Dacor Cooktop Repair

The first thing to settle on a Dacor cooktop call is which kind you own. The gas versions use sealed burners, electronic spark and often illuminated knobs, in widths from 30 inches up to broad professional-style rangetops. Induction models hide copper coils under glass and use power electronics to build a magnetic field that heats the pan itself. Their faults have almost nothing in common.

On induction tops the trouble is electronic. A zone may refuse to detect the pan, or the cooktop may throw an error and shut down because a blocked cooling fan let the electronics overheat. The power boards that drive each coil can fail after a surge, which is worth remembering during Tampa's lightning season. Cracked glass is a costlier repair on either type.

On gas units the complaint is usually clicking. Every igniter sparking at once when one knob turns is normal, but sparking that keeps going once the burner is lit is not. Spills or cleaner seeping into the spark switch behind a knob are a common cause. A cracked igniter, an off-center cap or clogged ports can keep a burner from lighting or from holding a steady flame.

Once the top is cold and every knob is off, seat each cap flat and clear the ports with a dry brush rather than water. Give a wet cooktop overnight to dry before deciding a switch is bad. On induction, try a heavy pan that a magnet grabs firmly, centered on the zone. If a gas smell does not clear quickly, get outdoors and phone the gas company or 911.

Gas tops get every spark switch, igniter and the module tested; induction tops get the cooling fan, the heat sensors and coil boards. Igniters, switches and knob lamps are modest repairs. New glass or an induction power board costs more, and we weigh that against a new cooktop, remembering that any replacement must match the hole in your counter.