You may have noticed that your electric stove burner gets too hot at times.
Is it normal, or should you be worried?
If the electric stove burner stays on high, then it may be worth looking into the reasons behind this. After all, such a situation may pose a problem that can be a safety risk over time.
Today, we’ll talk about the reason why your electric stove burner gets hot, why it stays on high, and what you can do to address this issue.
Electric Stove Burner Gets Too Hot: Causes
In some stove issues, there are cases where you turn the unit on but no heat is produced at all by the coils.
And so you wonder why this happens.
Perhaps you have just turned it on, and for some reason, the coils got VERY hot immediately. While it may not seem like a problem, especially since you would rather have it heat up fast than not, it can actually be a problem.
Say, you want to cook meat or other food items that need gentler heat to make sure the inside gets thoroughly cooked. If you start off with very high heat, then you may end up burning the exterior while the inside is still raw.
If so, then you definitely would want to get the temperature controls fixed.
So why does this happen? Why does your electric stove get too hot really fast – and too soon?
Before you consider getting it fixed, let’s talk about the potential reasons that may contribute to this problem.
1. The pan you are using is too big.
Cooktops come with different coil sizes. Thus, if you are using a smaller pan, then the cooktop size you should use is a smaller one. So, if the pan is too big, the edges may not get too hot. Or it may be too hot if the coil is too big and the pan is very small.
2. Oven vent issues.
If just one burner is capable of getting too hot, then the burner may have the oven vent. Hence, when you turn the oven on, the burner gets hotter. This heat is not much higher unless you adjust the vent correctly.
When the burner is hotter than it should be while the oven is still on, you will need to let it cool down. Then, cross-check using your manual to determine whether the vent is open correctly in the right position.
3. Drip pans are wrapped.
There are also cases where you may be using drip pans wrapped in aluminum foil. People assume that this makes it energy-efficient when using an electric cooktop. Moreover, the drip pans can retain their tidy state when wrapped in foil.
But then again, the foil reflects some of the heat coming from the coils. And this won’t exactly make the cooktop more efficient. Instead, you will have a difficult time adjusting the temperature on the stove. As a result, you run the risk of burning food while having a tougher time adjusting the temperature.
Electric Stove Burner Stays On High – What You Can Do
Now that you know why your electric stove burner gets too hot, the next question is – how can you fix it?
Generally, when you turn the burner from high then switch it to low, this cuts electricity to the coil. This is why the cooktop senses that the desired temperature has been reached, and it will turn on the coil once more to retain the temperature. Then, the coil cycles this electricity on a periodic basis to keep this optimal temperature going.
When the cooktop burner stays on high, this means that there is an improper cycling of electricity going on. It is due to the infinite switch malfunctioning, and it is the portion that controls electricity flow to the coil.
In this case, you may want to replace the infinite switch to fix the problem. Thankfully, it is not a difficult thing to do – yet it can be complex. If you are experienced in taking on this job, then you may proceed to do so. Otherwise, it would be better to have a skilled technician do this work for you.
But prior to initiating the repair, you need to make sure that electricity running to your cooktop is shut off. Shut the circuit breaker off, and in some cases, you may need to unthread the screws to pull off the knob on the control panel before lifting it up.
This switch is the shaft where the knobs are attached to. Push this shaft down right out of the alcove and make sure that you remember how and what wires are originally attached to it before removing them.
Then, reattach the wires once you have the replacement infinite switch positioned in the right place. Reinsert your drive shaft and reinstall the knob. Test it out to make sure it works properly.
If you notice that the coil still gets hot and stays on high, then you may want to check the coil. It is likely that this component is the cause of the problem. There is a possibility that the coil is faulty, if the issue is not with the infinite switch.
Additional Points To Consider
When dealing with an electric stove burner that gets too hot, a few issues may be worth looking into. The settings may be problematic, or it could be the stove knob not installed correctly. In other instances, the pan may be the wrong size or the oven vent is the culprit.
Hence, it is best to test all the possible causes of the problem and deal with the culprit appropriately once you have eliminated and isolated the issue. Then, it is a matter of deciding whether you should carry out the fixing or have a specialist work on it, especially if you have no experience with these tasks.
Very helpful.
Thanks Wei!!!