INDUCTION HOB REPAIRS

A good induction hob should last between 10 and 15 years, depending on the manufacturer. Clearly, though, things can wrong before those years are up. And while they are certainly sturdy pieces of kit, things can crop up, for example through heavy or incorrect usage or breakages. Here are some of the more frequently experienced niggles with these appliances:

• Hob turns off during cooking
  If this happens, it could well be down to the automatic shut-off feature if your cooking has gone over the maximum time limit. Study your manual to find out more. Equally, heat sensors could have identified a high internal temperature – check that the vent holes aren’t blocked or covered, which could have contributed to this. Finally, it’s worth checking you have placed the pan properly on the ring.

• Food not cooked or heated properly
  Check the heat setting: it could well be on too low, so you simply need to adjust it. Your cookware also has to have a large enough bottom, and should be made of ferromagnetic material – be sure you have the right cookware to hand before you start using your hob.

• Uneven cooking or overheating
  Again, check your cookware. Is it sitting flat on the burner to ensure even heating? Equally, your pans may not be heavyweight enough. Also, make sure you are using the right temperature setting. It can be tempting to heat these hobs on a lower setting than you might perhaps use with another model, given that induction hobs are pretty powerful devices, but that may not be necessary.

• Hearing strange noises?
  If any appliance is making a noise, this should always be investigated. A low-level hum is quite a normal occurrence, since these hobs have a fan inside them to cool the electrical components. (It’s also usual to hear a ‘click’ when you place a pan on the hob, which you shouldn’t worry about – it’s just the device turning on.)
  However, if the noise is sounding quite a bit louder than a click or background hum, that could be because there is something wrong with the fan – in which case you need to seek the services of an induction hob professional.

• Hob isn’t starting up
  Check the induction hob control panel isn’t locked, and that the pan you’re using is the right size for the ring. (If your pan isn’t big enough, it won’t be recognised by the hob, and so you’ll have to switch to a different saucepan or ring.) It’s also possible to buy hob extender rings, which do away with this problem.
  Another potential problem is that your hob could have a circuit overload, which is not a fault you’re likely to be able to solve yourself. Call an induction hob repair engineer.

• Hob is flashing after cooking finishes
  Some models feature integral LED lights which flash on if the hob has been left on after cooking. So the obvious answer is that you have simply forgotten to turn the hob off. Just switch the hob to off and the flashing should stop – clearly this isn’t a serious problem, as long as you haven’t also left a pan on the cooktop. However, if that doesn’t seem to be the reason, you will need to contact an induction hob repair specialist.

• Booster function reducing the power of other rings
  The booster function is a great little perk which allows you to use full power for a set period of time, typically up to 10 minutes, so you can bring a pan of water to boil quickly. It then drops back to the power level at which it was originally set. The function means the extra power needed to fire it comes from the other rings. So don’t worry if the other rings seem temporarily to have less power; this is perfectly normal, and you don’t need to take any specific action.