Cooking
Cooktop Repair for Gas, Radiant Glass and Induction
A cooktop is a cooking surface on its own, dropped into a counter without an oven beneath it. Gas, radiant and induction models fail in different ways, and the fix depends on which you have.
Booking online works too. With the cooktop's model number in the form, we can check part availability before we come.
First the appliance and its location, then your contact details. We follow up to schedule.
Gas, radiant or induction: what's under the surface
Gas cooktops mix gas and air at each burner and light it with a spark from an electrode wired to a spark module. Sealed burners have caps that must sit flat; a cap that's off-center or ports that are clogged give an uneven flame or none at all. Pro-style rangetops often add automatic reignition, which clicks again by itself if a flame blows out.
Radiant glass cooktops have ribbon heating elements under a ceramic glass surface, run by infinite switches or by electronic touch controls with relays. The hot-surface light is wired through a limiter, so a light that won't go out or a zone that won't turn off points toward the switch or relay.
Induction doesn't heat the glass at all. A coil under each zone creates a magnetic field that heats a magnetic pan directly, driven by power boards that a fan keeps cool. Induction cares about the pan's material and size, and many of its faults come down to overheated boards or a failed fan.
- Gas sealed-burner
- Pro-style rangetop
- Radiant glass
- Induction
- Downdraft
- Electric coil
Cooktop symptoms by type
Match the symptom to your cooktop type. The same complaint means different things on gas, radiant and induction.
- Gas burner clicks but won't catch
- Burner cap misaligned, clogged ports, igniter electrode wet or cracked, weak gas supply
- Clicking that won't stop
- Moisture in a spark switch after a spill, failed switch or spark module
- Radiant zone stuck on high, or cold
- Infinite switch, relay on the control board, open element
- Induction zone flashes an error or ignores the pan
- Pan not magnetic or too small, overheating, power board or cooling fan failure
- Touch controls unresponsive
- Control lock on, water on the glass, touch panel or control board
- Cracked or chipped glass
- Impact from a dropped pan or thermal shock; stop using it
- Downdraft vent won't rise or blow
- Lift motor, blower motor, switch, control
Safe checks for a cooktop
- Lift each gas burner cap and set it back so it sits level. Clear the ports with a straightened paper clip, never a toothpick, which can snap off inside.
- When the igniters keep ticking after a boil-over or a cleaning, turn off the power at the breaker and let the cooktop dry for several hours.
- On induction, test your pan: if a magnet sticks firmly to the bottom, the pan should work.
- Look for a control lock or child lock indicator on touch controls, and wipe the glass dry.
- Check the breaker. Electric cooktops sit on a double breaker, and one side can trip alone.
Before you touch anything: With cracked glass, stop cooking on it and turn off its breaker; spilled liquid can reach live parts underneath. If you smell gas that doesn't clear once the burners light, turn everything off, leave the house and call 911 and Washington Gas from outside.
Book a cooktop technician when
- A gas burner won't light even with the cap seated and the ports clean.
- The igniters keep clicking after the cooktop has dried out.
- A radiant zone stays on high or won't turn off.
- An induction zone shows an error with a proper pan on it.
- The glass is cracked, or the hot-surface light won't go out.
What happens during a cooktop visit
The technician identifies the type first, then tests what fits it: spark and gas flow on gas models, switch and element resistance on radiant ones, and board, coil and fan readings on induction. Many cooktops lift out of the counter from above; others are reached from the cabinet below.
You get a diagnosis and a quote before work begins, and nothing is done until you approve it. Gas connections are leak-tested after any gas work. Replacement parts are ordered by model number, and if one isn't the maker's own, we say so.
Repair or replace a cooktop?
Spark switches, igniters, infinite switches, elements and induction fans are usually worth replacing. Cracked glass is usually sold as a part too, though for some models the glass alone is priced near a whole new unit.
A replacement cooktop has to match the existing counter cutout, and on a stone or quartz island that can narrow your choices a lot. That's a strong reason to repair a high-end Wolf, Thermador or Miele cooktop rather than replace it.
Why Book Us for Cooktop Repair
The type decides the test
Gas, radiant and induction cooktops fail differently, so the diagnosis starts with the parts that fit your model.
Leak checks after gas work
Any gas connection we disturb is tested before we leave the house.
Straight talk on glass tops
If a replacement glass top costs close to a new cooktop, we'll tell you before ordering anything.
See the Maryland neighborhoods and ZIP codes we cover, or request a cooktop repair.
Cooktop Repair in Houses, Townhomes and Condos
Island and peninsula cooktops turn up in many of the larger kitchens in Potomac and in the new houses that replaced older ones around Bethesda and Chevy Chase, usually with a downdraft vent or a hood overhead. Pro-style gas rangetops from Wolf and Thermador are common in those kitchens, alongside induction and radiant glass. Gas models run on Washington Gas, and any gas connection we touch is leak-tested before we leave.
How a Cooktop Repair Visit Works
Book the Visit
Tell us whether it's gas, radiant glass or induction, which burners or zones misbehave, and any code on the display.
Find the Fault
Gas tops get igniter, spark module and valve checks; electric tops get element, switch and control tests; induction gets board diagnostics.
Approve the Price
If the glass is cracked or a part is scarce, you hear that before the quote. Nothing is done until you approve the price.
Fix and Check
Every burner or zone is tested after the repair, and gas connections we disturbed are leak-checked.
Related Services
More appliances, brands and areas on this site.
Cooktop problems we repair
The cooktop faults we diagnose, from ignition and switch problems to induction errors and glass damage.
- Burner Not Working
- Uneven Heat Distribution
- Won't Ignite
- Control Panel Issue
- Gas Smell
- Cracked Surface
- Gas Burner Not Lighting
- All Gas Burners Not Lighting
- Constant Clicking When Not in Use
- Weak or Low Flame
- Yellow or Orange Flame
- Electric Burner Not Heating
- Induction Burner Not Working
- Glass Smooth-Top Cracked
- Glass Smooth-Top Scratched
- Burner Knob Broken or Missing
- Control Knob Loose
- Gas Valve Failure
- Spark Igniter Electrode Failed
- Element Switch Failure (Electric)
- Burner Won't Turn Off
- Hot Surface Indicator Not Working
- Gas Smell Without Flame
- Error Code on Induction Cooktop
- Induction Cooktop Not Detecting Cookware
- E7 / E Sensor Error (Induction)
- Dark Burn Spot on Smooth-Top
- Electric Element Glowing When Turned Off
- Induction Cooktop Buzzing Noise
- Flex Zone / Expandable Element Not Working
- Burner Not Reaching Maximum Power
- Grill or Center Burner Not Working
- Cooktop Requiring Specific Cookware
- Warming Zone on Cooktop Not Heating
- Heat Spreading to Adjacent Burner Area
- Downdraft Vent Not Working
- Surface Element Only Works at Full Power
- Radiant Element Cracked or Burned
- Igniter Clicking Randomly When Not Cooking
- Low Pressure on All Gas Burners
- Glass Cooktop Cracked from Thermal Shock
- Induction Displaying H After Cooking
- Surface Element Heating Intermittently
- Gas Burner Lighting Wrong Burner
- Cooktop Not Powering On
- Not Sure If Cookware Is Induction-Compatible
- Ceramic Cooktop Surface Difficult to Clean
- Cast Iron Grates Rusting
- User Reports Burning Even Though Induction Is Cold
- Gas Supply Hose Needs Replacement
- Induction Zone Display Flashing
- Cooktop Surface Permanently Stained
- Electric Cooktop on Wrong Voltage
Cooktop brands we service
Notes on the cooktop brands we hear about most, then everything we cover.
- Bosch cooktop repair
- GE Appliances cooktop repair
- Thermador cooktop repair
- Wolf cooktop repair
- Whirlpool cooktop repair
- KitchenAid cooktop repair
- Samsung cooktop repair
- Miele cooktop repair
Where we repair cooktops
Each area page adds notes on the cooktops we see in its homes, plus its ZIP codes. Or book below.
More reading on cooktops
Cooktop Repair Questions
The questions that come up most often. Anything not covered here, ask us when you call, or add it to the booking form's notes field.
Have a different question?
Tell us what make it is and what's going wrong. A few things can be settled over the phone, and anything else gets looked at during the visit.
A cooktop is a cooking surface and nothing more; it drops into a countertop, typically above drawers. A range builds the cooking surface and the oven into one appliance. If your burners and oven are a single unit, the range or stove page will fit better.
Induction only works with magnetic cookware. If a magnet doesn't stick firmly to the bottom, the zone won't recognize the pan. A pan much smaller than the zone may also go unrecognized. If the pan is right and the zone still shows an error, the power board, coil or cooling fan may be at fault.
The glass can often be replaced as a part, but it has to be the right part for your model. Until then, stop using the cooktop and turn off its breaker, since spills can reach the electrical parts below.
Usually moisture from a spill or from cleaning has gotten into a spark switch. Turn off the power and let it dry for several hours. If the clicking carries on after that, a switch or the spark module has probably failed.
Yes, including Wolf, Thermador and Viking rangetops with reignition and simmer burners. Have the model number from the data plate ready, usually found under a burner grate, behind a knob or on the underside of the unit.