--- title: "Installation and setup — Cooktop Guides" description: "The counter cutout and its clearances, the circuit and the junction box, the gas shutoff and connector under the counter, what the cabinet below may hold, and…" url: "https://cooktoprepair.center/guides/installation-and-setup/" --- Set up to last # Installation and setup guides. The counter cutout and its clearances, the circuit and the junction box, the gas shutoff and connector under the counter, what the cabinet below may hold, and converting a cooktop to propane. ## Installation and setup, guide by guide. A cooktop is the one cooking appliance that becomes part of the counter. Its fit is decided by a hole cut in stone or laminate, its supply by a junction box or a gas valve in the cabinet underneath, and sometimes its neighbor by an oven stacked below. When any of those is slightly off, the result may not show for months: a glass top that cracks from the edge, an induction top that overheats, a cooktop that cannot be lifted out for a repair. [All 18 guides](https://cooktoprepair.center/guides/) 6-minute read ### [Cooktop Cutout Dimensions and a Counter That Fits](https://cooktoprepair.center/guides/cooktop-cutout-and-countertop-fit/) Why the opening belongs to one model, the clearances above and beside it, what the cabinet below must clear, sealing the edge and fit problems that surface later. 5-minute read ### [A Cooktop Over a Built-In Oven: Approved Pairs and Cabinet Height](https://cooktoprepair.center/guides/cooktop-over-a-wall-oven/) Why makers approve stacked pairs by model number, the floor-to-counter height, the regulator elbow on gas tops, mixing brands and service in a shared cabinet. 6-minute read ### [Under the Cooktop: Junction Box, Conduit and Gas Shutoff](https://cooktoprepair.center/guides/cooktop-wiring-and-gas-shutoff-under-the-counter/) What belongs in the base cabinet for gas, electric and induction tops, the circuit and junction box, the shutoff and connector, and what an owner may check. ## Set up to last. The guides in this section follow the installation from the top down. One covers the cutout, the clearances around and above it and what the cabinet below has to clear. One covers setting a cooktop over a built-in oven, which makers allow only for approved pairs. One covers what should be in the cabinet underneath: the circuit and junction box for radiant and induction tops, and the shutoff, connector and regulator for gas cooktops and rangetops. They are written for owners planning a remodel, replacing a cooktop in an existing counter or trying to understand why a recent installation misbehaves. The measurements quoted come from named manufacturers' installation instructions, which differ by model, so each guide sends you back to the document for your own cooktop before anything is cut, wired or connected. [Not sure where to start?](https://cooktoprepair.center/guides/#start-here) ### The short answer Cooktop Cutout Dimensions and a Counter That Fits Cooktop cutout dimensions come from the installation instructions for the exact model, not from its nominal 30- or 36-inch width: the opening is smaller than the top and varies by brand. ### The short answer A Cooktop Over a Built-In Oven: Approved Pairs and Cabinet Height Installing a cooktop over a built-in oven is allowed only for combinations the makers have approved and listed: Bosch publishes a table of CSA-certified cooktop and oven pairs, some older cooktops are not approved over any oven, and an unlisted pair needs local code approval. ### The short answer Under the Cooktop: Junction Box, Conduit and Gas Shutoff The cooktop junction box sits in the base cabinet under a radiant or induction top, fed by its own 208/240-volt circuit and joined to the cooktop by flexible conduit with slack for service. ## When reading is not enough. If the checks in these guides did not settle it, the visit picks up from there, stop by stop. [What repairs cost](https://cooktoprepair.center/cost/) 1. 01 Each burner and zone, tried in turn 2. 02 The price, before any part is fitted 3. 03 The usual parts in the van 4. 04 Repaired, then cooked on ## The problems these answer. Each has a page of its own, with the causes in the order worth checking. [All 17 problems](https://cooktoprepair.center/problems/) Gas, fire, broken glass or live current ### Glass Cooktop Cracked 6 causes, cheapest first Problem ### Cooktop Fan Runs Constantly 6 causes, cheapest first Problem ### Cooktop Error Code 6 causes, cheapest first Problem ### Cooktop Controls Unresponsive 5 causes, cheapest first For the heart of your home. ## Questions about installation and setup. ### Can a new cooktop go into the old cooktop's opening? Only if its cutout dimensions match the existing hole within the tolerance its instructions allow. Measure the opening with the old cooktop out and compare it with the new model's minimum and maximum. ### Who should connect a cooktop? An electrician for the circuit and junction box of a radiant or induction top, and a gas technician or the installer for the valve, connector and regulator of a gas cooktop. Owners can measure, label the breaker and keep the cabinet clear. ### Does an induction cooktop need anything special underneath? Room for air to reach its cooling fan, a dedicated 208/240-volt circuit sized to the model, and a junction box placed low enough with enough conduit slack to lift the cooktop out for service. ## The other sections. Split by what you are trying to find out rather than by which part of the appliance it concerns. [All guides](https://cooktoprepair.center/guides/) Why the cooktop behaves that way ### [Common problems](https://cooktoprepair.center/guides/common-problems/) - [Why a cooktop burner clicks but won't light, from the cap to the downdraft](https://cooktoprepair.center/guides/why-a-cooktop-burner-clicks-but-wont-light/) - [Why a radiant cooktop element blinks off or never turns red](https://cooktoprepair.center/guides/why-a-radiant-element-cycles-or-stays-dark/) - [Why an induction cooktop ignores a pan: magnet, size and center](https://cooktoprepair.center/guides/why-induction-wont-recognize-a-pan/) Cooktop checks you can safely make ### [Troubleshooting](https://cooktoprepair.center/guides/troubleshooting/) - [Cooktop checks worth making before you book a technician](https://cooktoprepair.center/guides/cooktop-checks-before-booking-a-visit/) - [Unlocking a touch-control cooktop that ignores every key](https://cooktoprepair.center/guides/unlock-a-touch-control-cooktop/) - [Finding a cooktop model number without pulling it from the counter](https://cooktoprepair.center/guides/find-a-cooktop-model-number/) Keeping the cooktop out of trouble ### [Maintenance and prevention](https://cooktoprepair.center/guides/maintenance-and-prevention/) - [Cleaning a glass-ceramic cooktop without harming the glass or the seam](https://cooktoprepair.center/guides/cleaning-a-glass-ceramic-cooktop/) - [Cookware that marks or scratches cooktop glass, and the pans that are safe](https://cooktoprepair.center/guides/cookware-that-marks-or-scratches-glass/) - [Cleaning a cooktop's downdraft vent: grate, grease filter and chamber](https://cooktoprepair.center/guides/cleaning-a-downdraft-vent/) When to stop using the cooktop ### [Gas, fire and burn safety](https://cooktoprepair.center/guides/safety-and-food/) - [A Gas Smell Over the Cooktop: What to Do in the First Minutes](https://cooktoprepair.center/guides/cooktop-gas-smell-first-steps/) - [Cracked Glass Cooktop: Power Off, Hands Off, Then Replace the Top](https://cooktoprepair.center/guides/cracked-glass-cooktop-what-to-do/) - [Induction Cooktops, Pacemakers and Other Implants](https://cooktoprepair.center/guides/induction-and-implanted-medical-devices/) Which cooktop suits the kitchen ### [Choosing and comparing](https://cooktoprepair.center/guides/choosing-and-comparing/) - [Repair or replace a cooktop: the cutout, the supply and the part that failed](https://cooktoprepair.center/guides/repair-or-replace-a-cooktop/) - [Gas, radiant or induction cooktop: heat, wiring and upkeep compared](https://cooktoprepair.center/guides/gas-radiant-or-induction-cooktop/) - [Rangetop or cooktop: front knobs, a notched counter and a bigger extractor](https://cooktoprepair.center/guides/rangetop-or-cooktop/) Not sure which section? ### Start from your question The four questions most visits start with, each with the guide that answers it. 18 guides Where to start Where to start --- **[Read on the site: Installation and setup — Cooktop Guides](https://cooktoprepair.center/guides/installation-and-setup/)** **[Book a visit with CooktopRepair.center](https://cooktoprepair.center/schedule/)**