CooktopRepair.center (844) 252-4077Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm Book a visit
A stainless gas cooktop set into a soapstone countertop, a small saucepan of tomato sauce bubbling hard over a burner turned all the way down, a wooden spoon resting on a spoon rest beside it.

Cooktop
Simmer Too Hot

The lowest setting still boils sauces, scorches rice, or will not hold a gentle simmer on a gas burner or an electric element.

(844) 252-4077

Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm

  • 5 checks before you book
  • 5 questions that narrow it
  • 5 causes, cheapest first

Book a visit

Three short steps, about a minute.

or call (844) 252-4077

What it
usually means.

A gentle simmer is the hardest thing a cooktop is asked to do. On gas, the smallest flame is set by a bypass screw in each valve, adjusted for the gas the cooktop runs on; after a conversion to propane, or if the screw was never set at installation, the low flame stays large. Many pro rangetops and high-end cooktops rely on a dedicated simmer burner or a low mode that cycles the flame, and a problem there leaves only the full-size flame. On electric, a worn infinite switch or a board relay can stay on too long at low. Thin pans, and large pans on small burners, also make low feel far too hot.

A gas cooktop lies upside down on a padded work mat on a kitchen countertop in a US home, its underside open to show the valve manifold and a small black spark module, while a technician's hand holds a meter probe to a wire. The 5 causes, cheapest first

Answer these first

01

Is it one burner or element, or every one of them?
02

On gas, is the lowest flame tall, or does it roar?
03

Was the cooktop converted to propane, or installed recently?
04

Does your model have a dedicated simmer burner or a low-heat cycling mode?
05

Does a heavier pan change the result?

Check these
before you book.

Cooktop simmer too hot: 5 checks, and none of them costs anything.

01

Try a heavier pan sized to the burner or element before anything else.

02

Test the lowest setting on another burner or element to see whether they all run hot.

03

If the cooktop was converted between natural gas and propane, find out who did it and when.

Also worth checking

  • Use the dedicated simmer burner or low mode if your model has one, as the manual describes.
  • Leave the low-flame screws alone; they are part of the gas valve.

How soon does it need a visit?

A simmer that runs too hot is not dangerous, though it scorches food and sticks pans. Book a visit when it suits you. If the flame also turns yellow, roars, or brings a gas odor, stop cooking and call the gas utility from outside.

The causes,
cheapest first.

5 things cooktop simmer too hot turns out to be, from pan too thin or too large for the burner to simmer burner or low-cycle mode not working.

The cost guide
  1. 01 no repair

    Pan too thin or too large for the burner

    A thin pan spreads heat poorly and scorches at the center. A heavy-bottomed pan sized to the burner holds a simmer far better.

    No repair: check it yourself
  2. 02 low

    Low-flame screw never set for the gas

    Each gas valve has a screw that sets its lowest flame. After a propane conversion, or when it was skipped at installation, the low flame stays big.

    Fixed by spark module and gas valve repair On a gas cooktop
  3. 03 low to moderate

    Infinite switch or relay holding on too long

    On electric cooktops a worn switch can keep the element on longer each cycle than the setting asks for.

    Fixed by infinite switch and knob repair See cooktop element only heats on high
  4. 04 moderate

    Orifices left over from the other gas

    If the orifices were not changed for the gas type, every burner runs hot and oversized, on low as much as on high.

    Fixed by spark module and gas valve repair See cooktop flame yellow or uneven
  5. 05 moderate

    Simmer burner or low-cycle mode not working

    Pro rangetops often have a small simmer burner, or a burner that cycles its flame to keep a very gentle heat. When that system fails, only the full flame is left.

    Fixed by burner and igniter repair On a rangetop
  6. What it costs

    Every repair on the site's cost scale, side by side

    Open the cost guide

The makes
it happens on.

29 makes on this site; cooktop simmer too hot can show up on any of them. Each mark opens that make's own page.

All 29 brands

Cooktop Simmer Too Hot,
where we come out.

9 metros, each with its own page.

All service areas

Tampa BayFL · 31 areas

OrlandoFL · 30 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

San Francisco Bay AreaCA · 74 areas

A parent and a teenager stirring a pan together over a gas cooktop set into a kitchen island
For the heart of your home.

Questions about
cooktop simmer too hot.

How small should a gas simmer flame be?
Small enough to stay lit without licking the sides of the pan, and steady all the way around the burner. The manual shows the expected look for your model.
Why is my new cooktop hotter on low than my old one?
Newer and pro-style burners often have a much higher top output, and their lowest setting can be higher too. A simmer burner or a heat diffuser helps, and a low-flame adjustment at installation may be needed.
Can low be adjusted on an electric cooktop?
Not the way a gas valve can. If low runs too hot, the switch or relay is usually the cause and is replaced.
Does a simmer plate help?
A flat diffuser between burner and pan spreads and softens heat. It helps on gas and coil tops; on glass and induction, check the manual first.

Back to your everyday

Still seeing cooktop simmer too hot?

Book with what you checked above — 5 answers save the technician the first part of the visit.

Schedule a repair Call (844) 252-4077
(844) 252-4077 Schedule a repair