Every year, Americans spend more than $5 billion on appliance repair. This includes oven and stovetop repair.
Is your stovetop not working as well as it once did? Are you dreading having to spend a lot of money to get it fixed?
If you’re currently dealing with broken stove burners, don’t despair. The issue might not be as serious as it seems initially.
Read on for some tips that will help you troubleshoot the problem with your stovetop and find the best solution.
Common Stove Burner Issues
Troubleshooting a problem with your stove burners is similar to troubleshooting a problem with your water heater or any other appliance in your home.
Before you start taking things apart and trying to fix the problem, it’s important to understand some of the most common issues that can pop up. That way, you know what you need to look for when you start trying to repair the stove.
Here are some well-known problems you might deal with:
- The gas burner won’t light
- The gas burner heats up slowly
- The electric burner won’t heat
- The gas stove keeps clicking
- The induction element won’t heat
- The cooktop won’t turn on
- You can’t adjust the temperature
- The indicator lights won’t turn on
Clearly, there’s a lot that can go wrong with your stove top. It’s a lot more complicated than just turning it on or turning it off.
Causes of Broken Stove Burners
There are a lot of issues that can contribute to a broken stove burner.
If you have a gas stove, often, the source of the problem is a lack of gas flow. It could also be a failure to ignite.
Poor gas flow and failure to ignite usually stem from blocked gas tubes or burner ports. These often become blocked by food debris.
If you have an electric stove, the burner could be loose or damaged. Regular wear and tear can cause these issues.
For example, if you have one burner that you use more than the others, it may wear out quicker.
If you bump a burner while cooking or drop something on it, that could cause it to warp or chip. This, in turn, will hinder its ability to heat up and work properly.
Troubleshooting and Fixing the Problem
Once you figure out what’s wrong with your stove, it’s time to start trying to fix the problem.
There are many different issues that could be causing your stove burners to malfunction. Some of them are easy to fix and others require a bit more work.
Safety First
Before you start looking too closely at your stove burners and trying to solve the problem, you need to take measures to ensure your safety.
This includes unplugging the stove if you’re working with an electric model or turning off the gas before you start taking apart your gas stove.
Clean Gas Burners
If your gas burners aren’t heating up properly, a common issue is a blockage of the gas tubes or burner ports. Sometimes, a thorough cleaning is all you need to get your gas burners working properly once more.
Lift up the burner grate, as well as the burner cap and base. Use a toothpick or even compressed air to clean out food debris from the burner. Clean the grate, cap, and base thoroughly, too.
While you’re cleaning the burners, check the wires that connect the igniter and control module, too. If you see any loose connections, tighten them.
Replace Faulty Burners
Sometimes, you need to replace the burner in your electric stovetop altogether.
To check and see if the burner is the issue, unplug one burner (that you know is working properly) and plug it into the burner socket of the faulty burner.
If the burner heats up, that means you just need to replace the faulty burner. You can purchase a new burner online or at a local appliance or hardware store. Just check to make sure that it is designed to work with your specific stove model.
If the burner doesn’t heat up, you may need to replace the infinite switch or socket. Look at these elements to see if they appear burned or damaged. If they do, replacing them should solve your stovetop woes.
Seat Electrodes Properly
If cleaning the burners didn’t get your gas stove burners working again, check the position of the white ceramic electrode.
If that electrode doesn’t sit flush with the stovetop, it might cause an issue with your burner.
Use a clockwise twisting motion to push down the electrode so that it sits flush with the stovetop. When it’s seated properly, the burner should begin heating up again.
Position the Burner Cap Properly
Sometimes, the solution is as simple as making sure the burner cap is properly positioned.
The burner cap should lie flat and fit securely on the burner head. If it doesn’t fit properly, your stove won’t work as well as it’s supposed to.
When to Hire a Professional
There are a lot of stove issues that you can fix on your own. At the same time, though, sometimes you need to just call in a professional.
For example, if you’ve tried every troubleshooting approach with the gas stove but it still won’t light, you may be dealing with a kink in your gas line. That’s definitely an issue that you should leave to the experts.
A profession will help you find out more about what’s causing the issue with your stove burner. They’ll also help you learn how to prevent future issues from occurring.
Learn More About Home Repair Today
Now that you know more about spotting and troubleshooting issues with your stove burners, you can feel more confident fixing the problem (or knowing when to call in a professional).
Do you need more help handling repairs around your house?
If so, we’ve got lots of articles that can help you.
We’ve even got resources like this article that will help you save money on these repairs. Check it out today if you need to fix up your house but are working with a tight budget.