with the Switch

If your burner barely heats or stays on high heat, no matter how you set the temperature, the problem could be the infinite switch. This switch is attached to the knob you use to turn on the stove burner. It’s called “infinite” because you use it to set the heat from low to high and everywhere in between, so technically it’s “infinitely” adjustable as opposed to switches that have three or four fixed settings. If you know the burner and burner socket are good, but the burner still has a problem with its heat settings, there may be a problem with the infinite switch.

Whether your stove has front-mounted or backsplash controls, the average homeowner probably won’t have the necessary knowledge or tools to check the infinite switch. These switches can have multiple wires connected to them, making them easy to damage and possibly dangerous to mess with if you don’t know what you’re doing. Once again, it’s better to wait for the technician and then describe the problem.

Related Topic:How to Load a Dishwasher to Get Cleaner Dishes

Professional Appliance Service

Are you seeing a theme here? Faulty appliances in your home can be very frustrating, but it can be dangerous to try and fix them on your own. The best way to fix your electric cooktop is to call an expert technician from Mr. Appliance. Our highly trained in-home service professionals will find a solution to your immediate appliance problems and help you prevent any future issues. Not only do we charge by the job instead of by the hour, but we also provide an accurate quote before we begin any work. Mr. Appliance will never try to diagnose your appliance problem over the phone because we want our quote to be based on what you need instead of on our speculation. Call us or visit our website and see what Mr. Appliance has to offer you!