Two elements glowing properly, one with a dark stripe through it, and one that did nothing at all. The green notes on the glass are how we keep track during testing.
A radiant element is a thin ribbon coil under the glass. After thousands of heat cycles the coil can break, usually near the terminals where it flexes most. The limiter that protects the glass can also fail, as can the switch or a wiring connection that has overheated.
An element that is dead, heats only partly or shows a dark band is a very common glass-cooktop fault. Large, heavily used front elements tend to go first. Dual elements often lose one ring while the other still works.
We turned every zone on and marked what failed, then tested each element, limiter, switch and connection with the power off. Two elements had open coils. Because the glass was intact, we replaced just the two elements and tested all five zones cycling at medium settings.
The call was about one element that "only half works". By the time we had every zone on, it was two problems, not one.
With a glass cooktop, the first test is simple: every element on high, lights off, and look. The photo above is that moment. The two small elements on the right glow evenly. The large rear element is fine. The large front element, marked bad, glows with a dark band across it. And the warming zone between the two small elements, marked no good, did not light at all.
The green tape notes are ours. When several zones are misbehaving, writing on the glass keeps the findings straight while the top comes apart.
A radiant element is a thin ribbon coil set in a round insulated pan under the glass. The metal rod running across it is the limiter. Its job is to cut power to the element if the glass gets too hot, which protects the glass and whatever is sitting on it. Larger elements are often dual zones: an inner ring and an outer ring, with a switch that decides which ones run.
That gives several possible causes for an element that is dead or heats partly: an open section of the coil, a limiter that has failed open, the switch that controls that element, or a wiring connection that has overheated. We tested each in turn with the power off.
With the glass top lifted, the front element showed a break in the coil near where it enters the terminal block, visible in the photo above. That explained the dark band. The warming zone element tested open end to end. The switches and wiring for both tested normally.
Elements can usually be replaced on their own. The glass is a different matter. If it is cracked or chipped, the cooktop should not be used, because spills can reach live parts underneath. In that case the choice is between a replacement glass top, often sold with elements already fitted, and a new cooktop. This glass was intact, so the repair was two elements, followed by a full test of all five zones and a check that each one cycled on and off at medium settings.
Anything involving live wiring, gas or refrigerant is technician-only.
The photos in this post are from a real RepairWell job. We use them to explain the possible causes of this problem and how it gets fixed. Every appliance is different, so your fault may have a different cause; the diagnostic visit confirms it.
Towels still damp after two cycles. The drum turned, the timer ran, and there was no heat at all. The part that failed was a two-dollar-looking disc. The reason it failed was a metre of crushed foil duct.
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A dead display is easy to blame on the control board. Sometimes the board is guilty. Sometimes it is a connector, a harness or a part the board is simply reporting on. The bench is where we find out.
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The note on the cooktop said it all. The clock worked, the fan ran, and the oven took an age to reach temperature. The element looked fine. The problem was one step upstream.
Read the storyTell us what the appliance is doing. $89 diagnostic, waived when you go ahead with the repair, and the finding in writing.
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