How To Fix An Electric Stove

How to fix an electric stove

Bryant Harrison -- Sunday, 7 May 2000, at 10:15 a.m.

I have a 10 year old electric stove that I am having trouble with. Sometimes one of the elements will heat up per the knob controller, and sometimes it will just get warm to the touch.

Is this a problem with the element, or with the the knob controller (rheostat?)?

Re: How to fix an electric stove *LINK*

Dan O. -- Sunday, 7 May 2000, at 5:38 p.m.

: I have a 10 year old electric stove that I am
: having trouble with. Sometimes one of the
: elements will heat up per the knob controller,
: and sometimes it will just get warm to the touch.

: Is this a problem with the element, or with the
: the knob controller (rheostat?)?

Kitchen ranges and cooktops do not usually use "rheostats". The most common type of control used for surface elements are "infinite heat switches" and would not usually fail intermittently but usually completely either causing no heat at all or full heat no matter what its setting.

If the malfunctioning element is a 'plug-in' type, the article linked below illustrates the most likely cause for the symptom you reported and show what areas need to be inspected to verify such a failure.

JFYI

Dan O.
Appliance411
The Appliance Information Site
=D~~~~~~

The surface element on my range will only work if I jiggle it. Can you tell me what's wrong?