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KitchenAid Induction Cooktop Problem?

14 years ago

Hi everyone!

I just had the KICU508BL (30" KitchenAid Induction) cooktop installed in my kitchen. Certain things I really love about it -- very precise temp. control and heats water with amazing speed. It has been really easy to keep clean. I have a question though... not sure if I have a defective cooktop or maybe this is just the way all induction (or KitchenAid induction) works? Here goes:

When on the low/med heat settings (1-6 on a 9 setting scale) I hear a fairly loud click...hum...click...hum... etc. The click comes about every 1-2 seconds. It never goes away. The hum is not a problem for me (it sounds like the fan in the unit) but the click is annoying. In addition, while boiling some water this evening, I noticed that the water would momentarily stop boiling during the click. I am assuming this is maybe the magnets cycling on and off?

I have already had the warranty tech. out... he didn't know anything about induction, but called someone at KitchenAid who eventually declared this "normal."

Not sure if I should keep harrassing KitchenAid... has anyone else had a similar experience?

Thanks so much!

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Comments (7)

weedmeister
14 years ago
put a small amount of water in the bottom of a pan, enough to cover the bottom but not boil away, about 1/4" deep. put on max heat until boiling. Set on one of these lower scales. What happens exactly? Do the bubbles come on and off with the clicking? if so, how fast?
whistle_gw
14 years ago
Utexas: I have the same unit and just now tried weedmeister's experiment. I used the small burner and the 7" burner. As expected, I got the click on each burner. After I powered to a rolling boil, I dropped to 5 and a half. I did have the leftover bubbles from the boil, but they lessened and went away within a short time on both burners. It took longer on the larger burner. (I did not do both burners at the same time.) So I'm thinking mine is normal!
Hope this makes sense and helps.
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weedmeister
14 years ago
I was kinda fishing for information. My Cooktek unit has a fast cycle time on lower power settings. It pulses like 3-4 times a second, which means I don't see bubbles coming and going since the pulse rate is so fast. In the 'old days', units used pulse rates that were slow and you could see the bubbles come and go. I think this is one of the things that caused induction to not catch on the first time around 20-30 years ago. This slower implementation makes it hard to simmer without scorching.
utexas2001
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks for the responses! I did the test... yes, if I get it to a low enough setting that it goes below the boiling point just barely (5 for my test), the bubbles stay on during the hum and go off during the click. The click is just momentary, and happens maybe 1-2 times per second.

Whistle: had you ever noticed these clicking and humming noises before you were listening for them? Mine are fairly loud...
utexas2001
Original Author
14 years ago
Another thought I had... I don't have a vent system, so perhaps I am hearing the cooktop noises more than others? Thanks!
matenils
14 years ago
I have the same problem, very very annoying, mine is somewhat intermittent.
Sometime the heat number blinks, sometimes it does not.
I think we need a "official" statement from KitchenAid. Is it normal, if so why, what is built into the system that controls the clicking, on-off heating.

Have you found out more? - reply.

I'm going to "bug" KitchenAid for a written explanation.
utexas2001
Original Author
14 years ago
How long have you had your cooktop, Matenils? Seems strange that yours is intermittent if it truly is just a normal part of the cooking process like they claim. I was a bit doubtful that it could be normal since I talked to a bunch of people at KA who had never heard of this issue.

I would be very interested in anything you find out from KitchenAid - please post if they can shed any light on the issue!

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