Is It Possible For Coils to Overheat?

Do you consistently burn your food when you use one burner on your stove? No, it is not just bad luck that it happens. Your burner could very well be getting too hot, hotter than what you are setting it to. This not only causes food to cook faster and overcook, but it can be hazardous to your appliance if left unchecked.

If you believe a burner on your stovetop is overheating, the responsible cause is the same as what would cause it to underheat – the switch. This part, which controls the flow of electricity to a burner, can malfunction and let too much current through, resulting in too much heat.

Once the stove has cooled, you will want to remove the burner coils from their alcoves and unplug your stove. In some models, you may need to disconnect power to the appliance at the circuit breaker. Once done, you will find the switch located behind the burner control knobs. If these are located on the control panel, you will need to remove the back of the oven to reach them. If they are located on the front, you will need to lift the top of the oven up to reach them.

Before the switch can be removed, you will need to remove the control knob on the front by pulling it right off. Now removing the securing screws, you can pull the knob control rod out and remove the switch from it. In some models, the switches may be chained together. This means you cannot replace just one but have to replace them all. While this means more initial work for you, it does mean that this issue won’t be happening to your other burners any time soon.

Once you have reassembled your burners, be sure to test the burner to not only make sure it heats to the proper temperature but that it actually works at all.