Ceramic Hob

[Gummo]

One of my rings refuses to heat - is this DIYable? If so can you give me any tips or links?

Gummo

[Lee]

Most of them are no more difficult to service than a "normal" electric hob, just that parts are a lot more expensive :(

You may want to check if it has a thermal cutout that has "tripped"...

Our halogen hob has a "sticky" thermal cutout on one of the rings which sometimes fails to reset itself - but it usually only happens if the ring has been left on for an extended period with nothing actually on the ring.

Lee

[Gummo]

[Lee]

You wouldn't... they are either self-resetting or broken ;)

Ours just happens to have an unusual variant which has a capilliary bulb which pushes a white ceramic piece against a two postion switch, the first position turns on the "hot" indicator and the second position cuts off the power to the ring. On ours this white ceramic piece has "stuck" on occasion and needed to be cleaned and pushed back.

This is in addition to the "simmerstat" temperature control ours has fitted to all four rings.

Lee

[Gummo]

Thanks Lee.

Do you have any links advising how to replace an element?

Gummo

[BigWallop]

Is the element built in to the hob surface, normally called a Hespia Flat Element, or does it look like a coil of wire stuck underneath the hob heating zones ?

[Gummo]

It looks like the latter - a big, red doughnut, dark-holed under thick ice.

Forgive the description.

Gummo

[BigWallop]

Then it is easy, or should be, to replace this with a new one from the hob makers themselves. You should find their details on a plate riveted to the hob somewhere on the bottom or side, usually near where the cable enters the hob unit itself.

If it were the built in Hespia type hob, then you'd have had to contact the makers to take the unit away and repair it for you.

[Gummo]

I'm sorry - I may have misled you; the hob is attached to my stand-alone Zanussi ZCE7700X cooker. I'm wondering what the first steps are to gain access to the element.

Gummo

[BigWallop]

The hob unit should swivel up from the front, maybe with a screw or bolt holding it in place from the under side, and the hob ring should just be bolted to under side of a metal framework. You might have to look for screw covers that are hiding the heads of the screws and make them look the same colour as the body of the stove.

[Gummo]

Thanks very much, Big - I'll try that.

Gummo