Cooktop
Element Not Heating
A coil stays black, a radiant ring under the glass never glows, or a zone warms so weakly that a pot of water will not boil.
Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm
- 5 checks before you book
- 5 questions that narrow it
- 6 causes, cheapest first
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What it
usually means.
On an electric cooktop each element is fed through its own switch or relay, so one cold element almost always points to that element's own path rather than to the house supply. A coil can burn open along its length or lose contact at its receptacle. A radiant element under glass has a thin ribbon that can break, and beside it a thermal limiter that cuts power to protect the glass and can fail open. If two elements go cold together, or the whole cooktop is dead, look to one side of the two-pole breaker or to the wiring box in the cabinet below. Induction zones never glow at all, so a cold induction pan belongs on the pan-detection page.
The 6 causes, cheapest first
Answer these first
Is one element cold, or several, or the entire cooktop?
On a coil top, does the element sit firmly in its socket, or does it wobble?
On a glass top, does the ring glow faintly, partly, or not at all?
Did it start after a spill, a crack or a breaker trip?
Does the element heat at some settings and stay cold at others?
Check these
before you book.
Cooktop element not heating: 5 checks, and none of them costs anything.
Switch the cooktop's breaker fully off and back on once, then test the element again.
On a coil top, with the power off and the coil cold, lift it out and push it firmly back into its receptacle.
Try the same pan on another element to rule out the pan and the supply.
Also worth checking
- Look for cracks, spills or discoloration around the cold zone.
- Note the model number and which element is cold when you book.
How soon does it need a visit?
An element that will not heat is not urgent, and the others can be used while you wait. It becomes urgent if sparks, a burning smell or a breaker that keeps tripping come with it: switch the breaker off and leave it off.
The causes,
cheapest first.
6 things cooktop element not heating turns out to be, from half-tripped two-pole breaker to switch or control relay not passing power.
The cost guide-
01 no repair
Half-tripped two-pole breaker
A two-pole breaker can drop one side and leave some elements cold while the display still lights. Switch it fully off and back on once at the panel.
-
02 low
Coil burned open
A coil with a blister or split along its sheath has burned through inside. A matching coil plugs into the same receptacle.
-
03 low
Loose or scorched receptacle
Terminals that no longer grip, or a receptacle blackened by arcing, keep current from reaching the coil or let it through only now and then.
-
04 low
Thermal limiter failed open
Each radiant zone has a limiter that cuts power when the glass runs too hot. One that has failed open leaves the zone cold even on a low setting.
-
05 low to moderate
Radiant ribbon broken under the glass
The thin heating ribbon in a radiant element can break from age or a jolt. The element is replaced as a unit from beneath the glass.
-
06 low to moderate
Switch or control relay not passing power
When the element itself tests good, the infinite switch behind the knob, or on a touch model the relay on the board, is not sending power to it.
What else
it could be.
Most often confused with cooktop element only heats on high, then cooktop tripping breaker.
All problemsCodes that come with it
E2Bertazzoni · Temperature and overheat sensorsEBlueStar · Boards and communicationE2BlueStar · Temperature and overheat sensorsdEBosch · Mode, not a failureF1Bosch · Temperature and overheat sensorsF2Bosch · Temperature and overheat sensors
Also related
The makes
it happens on.
29 makes on this site; cooktop element not heating can show up on any of them. Each mark opens that make's own page.
All 29 brandsCooktop Element Not Heating,
where we come out.
9 metros, each with its own page.
All service areasTampa BayFL · 31 areas
Miami / South FloridaFL · 47 areas
New York MetroNY · 75 areas
HoustonTX · 36 areas
ChicagoIL · 50 areas
Los AngelesCA · 95 areas
San DiegoCA · 31 areas
Questions about
cooktop element not heating.
Is swapping a coil element a job I can do?
Why does my radiant element glow on only part of the ring?
My induction zone never glows. Is it broken?
Does a cold element mean I need a new cooktop?
Back to your everyday
Still seeing cooktop element not heating?
Book with what you checked above — 5 answers save the technician the first part of the visit.