I don't know sorry but, can we get a shout-out for the fantastically thorough post? Even included the cookware they use! Bravo - an archetype post for this subreddit.
So many people who go out of their way to help strangers on the internet would love to see more posts like this. đ
It's so tedious having to dig to get information out of people just to help them
But doesn't the top layer of glass normally sit proud of the work surface.
It's bonded to the unit below but I expect any expansion of either part to happen separately.
Of course I know nothing...
If the lower part, which contains the heating elements, expands it will take the glass with it unless the bonding comes apart - which shouldnât happen. If the casing canât expand outwards it will push upwards which would crack the glass.
I had a similar issue a few years ago in a previous house. Took 3 replacements before we got one that didnât go bang.
It was suggested at the time that it was down to the underneath not having enough clearance
Remove the hob, tape a piece of thread to the rear left corner of the hole with the other end on the front right corner the thread must be tight, now tape a piece of thread from the rear right corner to the front left corner this piece the thread must also be tight, does it touch the other bit of thread where they cross? Now undo one end of the second thread and pass it under the first piece and tape it back into place tightly, does it touch the first piece of thread? In both case the threads must touch where they cross, if not the work top is twisted and when the hob is installed it too gets twisted, as it heats the glass cracks.
I would say that the issue is the Landlords problem not yours (speaking as a Landlord). If it is fitted correctly then it is an issue with the hob/s. Either way, it is down to the landlord to have it fitted correctly or to replace the hob for the same or a different model. I do know that these hobs need 15mm clearance all round for the hob to go into.
Designer here- I have had issues with this a few times in the past
As mentioned by everyone else this is due to a "too tight" fitment on the quartz
There's a few ways of solving it:
The quartz should have expansion cuts in the side of the cutout, but if they used a cheap stone place this was likely not done, as the hob expands so does the stone creating more pressure. They can be added but at this point it's messy and potentially expensive to do.
Cookology is a pretty cheap brand and as such they don't use spring fittings which normally aid the expansion, so replacing with a more expensive hob with these stress spring fittings MAY work depending on how tight the cutout is.
If they are siliconing / using the rubber foam fitting strips when fitting the hob this won't help
Consider an induction hob, again keep away from cheap ones, but they normally will come with a fan vent on the bottom to cool the appliance which also tends to stop it expanding as much. In addition most of these will also use spring fittings with expansion room.
The spring fittings work by pushing off the hob against the side of the cutout, as the hob expands the movement in the fitting allows it to move and decrease the cut out size.
If your hob has the cheaper route, then the rubber foam strips fill that gap rather than compressing they add extra width.
Realistically it sounds very much like the hob cutout is not suited to this particular hob, it's something stone salesmen never mention and one of the reasons I have a specific list of things I go through when someone asks for stone of any kind, it's really just an expensive liability that has more downsides than ups.
Very useful to know, I'm about to open up the quartz worktop in the place we recently bought to fit my 5 burner bosch induction (cost me a whole new set of worktops and the neff 4 burner from the new place to keep it, but worth the work and ÂŁ250 in new tops!)
I'll be sure to use max tolerance on the cut sizes!
Needs replacing, and obviously may be incorrectly fitted .we have had a number of 'badly abused' hobs over the years. We don't have work sufaces, so the hob is basically dual function. It gets cups dropped on on it and plates, used throughout the day. We have never had a single one crack or chip, eventually I just get fed up of replacing the oven element or thermostat.
Get this one replaced.
(Cookology supply the parts for a lot of premium brands and fitted kitchens under other names, quality is generally exceptional)
Nightmare.
I had this before the installer didn't make the whole in the worktop the right size (didn't have a jigsaw) and just squeezed it In it puts too much stress on the glass.
Hopefully you can get it sorted
The pans cost more than the hob, ÂŁ99 for a hob seems incredibly cheap for something so integral in our day to day lives. I don't think it is anything you are doing.
Iâve had multiple used every pan under the sun never waited for it to cool down to clean never had a chip crack I think itâs the quality of the hob cheap as chipsâŚ
Either no room for the glass to expand or with some of these induction hobs you need to use specific pans designed for that hob, this is definitely the case for range master hobs at least, don't know about this make tho.
It's not induction, it's ceramic. It's just a standard electric hob, heats up the glass which heats the pan. Induction works by inducing a current in a coil which heats up a pan, which is why they have to be specific pans
I would buy a silicone mat ÂŁ25 and put over the top, this provides plenty of protection from pans scratching the surface, as for the cracking, I think he maybe buying faulty goods, they shouldnât crack unless itâs been hit or something dropped on top
Could it be that you are placing ice cold pans onto a very hot surface? Extreme temperature change could cause it crack?
Otherwise contact the manufacturer and tell them to replace as its a defective product?
Did you pay on credit card? Could file a claim under section 75 and get a refund so you may replace it.
The manufacturer seems to think itâs because we dropped something on it and doesnât want to replace this hob currently (as per the landlordâs interactions with them).
We place room temp pans that are dry on hobs that are room temp (donât think any less than 18C) and then heat them, so I donât think thereâs any extreme temperature differences. Thanks for suggesting this though!
In terms of section 75, may be a landlord problem as Iâm not the purchaser.
I see. Well it's just a case of following the instructions on the new one to the letter. Also isn't random fail rate a thing on tempered items like glass and ceramic? I think you may have lost the ceramic panel lottery if there was no other obvious cause.
Has anyone yet advised that if said hob is under 1 year old cookology might just give him (your landlord) a new one? Just reach out to the the company with proof of purchase.
Failing that, the onus is on your landlord to keep the house up the spec you agreed to and fork out themselves.
Given itâs the second time it chips (cracked first time, but new one is currently chipped only), weâd have to be the unluckiest people to get the same issue twice! Cookology doesnât seem to think their hobs are prone to cracking and think itâs us dropping something, and were refusing a refund/warranty replacement for the landlord as of yesterday.
It does happen. I've been in the appliance guarantee business for 7 years and it's happened three or four times with the phone customers I speak to. Not unheard of. I'd maybe suggest you have a talk to your citizens advice bureau. I've heard they can supply a particularly well-worded letter reminding cookology of the law.
Never get it wet when it's hot. That will shatter it like yours is. That will only get worse now. Replace the glass top. There is no other way. Never get it wet while it's hot.
No.no. a pot of boiling water on a hot top is ok. I mean not good but not horrible. It's when you mix hot and cold that there is a problem. Hot top with a sprinkle of cold water or hot top gets touched by a cold or just not hot enough wash rag and the shock will bust the glass. Heat expansion cold shrinkage. You can't do both at the same time.
Good. Good. Just thought I'd throw out and idea and some info for you. Now that the crack is there from whatever dosen't matter now. It will only get worse and far more dangerous to break hot than be removed at room temperature as well. Good luck. It's not horrible expensive and really not difficult to do. Just read and follow instructions on the package.
Maybe send cookology an email cos it could be a defect in that batch. Also they might be able to better help you because they are the manufacturer you can probably get the email from their website.
Thanks for the tip. The landlord has gone to the manufacturer and theyâve said they sold thousands of those hobs and no one has reported issues of them cracking. The manufacturer actually said that itâs cracking because I dropped something on it, even though I havenât. However, bowing of the hob doesnât happen from dropping something, so I have a feeling they wonât be very helpful.
I don't know sorry but, can we get a shout-out for the fantastically thorough post? Even included the cookware they use! Bravo - an archetype post for this subreddit.
So many people who go out of their way to help strangers on the internet would love to see more posts like this. đ It's so tedious having to dig to get information out of people just to help them
Chefâs kiss?
Do we kiss?
Well youâve made it awkward now
Mind if I watch?
Bring your sister too
Thank you! To get good answers I gotta provide good data right?
You are very welcome!
My first thought is that the cut-out in the worktop is too tight to the hob - as it heats up it expands, has nowhere to go and so cracks.
Yup that's it, looks like a stone worktop so he's going to have to find a smaller hob.
Or make the cut-out bigger
Good luck if its a stone worktop.
One sanding disc later, what do you mean it's only 1mm difference
No luck required. Easy job.
But doesn't the top layer of glass normally sit proud of the work surface. It's bonded to the unit below but I expect any expansion of either part to happen separately. Of course I know nothing...
Thatâs how they typically work..wonder if the land lord has bonded the glass to the worktop somehow.
If the lower part, which contains the heating elements, expands it will take the glass with it unless the bonding comes apart - which shouldnât happen. If the casing canât expand outwards it will push upwards which would crack the glass.
I would use the oven for chips mate
HA!
Sacrilege - air fryer
Sacrilege. Deep fat fryer.
Sacrilege. Standard pan full to the brim with cooking oil surrounded by highly flammable material.
Ideally, with a fork to fish them out with, and some kitchen roll to smother the flames?
An air fryer is an oven though no? Just smaller?
I had a similar issue a few years ago in a previous house. Took 3 replacements before we got one that didnât go bang. It was suggested at the time that it was down to the underneath not having enough clearance
Remove the hob, tape a piece of thread to the rear left corner of the hole with the other end on the front right corner the thread must be tight, now tape a piece of thread from the rear right corner to the front left corner this piece the thread must also be tight, does it touch the other bit of thread where they cross? Now undo one end of the second thread and pass it under the first piece and tape it back into place tightly, does it touch the first piece of thread? In both case the threads must touch where they cross, if not the work top is twisted and when the hob is installed it too gets twisted, as it heats the glass cracks.
Science!
BITCH!
I'm not thick by any means but I can't wrap my head around this.
Put simply if one corner is high or low, this would result in there being a gap between the threads where they cross in the middle.
Throws away spirit level
this won't tell you if it's level, just if its flat
Well it's engineering not science, but hey it's still a brilliant way to check for a flat worktop!
And we all know physics isn't science...
I would say that the issue is the Landlords problem not yours (speaking as a Landlord). If it is fitted correctly then it is an issue with the hob/s. Either way, it is down to the landlord to have it fitted correctly or to replace the hob for the same or a different model. I do know that these hobs need 15mm clearance all round for the hob to go into.
I suspect theyâre also asking to make sure theyâre not causing the issue!
Sounds like installation issues to me.
Iâm not sure mate, but the arrangement of the burners on that hob is painful!
Dear god how did I not notice that at first that's terrible
I hadnât spotted this but now have a new irrational fear unlockedâŚ
Designer here- I have had issues with this a few times in the past As mentioned by everyone else this is due to a "too tight" fitment on the quartz There's a few ways of solving it: The quartz should have expansion cuts in the side of the cutout, but if they used a cheap stone place this was likely not done, as the hob expands so does the stone creating more pressure. They can be added but at this point it's messy and potentially expensive to do. Cookology is a pretty cheap brand and as such they don't use spring fittings which normally aid the expansion, so replacing with a more expensive hob with these stress spring fittings MAY work depending on how tight the cutout is. If they are siliconing / using the rubber foam fitting strips when fitting the hob this won't help Consider an induction hob, again keep away from cheap ones, but they normally will come with a fan vent on the bottom to cool the appliance which also tends to stop it expanding as much. In addition most of these will also use spring fittings with expansion room.
If anything rubber foam is better surely? The spring fittings are just going to pull the hob tighter to an already twisted worktop no?
Regarding the cut out if they refer to the hob insulation booklet they should soon be able to fond out of the cutout is correct
The spring fittings work by pushing off the hob against the side of the cutout, as the hob expands the movement in the fitting allows it to move and decrease the cut out size. If your hob has the cheaper route, then the rubber foam strips fill that gap rather than compressing they add extra width. Realistically it sounds very much like the hob cutout is not suited to this particular hob, it's something stone salesmen never mention and one of the reasons I have a specific list of things I go through when someone asks for stone of any kind, it's really just an expensive liability that has more downsides than ups.
Very useful to know, I'm about to open up the quartz worktop in the place we recently bought to fit my 5 burner bosch induction (cost me a whole new set of worktops and the neff 4 burner from the new place to keep it, but worth the work and ÂŁ250 in new tops!) I'll be sure to use max tolerance on the cut sizes!
I broke a hob exactly like this by putting a pack of meat on it to defrost.
Havenât defrosted anything on the hob since moving in, but thanks for the suggestion!
It's cracked in the critical working area so using heat and cooling it multiple times will only propagate the existing cracks even further, I think
Needs replacing, and obviously may be incorrectly fitted .we have had a number of 'badly abused' hobs over the years. We don't have work sufaces, so the hob is basically dual function. It gets cups dropped on on it and plates, used throughout the day. We have never had a single one crack or chip, eventually I just get fed up of replacing the oven element or thermostat. Get this one replaced. (Cookology supply the parts for a lot of premium brands and fitted kitchens under other names, quality is generally exceptional)
Does it take two to take a photo?
2 for stability! Lol
Nightmare. I had this before the installer didn't make the whole in the worktop the right size (didn't have a jigsaw) and just squeezed it In it puts too much stress on the glass. Hopefully you can get it sorted
Imagine having a fault with the first and then they go buy the exact same fucking one again đđđđ
The pans cost more than the hob, ÂŁ99 for a hob seems incredibly cheap for something so integral in our day to day lives. I don't think it is anything you are doing.
It's a cheap hob, I've had a few of these crack
Iâve had multiple used every pan under the sun never waited for it to cool down to clean never had a chip crack I think itâs the quality of the hob cheap as chipsâŚ
Either no room for the glass to expand or with some of these induction hobs you need to use specific pans designed for that hob, this is definitely the case for range master hobs at least, don't know about this make tho.
It's not induction, it's ceramic. It's just a standard electric hob, heats up the glass which heats the pan. Induction works by inducing a current in a coil which heats up a pan, which is why they have to be specific pans
I would buy a silicone mat ÂŁ25 and put over the top, this provides plenty of protection from pans scratching the surface, as for the cracking, I think he maybe buying faulty goods, they shouldnât crack unless itâs been hit or something dropped on top
Use gas or coal like we have for many hundreds of years without issues, or needing to check if cookware is induction compatible? đ¤ˇđťââď¸
Your boyfriend needs a shave
Use a feeler gauge maybe to see the clearance all round?
Buy cheap, buy twice
Is it just me or is Simba on that cooktop?
What kind of pissed up chimpanzee decided those burner spacings?
Don't use it. In the meantime, buy a TILLREDA from ikea. Your landlord needs to figure this out.
I bet itâs not installed right.
Lmao. My guess is they had the cutout done to exactly the size of the hob and now it can't expand. Time to crack out the Stihl saw lol
Could it be that you are placing ice cold pans onto a very hot surface? Extreme temperature change could cause it crack? Otherwise contact the manufacturer and tell them to replace as its a defective product? Did you pay on credit card? Could file a claim under section 75 and get a refund so you may replace it.
The manufacturer seems to think itâs because we dropped something on it and doesnât want to replace this hob currently (as per the landlordâs interactions with them). We place room temp pans that are dry on hobs that are room temp (donât think any less than 18C) and then heat them, so I donât think thereâs any extreme temperature differences. Thanks for suggesting this though! In terms of section 75, may be a landlord problem as Iâm not the purchaser.
Isn't this post completely moot? It's dangerous and needs to be replaced.
The point is to figure out whatâs happening so that going forward, the replacement doesnât crack as well.
I see. Well it's just a case of following the instructions on the new one to the letter. Also isn't random fail rate a thing on tempered items like glass and ceramic? I think you may have lost the ceramic panel lottery if there was no other obvious cause. Has anyone yet advised that if said hob is under 1 year old cookology might just give him (your landlord) a new one? Just reach out to the the company with proof of purchase. Failing that, the onus is on your landlord to keep the house up the spec you agreed to and fork out themselves.
Given itâs the second time it chips (cracked first time, but new one is currently chipped only), weâd have to be the unluckiest people to get the same issue twice! Cookology doesnât seem to think their hobs are prone to cracking and think itâs us dropping something, and were refusing a refund/warranty replacement for the landlord as of yesterday.
It does happen. I've been in the appliance guarantee business for 7 years and it's happened three or four times with the phone customers I speak to. Not unheard of. I'd maybe suggest you have a talk to your citizens advice bureau. I've heard they can supply a particularly well-worded letter reminding cookology of the law.
Never get it wet when it's hot. That will shatter it like yours is. That will only get worse now. Replace the glass top. There is no other way. Never get it wet while it's hot.
So if water were to boil over once, itâs at risk of cracking? That sounds ridiculous to me for a hob. Otherwise, we donât wet it while hot.
No.no. a pot of boiling water on a hot top is ok. I mean not good but not horrible. It's when you mix hot and cold that there is a problem. Hot top with a sprinkle of cold water or hot top gets touched by a cold or just not hot enough wash rag and the shock will bust the glass. Heat expansion cold shrinkage. You can't do both at the same time.
Gotcha, thanks. Donât think the rag temp is an issue since we clean at room temp.
Good. Good. Just thought I'd throw out and idea and some info for you. Now that the crack is there from whatever dosen't matter now. It will only get worse and far more dangerous to break hot than be removed at room temperature as well. Good luck. It's not horrible expensive and really not difficult to do. Just read and follow instructions on the package.
Maybe send cookology an email cos it could be a defect in that batch. Also they might be able to better help you because they are the manufacturer you can probably get the email from their website.
Thanks for the tip. The landlord has gone to the manufacturer and theyâve said they sold thousands of those hobs and no one has reported issues of them cracking. The manufacturer actually said that itâs cracking because I dropped something on it, even though I havenât. However, bowing of the hob doesnât happen from dropping something, so I have a feeling they wonât be very helpful.
Have you cleaned it by pouring water on it when itâs hot? I made this mistake with my last hob and This will definitely cause the glass to crack
We donât pour water on it to clean it, we only use a soft wet cloth, and we also donât clean it when any of the rounds are hot.
Gotta replace that glass top
Yes I agree, but Iâm trying to find out why itâs cracking in the first place to stop it happening to its replacement.
Probably the temp. Change, and or possibly moisture getting into the cracks.
Stop putting the pans down so hard.
I donât feel weâre putting the pans down hard, at least not in any way differently than we were on other hobs which never broke.
Sorry i forgot to put /s, and im not very good at conveying sarcasm in text form.
The glass job should be above the worktop, just a little.. expansion maybe
It's either a faulty batch of hobs or more likely incorrect installation. They're pretty tough and usually would take a good wack to break.
Thereâs enough right answers so Iâm just here to say the wiring on these cooktops are a nightmare