[4 Fixes] Hot Surface Light Stays On Stove Dangerous

Electric stoves are one of the most convenient appliances to have. They are easy to maintain, come with a lot of features, and don’t get your arm hair burnt, unless you are not careful.

One of the features that a stove has is that it shows if the hot surface is still on or not. You will have a light indicator that lets you know if you have turned the knob off or not.

But what happens if hot surface light stays on the stove, is it dangerous? Well, it is dangerous actually. You can burn yourself, which is the least of the worries. The reason behind the hot surface light staying on can be a fault on the knob, a damaged light switch, a short circuit, or the stove element has gone bad.

No matter what it is, we are going to talk about them and give you a solution for all of the known problems.

What Causes Hot Surface Light To Stay on On Stove | Reasons And Solutions

It is dangerous to have your hot surface light staying on. The reason behind it can be a little one or something huge. You have to find it out to determine how serious it is. Here are the most obvious ones and the list doesn’t go out of any of these. 

Reason 1: Power Knob Isn’t Turned All The Way

Most of the time the problem is very silly. Your stove knob might have not been turned all the way off. Or the knob has been damaged after many uses. No matter which one of the two, it will cause the stove to run silently, and the hot surface light will stay on.

Solution: Try turning the knob all the way to the off position. If it still persists, take the knob off and use a screwdriver to turn the stove off. After that, your light will turn off. You might need to change the knob as it has been worn out. Another thing you can do is turn the knob all the way up and then turn it off. It’s just a glitch in the matrix sometimes. 

Reason 2: The Hot Surface Light Switch Is Damaged

Ever wondered how your hot surface light works? There is a small switch that is triggered when you turn on the knob. And it is placed inside the knobs. Some stoves have individual lights for each stove and oven, and some just have one. So if one of the light switches is damaged, it will keep on displaying.

Solution: This one is a bit tricky and requires a bit of electrical knowledge. You will need a multimeter and take off each knob to check if the reading is accurate on each light switch. When you find the one that is dead, you have to replace it. Calling a professional would be the best thing to do. But if you are already experienced with these stoves, we don’t discourage you from trying them yourself. Just make sure to disconnect the power line before you start working. 

Reason 3: Short Circuit In The Stove Switch

It’s not impossible for electrical appliances to short circuit inside. And an electrical stove? The hot and humid environment? The perfect combination for a short circuit. The grease, humidity, and heat do get to the electrical components sometimes. And the wirings get damaged. Hence, your hot surface lights stay on even if your stove is turned off completely.

Solution: You can check your stove with a multimeter to check if there is a short circuit in it and its wiring, but professional help will get to it faster than you can. So we suggest you call a professional electrician or a stove expert to fix it for you. 

Reason 4: The Stove Element Is Worn Out

The heating element is always the most crucial part of any stove. And electric stoves have a very intricate one. Although it is less likely, but doesn’t mean it is not prone to damage or wearing off. If your stove element is damaged, the hot surface light will stay on. 

Solution: There are very few things you can do at this point. The best thing to do is to take it to the electrical shop to get fixed. Calling an electrician to determine if the element is damaged or not the light switch would be the best start. Because sometimes overheating will cause the switch to cut off which gives out the same heating element damage kind of situation. 

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers – FAQs

Why does the hot surface light stay on my glass cooktop?

If your glass cooktop hot surface light stays on, the reason can be the switch is stuck, or damaged. A quick check with the multimeter will determine if the switch is damaged for sure. Also, try to turn off the knob if there is any all the way, or turn it on all the way and turn off the cooktop. 

Why won’t my hot surface light turn off Frigidaire?

Your Frigidaire hot surface light won’t turn off because either the switch is stuck, damaged or there is a wiring issue. Turn off the hot surface and check the wiring with a voltmeter if you have electrical knowledge. If you don’t have any experience, calling the electrician would be the wise thing to do. 

How long does it take for a glass cooktop to cool down?

Glass cooktops cool down after 1 to 2 minutes of turning off. The other parts like the heating element takes a bit longer than that. 

What does the red light on the stove mean?

The red light on the stove means that your stovetop is still hot, operating, or just to show which element is working. 

Conclusion

3 out of 4 times hot surface light on your stove stays on due to a faulty switch or the stove knob not being turned off all the way. Though serious issues do happen, it is rare. So make sure you check the knobs and off/on function properly before going into drastic decisions like taking the stove apart.