Well, Induction cooktops are one of the most sophisticated home appliances, and we need a certain level of acquaintance with them to be able to understand their functionality fully. If problems arise, follow our guide to troubleshooting induction cooktops
General Troubleshooting Induction Cooktops
Installation for full-size cooktops is best done by professionals. When you buy a single burner or portable induction cooktop, we don’t need a professional’s help.
Yet, if you’re new to induction cooking chances are you’ll still face problems. But there is no need to panic and call for services right away if it doesn’t come alive like you were instructed.
Believe me, it’s always wise to invest some time researching for the best-rated gas cooktop than waste many hours or days trying to fix a substandard cooktop. Anyway, here are some tips for troubleshooting induction cooktops.
Setting up issues
- If you are setting up a new induction cooktop and it does not turn on or the controls remain locked, check the voltage for the cooktop to function and that you have the right voltage distribution.
- If the unit does not come ON even after you set it up, check the power outage first. The problem could be in your house fuse or it could be a circuit overload.
Cooktop shuts off while cooking
- If the cooktop shuts off while cooking, it is probably the automatic feature that has turned it off. That happens when your cooking exceeds the maximum cooking time limit. Do refer to the manual for detailed information.
- Most induction cooktops like True induction cooktop also have sensors that automatically shut off when it does not detect any cookware on the burner. What you have to note is that, if your cookware is displaced and not centered properly in the cooking zone, the unit will shut off as the sensor will not detect it.
- Sometimes induction cooktop could shut-off even before the time limit, because of high internal temperature detected by its heat sensors. In this situation, you should make sure that its vent holes are not covered or blocked.
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The food does not get cooked or heated properly
- If your food does not heat up well enough, you can check the control setting; the heat setting on your induction cooktop could probably be too low. Turn it to the correct temperature setting required.
- The cooking zone is also to be considered. Make sure that you have the correct control ON and that the cookware is placed at the centre of the burner.
- No cookware will get heated on an induction unless it has an adequate bottom size and it is ferromagnetic in material. Only ferromagnetic cookwares are suitable for induction cooking. Even a ferromagnetic cookware that has non-metallic coating will not be suitable.
- If you use a medium, makes sure that you put the cookware well in place and that the medium is of the right size according to the cooking zone.
Overheating or uneven heating
- If your food is not cooking properly or evenly, you should check on your cookware. It must be an evenly balanced, flat bottomed cookware. Your cookware needs to sit flat on the burner to ensure even heating.
- Lightweight cookwares usually don’t heat up evenly and your food may burn more easily. Though heavyweight cookwares are preferred, if it is too heavy, food gets overcooked more often.
- If you are unable to get your dish cooked in the perfection that the recipe presents, adjust the temperature setting to attain the sort of precision needed. If you find the correct setting, no other cooktop can beat the temperature precision and efficiency of induction cooktops. Take the example of one of the best induction cooktop with excellent electronic touch control system like Bosch NIT 3065UC or the GE PHP900 DMBB induction range.
Induction Cooktop Making Weird Noise?
Sometimes you’ll hear noise from your cooktop that is not natural. Here are common troubleshooting induction cooktop noise tips:
Crackling
When you hear a crackling sound while cooking, it usually means the cookware consist of different materials. The crackling sound is cause by vibrations in the joints of two different materials. You’ll also notice scorch marks of the bottom of pans and even on the cooktop. Using such substandard cookware surely ruin your cooktop.
Fan noise
The fan will continue to run even after you switched off the cooktop which is normal and it happen to cool down the cooktop.
Humming sound
Even when the cooktop is not in use you’ll still hear a low humming sound which you’ll hear in quiet environments. This is because you need to activate the lock feature when cooktop is not in use.
Click or clicking
When you first place a utensil on the cooktop you’ll hear a click or clicking sound. This is normal and the cooktop makes this sound during the utensil recognition phase.
Display keep flashing
The display on the cooktop will keep flashing for the following reasons:
- No pan is placed on the cooking area
- Pan is not of the right material
- Pan is of not the right size
Cooktop not working or partially working
If the cooktop is not working at all, the first logical step is to check the main power supply. Check for tripped circuit breaker or blown fuse. Make sure that the entire fuses are operational.
Make sure that the cooktop is not lockout which can happen if Control Lock is activated when power to the cooktop is off. In such scenario the cooktop touch controls would be irresponsive. You need to unlock Control Lock.
If the cooktop still don’t work you can try power reset. Turn off the power to circuit breaker for a minute, and then power back again. Still not working? Now it’s time to call the manufacturer’s helpline.
Error code
For error codes you need to refer your cooktop user’s manual. Error codes will differ from one manufacturer to another.
LED flashlights
The LED flashlight may alert us to quite an alarming degree oftentimes. Especially if your LED light flashes continuously, we naturally doubt if there is something wrong with the unit. But experience says that there is no need to panic at all because it is supposed to be a safety mechanism.
- Next time you find it flashing, just check if you have turned off the cooktop after you lift the cookware from the burner.
- It could alert you if your cookware is not properly centered in the cooking zone.
- Power off and on to make a simple reboot.
Well, final words for you. You have a great device in your hands and you have every reason to feel fabulously safe with induction cooking. Induction cooktops are the one device gaining credence internationally. Do experiment and make it count.
We recommend to check out our list of the best induction cooktops which we updated every month. Find out which cooktops received hundreds of positive reviews from highly satisfied consumers.
Things to note
A thoroughly broken cooktop either cracked or shattered cannot be repaired. It has to be replaced.
Repairing a cooktop is not economical.
Labor cost, replacement of parts can be quite expensive. If you are under warranty then all good but you are not, you will have to shell out a lot of cash.
I would recommend you to compare the repair cost (including service and labor cost) with new inductions available online or in the store. If it comes to the same, go for a new induction instead of going for repair.
A new one can come with extended life and guarantee as it is fresh from the factory. The old repaired one probably will not come with much guarantee. If these troubleshooting induction cooktops tips don’t help, contact Appliance Genie for fast repair.
