CooktopRepair.center (844) 252-4077Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm Book a visit
A black smooth-glass electric cooktop with four painted circles sits flush in a gray granite countertop above white cabinet doors in a US home kitchen.

Electric
Cooktop Repair

A coil or smooth-glass radiant cooking surface built into the countertop and wired to its own circuit in the cabinet or wall behind it.

(844) 252-4077

Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm

  • 4 things that fail on it
  • 17 makes build it
  • 6 problems it shows

Book a visit

Three short steps, about a minute.

or call (844) 252-4077

Is yours
an electric?

An electric cooktop comes in two builds that share a circuit and not much else. The older one has open coil elements that plug into receptacles under removable drip bowls. The newer one hides ribbon or halogen radiant elements under a sheet of glass ceramic, and each zone glows through the glass as it heats. Both are hard-wired to a 240-volt circuit through a junction box in the base cabinet, and both are controlled either by infinite switches behind knobs or by a touch panel and relays. Because the unit is built into the counter, the terminal block, the switches and the wiring harness sit in a shallow tray right under the top, which is where electric cooktop repair spends most of its time.

A technician kneels at an open base cabinet under a gas cooktop in a US home kitchen, shining a flashlight on the gas shutoff and the flexible connector. What fails on an electric cooktop

How to tell

01

The surface is either removable coil rings over chrome or black drip bowls, or a flat black glass sheet with painted circles marking the zones.
02

No gas line runs to it; underneath, an armored or sheathed cable leads to a metal junction box in the cabinet or on the wall.
03

A red or orange glow shows at the zone while it is on, and a hot-surface light stays lit for a while after it is switched off.
04

A double breaker in the panel is labeled for the cooktop alone, usually rated at 30 or 40 amps.

Not yours?Gas cooktopInduction cooktopRangetop

What fails
on this design.

On an electric cooktop: open radiant elements, infinite switches behind the knobs, coil receptacles and terminals, relays and the touch control.

The problems it shows

Open radiant elements

The ribbon under the glass burns through at a single spot. The zone stays dark on every setting while the others work, and the break is often visible as a gap in the coil.

Infinite switches behind the knobs

The contacts inside cycle thousands of times and pit. The zone then heats only on high, runs at full power on low, or will not switch off at all.

Coil receptacles and terminals

A coil that sits loose arcs at its plug. The receptacle scorches, the coil flickers or goes dead, and the burnt connector has to be replaced along with the coil.

Relays and the touch control

On models with a glass keypad, a relay on the board welds shut or a sensor key stops reading, so one zone ignores its setting or the whole panel stops responding.

Getting at it,
and whether to.

A coil simply unplugs from the front, and its receptacle is reached by lifting the top on its hinge or by taking out two screws beneath the drip bowls.

What repairs cost

On the visit

  1. Radiant elements are replaced from underneath the glass, so the cooktop is lifted out of its opening and laid face down on a padded surface.
  2. Before anything is touched the double breaker is switched off, and the wiring in the junction box below is checked with a meter to confirm it is dead.
  3. The cabinet beneath the cooktop is emptied first; on some models the switches and the board come out only from below.

Repair or replace

A coil cooktop is almost always worth fixing: coils, receptacles and switches are inexpensive, and the work is short. With a glass model the question is the top. A single radiant element or switch is a routine repair, while a cracked glass sheet on an older unit, or a glass top and a control board failing together, often comes close to what a new cooktop that fits the same cutout would take.

Book a visit for an electric cooktop

The problems
it shows.

On an electric cooktop, most often cooktop element not heating.

All problems
A US home kitchen with a black radiant glass cooktop set into a granite countertop, one ring glowing orange while the ring beside it stays dark under a pot of still water.

Cooktop Element Not Heating

6 causes, cheapest first

 A close view of a coil electric cooktop set into a laminate countertop, one knob turned halfway while the coil beside it stays dark under a small saucepan, the neighboring coil glowing red.

Cooktop Element Only Heats on High

5 causes, cheapest first

 A close view of a black induction cooktop set flush into a pale stone countertop, a single crack running across one cooking zone, every zone switched off and dark, nothing resting on the glass. Gas, fire, broken glass or live current

Glass Cooktop Cracked

6 causes, cheapest first

 A white radiant glass cooktop set into a pale wood countertop, every zone cool and empty, a small indicator glowing at the front edge, and a hand held flat just above the glass.

Cooktop Hot Surface Light Stays On

5 causes, cheapest first

 A US home kitchen with a black glass electric cooktop set into a quartz countertop, a thin wisp of smoke rising from a charred spill on one dark ring, every control switched off and no pan on top. Gas, fire, broken glass or live current

Cooktop Burning Smell

6 causes, cheapest first

 A US home kitchen at dusk with a white radiant glass cooktop set into a butcher-block countertop, every zone off and dark, and in the hallway beyond an open breaker panel with one breaker in the tripped position. Gas, fire, broken glass or live current

Cooktop Tripping Breaker

6 causes, cheapest first

Who builds
an electric.

17 of the makes on this site build an electric cooktop. Each mark opens that make's own page.

All 29 brands

Electric cooktop repair,
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
electric cooktops.

One zone on my glass cooktop stays dark, but the others heat. What failed?
Usually the radiant element under that zone, which burns open at one point. Less often it is the switch or relay that feeds it, or the limiter on the element. A meter across the element terminals tells those apart in a few minutes.
Why does my electric cooktop only get hot on high?
On knob models the infinite switch has worn: its contacts no longer cycle power at the lower settings, so the zone is either off or at full heat. The switch sits right behind the knob and is a short, inexpensive replacement.
Is it safe to keep cooking on a coil that sparks?
No. A spark at the plug means the coil or its receptacle is arcing, and the heat spreads into the wire behind it. Switch the cooktop off at the breaker and leave that position unused until the coil and receptacle are checked; they are often replaced as a pair.
Can I go from a coil cooktop to a glass one without changing the countertop?
Sometimes. Cutouts are close for many sizes, but a glass model can need a slightly different depth or front edge, and its circuit rating may differ. The new unit's installation sheet gives the opening and the breaker it needs.

Back to your everyday

Is it an electric cooktop?

Say so when you book — it changes what the technician brings and how the visit is planned.

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