XT Appliances · Warren
Electric burner won't heat or won't turn off
Usually the burner's own element has burnt out, especially when one burner is dead and the rest still work.
The knob on an electric cooktop isn't a plain on and off switch. Behind it is a switch that turns the power on and off in pulses to set the heat level, which is why a coil on medium glows, dims and glows again. From that switch the power goes to the element: on a coil top through a socket the coil plugs into, on a glass top straight to an element sealed under the glass.
If one burner is dead and the rest work, the range is getting power and the fault belongs to that burner. If several burners quit together, or the oven went with them, the trouble is in the power reaching the range: a tripped breaker or a burnt connection where the cord lands on the back.
On a coil top, the coil itself is the most common failure, usually at a burn spot or a visible split. Moving it tells you whether the coil or the socket is at fault. With the cooktop off and cool, plug the dead coil into a working burner of the same size. If it heats there, the coil is fine and the problem stays with the original spot.
A burnt socket shows itself in other ways too. The burner cuts in and out, or the coil's prongs look dark and pitted. The socket and usually the coil get replaced together, because a new coil in a burnt socket burns too.
Under a glass top each zone has its own sealed element, so there's nothing to swap. One zone that won't glow at any setting while the others work is usually that element. On a dual zone with an inner and outer ring, only one ring may quit. A cracked glass top is a separate problem and a shock and spill hazard. Stop using it; the fix is a new top.
The switch behind the knob
The switch can fail two ways. If its contacts weld shut, the burner runs on high no matter where the knob is and won't turn down or off. That's a safety problem, because the burner can't be regulated. Switch off the range's breaker and call. If the switch fails the other way, a good element won't heat at any setting, and it looks just like a dead element until the element is tested.
On the visit we read the element's resistance, inspect the socket, and check that the switch opens and closes the way it should.
What it usually turns out to be
- PartCoil elementA coil burns out at a burn spot or split, and that one burner goes dead while the others work. If it heats when moved to another burner of the same size, the coil is fine.
- PartGlass-top radiant elementEach zone under the glass has a sealed element. One zone that won't glow at any setting is usually its element; on a dual zone, only the inner or outer ring may quit.
- PartBurnt socket (coil tops)The socket the coil plugs into can overheat and scorch. The tell: the burner cuts in and out, or the coil's prongs look dark and pitted.
- PartInfinite switch behind the knobIf its contacts weld shut, the burner stays on high and won't turn down or off, which is a safety problem. If it fails open, a good element won't heat at any setting.
Try this first
- If several burners or the oven quit too, check the breaker: a range uses a double breaker, and one half can trip.
- On a coil top, with the cooktop off and cool, plug the dead coil into a working burner of the same size and see whether it heats there.
- Look at the coil or the glass for a visible split or burn spot.
Stop using it and call now if
- A burner stuck on high that won't turn down or off: switch off the range's breaker if you can do that safely.
- Sparks, arcing or a burning smell at a burner or its socket.
- A cracked glass top: stop using that cooktop.