# Dead stove



## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

I haven't been looking (knock on wood) but I do know my current pots and pans will not do well on a flat top stove, the bottoms are a bit bowed down. Current coil stove is almost 40 years old so it is on borrowed time and i don't look forward to replacing it.

The feature I would really like but haven't seen would be time and temperature controls for all cooking. It is dumb technology just don't see it being added.

Bud


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## jmon (Nov 5, 2012)

Startingover said:


> Is it a trend for stove tops to be smooth top?
> 
> Daughters 10 yo Whirlpool suddenly the light said burner was on. No it wasn’t !
> 
> ...


Probably, My guess would be that more people like the appearance, and features of the smooth vs the coil stove top. 

I'm sure there are pro and cons to them. Big thing I would worry about, as you just stated, would be how easy it is to smash, break or scratch it. I just wouldn't trust myself with one. 

However, back to your issue; It appears after 10 years something went wrong. As you mentioned, it is original to the house. I'm sure it could be fixed, but after your lowes trip, I assume you are thinking about replacing it vs fixing it.


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

Im not really sure what she’ll do. She has new AC system scheduled in a few weeks. 

But isn’t that the way it goes? One thing replaced and immediately something else breaks down.


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## jmon (Nov 5, 2012)

Startingover said:


> Im not really sure what she’ll do. She has new AC system scheduled in a few weeks.
> 
> But isn’t that the way it goes? One thing replaced and immediately something else breaks down.



Yup. The joys of being a homeowner. :wink2:


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## hkstroud (Mar 17, 2011)

> Burners were off but a big coil sparked an started getting hot all by itself.


Sounds like a switch problem.


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

HK, compared to cost of a new range replacing a switch might be worthwhile. I'll pass that on to her. At least I can call and get repair estimates for her.


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## LawnGuyLandSparky (Nov 18, 2007)

The coil that sparked is probably shorting out to ground, or the socket the coil plugs into. It's likely the coil is either 240 volts and the switch only controls one leg. A short to ground would produce a spark, illuminate the burner-on indicator, and heat the element with 120 volts.


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## CaptTom (Dec 31, 2017)

jmon said:


> I'm sure there are pro and cons to them.


I'm struggling to come up with many pros with the smooth cooktops.

The best I can do is this: They look great in the showroom, and for the first few days installed. They probably look fine of you never use them, too.

However, if you actually _cook_, the cons start to take over. First off, anything which spatters or splashes leaves a cooked-on mess. You can't wipe up around the burner until the cooktop cools down. Even if you're very careful not to spatter or splash, just simmering anything in a covered pot will leave marks.

Cleaning it is a project. You need to buy the kit with the abrasive material & holder, scraper and special formula cleaner. It's hard work which has to be done a certain way, and even then it'll never be showroom-new looking.

But that's just the cosmetics. You aren't supposed to slide or spin any pots or pans on the cooktop or you'll scratch it. You can't put a hot pot from an active burner onto an unused burner to cool down or you risk cracking it. You can't use the cooktop for any other food prep.

As mentioned above, any pots need to be perfectly flat on the bottom. If it's even a little convex or concave, things won't cook right.

But worst of all, they take forever to heat up, and again to cool down. I end up turning up the heat a little at a time, trying to get it to temperature. Then suddenly it's too hot, and keeps burning the food while it (way too slowly) cools down. And of course, you can't move the pot to an unused burner briefly while it cools, or you risk cracking that one.

I'll never buy another one, except maybe just before I sell the house.


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## BayouRunner (Feb 5, 2016)

We’ve been using the smooth cooktops for the last 20 years or so. We use cast iron most of the time. We’ve not had any issues with scratching it or breaking it. Mind you we don’t drop it on there lol. Personally I would prefer a gas cooktop but don’t have gas to the home. They put it on my street about 2 years after I built so it’s too much work to get gas to it now. I haven’t tried the induction cooktops yet but when we go to replace that’s the way we are going to go. It’s not for everyone but the instant heat, cool cooktop and since we already cook with cast iron I thinks that’s the way we should go. I agree with the above poster, it does take longer to heat and cool down. And that does sound like a bad infinite switch for your cooktop


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

Oh my gosh
Shes been researching today about induction smooth tops. 

It has instant heat then instant cool down. It doesn’t waste heat into the kitchen which is best point cause the kitchen gets too hot with a lot of cooking. And it has precise temp adjustments. 

BUT, the noise is unbelievable. She is bothered by power line hum. So this noise would drive her batty. I understand it makes that noise all while you use it.


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

On farther reading one person said its the type of pan bottom that causes the hum. 

Another person said the hum was loud in their kitchen snd installation was blamed. They took their pans to the store and there wasn’t the loud hum. 

We wondered if the hum was dispersed in a big store plus with shopping carts an people talking it wasn't as noticeable as on a quiet kitchen.


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## Colbyt (Jan 27, 2014)

Startingover said:


> She cooks a lot with 4 cast iron skillets. We envision her smashing the glass top.





*If she loves her cast iron, do not buy a glass top.*


Also IMO it takes longer for the glass top to heat any pan. I just don't think they work nearly as well. OTH, they are much easier to keep clean and spills clean up easier.


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

She joined Consumer Reports. It’s surprising no stoves get high ratings. 

Some of the smooth tops run 1,900

I said i’d buy an inexpensive for now. When it dies maybe induction smooth tops will have more kinks worked out


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## huesmann (Aug 18, 2011)

What kinks need working out?


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## Colbyt (Jan 27, 2014)

Startingover said:


> She joined Consumer Reports. It’s surprising no stoves get high ratings.
> 
> Some of the smooth tops run 1,900
> 
> I said i’d buy an inexpensive for now. When it dies maybe induction smooth tops will have more kinks worked out



Have her or you do some more reading. Induction and glass tops sold at the BORG are two different critters though most inductions have glass tops.


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

The nerve wracking humming sound.


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## iamrfixit (Jan 30, 2011)

Installed an induction cooktop in a friends new house, they love it. It is super fast and I've never heard any hum or really any noise from it. Was expensive though, think they paid better than two grand for just a cooktop.

We've had a smooth top electric range in our house since 02, it really has been no issue. Spills can get cooked on if you don't wipe them up right away. Even when they do a razor blade will scrape 90% off quickly, the rest scrubs off pretty easy with a squirt of smooth top cleaner and a wet rag. Definitely no more difficult to clean up than any elec coil or gas cooktop. Not sure I even know anyone who still has a range with electric coils. Every one I've ever had gave constant problems where the burner coils plug into the top.

Never had any trouble with cast iron skillets on the smooth top, usually use stainless or aluminum non stick pans though. 17 years and it still looks like new. Bowed out pans do rock around but they still cook, they don't really work all that great on any other kind of stove either. When they get that way it's time for a new pan. I prefer the control of a gas range. We had one before getting the smooth top, but my wife didn't like having to take every burner and grate off to get it cleaned it up. Never liked having the knobs on the front either, the kids would manage to bump them on and wouldn't notice til we smelled gas. MUCH easier to just wipe off the smooth glass surface. 


Not sure what kind of smooth top you are looking at, I just priced a new range as our oven has been occasionally failing to heat up. Went to a smaller, local appliance store in town and they had several brands on the floor around $700. Hard pressed to find any that were over about $1400 and those had convection or double ovens.


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## CaptTom (Dec 31, 2017)

I guess this is just a personal preference. The stove that was in the house when I bought it was probably from the 50's. It had coils and worked fine until the day I blew it up (long story) sometime in the 90's or early 00's. I think I replaced one coil, which of course you could buy anywhere and it would fit.

The cheap model I bought to replace it also had coils, and performed perfectly until a couple of years ago when I re-did the kitchen. I sold it on Craigslist to a neighbor who was thrilled to get it. Before those I'd always used gas, which I much prefer but isn't available here.

Any old pot or pan, no matter how bowed, worked fine. Things heated up and cooled down relatively quickly, although not as quickly as with gas. I never needed to scrape with a razor blade or use special cleaners or color-coded pads to clean it.

Spills could be wiped up with a damp cloth as soon as they spilled. No waiting for the cooktop to cool. I could take a hot pot off one burner and put it on an unused one to cool. I could put a cold pot on a hot burner. I could use the burners as extra counter space for other pots and pans. I could slide the pots and pans around on the cooktop, and spin them to move the handle to a convenient spot. I could shake them back and forth on the burner to move the food around.

All of this is strictly forbidden by the manual that came with our new glass cooktop. I find it all very inconvenient.


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## huesmann (Aug 18, 2011)

We have gas in our kitchen, and an electric range outlet in the basement—POs rented basement out. The electric range apparently died shortly before they sold, and they never replaced it. The wife likes induction, because she had induction in her family growing up. We could have run electric to the kitchen, but just bought the house and are cash-poor, so that's on the back burner (pun intended). But I was able to find an induction range on Craigslist that the seller indicated the oven wasn't working, i.e. getting hot. I bought it for $150. Got it home and found that the outlet needed to be changed to fit the plug. That sat around while I fried bigger fish. Recently got that part done and found that the cooktop worked just fine, and the broil element in the oven worked, but the bake element was hosed. Unscrewed the bottom panel and found the attached. Apparently the element had melted apart at some point. Got a replacement element on eBay for under $30, replaced it, and it works great.


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## kevinande (Aug 13, 2018)

CPTTOM
The "glass" is sometimes not just glass. It is more of a mix if glass and ceramic. I think some of the first smooth top ranges were glass, but were tempered and tougher than one might think. Yes you can set a scorching hot pan onto a burner that was not on and there will be no ill effects. They are not difficult to keep clean. The key here is that you must clean up after you are finished and not re heat the burner and place a pan on it before the original spill is addressed. Before I moved to induction I had a smooth top for several years which looked show room clean up until the day I sold it. So if you have poor cleaning habits then a smooth top using radiant cooking technology is not for you.

Induction: A wonderful technology I embraced about 10 years ago and will never go back to radiant technology again. Let me start off by saying the cooking surface is easy to maintain because the surface does not produce heat. However there is residual heat between the pan and the surface so it will get hot, just not as hot as electric resistance. Spills of water, sauce and a variety of other foods are no big deal. Clean those after you’re done preparing your meal. Sugar and salt are another matter. These spills need to be addressed immediately or it will scar/damage your cooking surface. Sliding the pot on top of these minerals will also cause damage...don't do that. The really cool part is that you can actually put a paper towel, parchment paper, newspaper and even a towel between the cook top and the pan to catch drips and such and still cook. Although avoid the setting referred to as "boost" when using newspaper or towels. This is a bit too much for those material and they will at a minimum smoke and possibly com bust. My favorite material is a SIL-PAT cooking mat. It is a silicone material rated at 450 degrees F and I cook on these all day every day. Amazon has some cool colored one I purchased as well. These will help keep your induction cook top looking beautiful. 
The Hum: This a function of the pan itself, not the stove/cook top. If you have cheap pans. I am not going to go into details about manufacturing methods of cookware. If you are going to use this technology and the humming bothers you, buy good quality pans or even cast iron. One does not need to spend $2000 on a set of pans, however I would probably steer clear of the Walmart specials. You can always go home fill the pot with distilled water (lessen the likely hood of staining) turn it on full power and see if it passes the hum test. If not take it back and try again. Distilled water is like $1.00 for a gallon..cheaper than petro. 
Brands: Personal experience, stay away from Samsung. It's junk in a box. This is not just for stoves either, they sell a lot of crap...literally. They sell a lot of it and it's crap. I am surprised they are still in business. Typically luxury brands tend to fair a bit better in the reliability department than others. I am referring to brands such as Wolf, Bosch, Miele and Thermador to name a few. The GE Café series is absolute trash as well. If you are concerned about cost of the appliance and still want it, get the warranty. They are more expensive to obtain and more expensive to repair when/if they crap out. 
Theory on my part, no hard evidence to support this. Avoid the self-cleaning feature of the ovens if you buy a range. It is my belief that the electronics are overheated and the cooking surface and possible the oven itself suffers failure due to this. Again, nothing to back this up other than many internet accounts of this occurring and I was a victim as well. Keep it as simple as possible. I know we want all these features, however the less features you have the less likely for something to break. You’re just cooking, you need the surface to get your pan hot and respond to commands in temperature, nothing more. You don’t need WIFi and timers and a host of other useless features. If you get a cook top make sure it can breathe and the clearances are with the manufactures specification. I have personally gone through two ranges. My first a Samsung then a Whirlpool. My current rendition is A Featureless Frigidaire Professional series Cooktop after a kitchen remodel and it has been going strong for several years, YMMV.


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## CaptTom (Dec 31, 2017)

kevinande said:


> Yes you can set a scorching hot pan onto a burner that was not on and there will be no ill effects. They are not difficult to keep clean. The key here is that you must clean up after you are finished and not re heat the burner and place a pan on it before the original spill is addressed. Before I moved to induction I had a smooth top for several years which looked show room clean up until the day I sold it. So if you have poor cleaning habits then a smooth top using radiant cooking technology is not for you.


Mine is just a couple of years old. I'm going by what the manual says. Never put a hot pan on a cool burner. Never slide or spin a pan on the surface. Never wipe with a damp cloth while hot. Never put a cool pan on a hot burner. Only use special cleaner, and a special kind of scrubbing pad. Never cook anything before completely cleaning up from last time.

PITA if you ask me. And even doing everything right, it's not quite showroom new looking any more.

You're right. It's not for me.


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## iamrfixit (Jan 30, 2011)

Have done all those things a million times and it's no worse for the wear. Ours usually gets wiped with a wet rag whenever something spills. Often I'll just slide the pan over and wipe around the burner while it's still on. 

Maybe once or twice a year something will spill and leave a burned on ring around the edge of the burner. I just lay a wet dish rag on it for a while, then a quick scrape with the razor blade and scrub off the rest with cleaner and a wet rag. Have the same bottle of smooth top range cleaner we got when we got the stove. 17 year old maytag, it's working for me.


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## rplantz (Jan 3, 2017)

A couple of points. We do canning, using a 20 quart water bath canning pot. That's over 40 pounds. I've read that these can crack a glass/ceramic top stove. Also, water always boils over, and as the pot cools, the water around the edges of the bottom can seal the pot to the cooktop. I downloaded a manual for a smooth cooktop. The restrictions do not fit our casual lifestyle.


I've repaired the burners/outlets on my coil cooktop several times. It's easy and costs around $30, compared to well over $100 for replacing a heating element on a smoothtop. (Since this is the DIY Chatroom, I assume that being able to do such things yourself is part of the equation.)


We have a single "burner" induction cooker. They do not work with aluminum or some types of stainless steel. So if you get one, you may also be buying new pots and pans. You can check your current pots and pans with a magnet. Induction requires pots and pans that a magnet sticks to.


I'm saddened by the lack of choice for coil electric cooktops. Mine is quite old, but finding one the same size is nearly impossible. Gas is not available where I live, and the glass/ceramic cooktops are simply not as rugged.


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## DallasCowboys (Jan 30, 2017)

Startingover said:


> HK, compared to cost of a new range replacing a switch might be worthwhile. I'll pass that on to her. At least I can call and get repair estimates for her.



If you can find the switch online, replacing it yourself might be an option.


A repair man is probably going to charge you north of $100.


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## CRAZYAKS (Oct 25, 2018)

The "eyes" or elements are CAL ROD and you are describing a classic failure mode

The burner can be replaced for $25
It is as easy as unplugging the old and plugging in the new probably can find on YouTube

The model number is usually bottom left drawer corner for a range or under (bottom pan) for a cook-top. A site like searspartsdirect.com has parts diagrams to identify the part number/wattage
Make sure to unplug or trip the breaker (240V)


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## mitchleeanderso (Jul 23, 2018)

Anyone considering an induction stove: Keep in mind you'll have to get new pots and pans that are induction compatible. Regular ones won't work.


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## huesmann (Aug 18, 2011)

Shrug. Many "regular" pots and pans work.


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

Welk, after paying for nee AC an pricing even simple stoves she decided to repair existing stove 

Shes good at replacing outlets or anything where she can match old wires to new wires. 

She asked me if the “switch” only has 2 wires. 

Haha, like I’m supposed to know. Or, like moms always know the answer!

Does anyone here know? Yes, i’ll give you credit an not pretend I’m a genius with the answer.


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## BayouRunner (Feb 5, 2016)

Probably 4 or 5 wires. Really not a hard repair but if it’s a glass cooktop it’s a pita because the whole top needs to be removed in most cases.


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

No. Its an electric coil stove.


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## huesmann (Aug 18, 2011)

Startingover, I'd recommend taking a look at one of the appliance parts sites, like AppliancePartsPros. They often have pics of the parts for your specific model, and videos showing how to replace them.


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## Colbyt (Jan 27, 2014)

Startingover said:


> Does anyone here know? Yes, i’ll give you credit an not pretend I’m a genius with the answer.





With an exact replacement part, take a picture or make a drawing or move one wire at a time.


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## hkstroud (Mar 17, 2011)

Yes, post some pictures.


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

Daughter didn’t take photos but installed new switch. The burner works now “sort of”

Now it only has one temperature. Hot. 

Shes going to switch out with the good burner to see if that makes it work correctly (adjustable temperatures) But I doubt that helps. 

The next thing will be to replace the knob which sets temperatures. Maybe when it first sparked an went bad that ruined the knob also.


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## Calson (Jan 23, 2019)

The glass tops are made with a product called Gorilla Glass and it is super hard and that is why it works well on cooktops and also is used on many of the large and thin flat screen televisions as well. To clean the glass top all that is needed is 10 seconds with a sponge. With the coils I would have to pull them up and out and clean the recessed sections. 

Also the new glass top units have more control. Our GE has a large burner that at the turn of a switch will heat an outer ring for a very large pan or soup/stock pot. There are ones that use induction so a person touching the burner area does not get burned. 

We have been using the GE glass cooktop for more than 7 years with no problems and much of our cooking is done with cast iron pans. With the coil stove it replaced I was replacing at least one burner every year as it would stop operating properly.


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## BayouRunner (Feb 5, 2016)

It’s not to hard to wire the switch. There’s probably several different switches that will work. I would not start swapping with other switches as you might wind up two broken burners. Look at the wiring on the other switches. Make sure that the ones that say L1 and L2 are wired to the same letters on the new switch. The two burner wires can go to either one it doesn’t matter. It’s possible they are labeled H1 and H2. And the pilot must hooked up on the last wire. Should be labeled P. If it’s more then 5 wires then disregard what I’ve posted. But I doubt it is. It’s really important that the L1 and L2 are correct though. Not sure what would happen if they weren’t. There would be some backfeeding through the pilot lights. I know it wouldn’t work correctly but I can’t say what it would or wouldn’t do


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