Common Problems With A Stove Top

A kitchen appliance may be intimidating to someone who does not know a lot about them.  For example, when one of your stove elements stops working, it is easy to assume that it has to be the result of some complicated problem. However, taking the time to do a little bit of troubleshooting can help you to save money. Understanding a few basic stove parts will help you to diagnose problems with your stove and make repairs. 

The Element Won't Warm up

If you have a coil element on your stove top, they are made to be removable to aid you in cleaning your stove. On the other hand, pots that boil over can spill onto the element and travel down the element to where it connects to the current coming from your stove. Over time, the contaminants from your stove can compromise the connection and make the element go bad. When your element stops working, it is easy to assume that there is a faulty connection, or something more serious wrong with your stove. Your first move should be to pick up a new element from an appliance store or order a new one online and replace the old one.  

Range Limiter

If you have a glass-top stove, you don't have to worry about pots boiling over and causing problems for your wiring, but that does not mean that problems cannot occur. If your stove gets too hot, the glass cook top can break. To prevent this from happening, stove designers use a little piece of electric circuitry known as a range-limiter. Basically, it monitors the temperature on your stove top, and if it gets too hot it cuts the heat from your elements. If the range limiter malfunctions, then your elements may not work at all. You can buy a range limiter and replace it. Just make sure you unplug your stove before you touch any of the wiring in your stove and make sure you find the manufacturer's wiring diagram to make sure you put everything together the way it should be and avoid problems. 

Understanding how a stove works can help you to make minor repairs to your stove. On the other hand, if you feel like you are in over your head, or you have tried to make minor repairs to no avail, you can always call in an expert. In any case, taking the time to do a little troubleshooting on your own is a good way to make sure you pay for a repair call when all you have to do is replace a faulty element.