Induction Unit Power Cycling on Low Settings

13 years ago

I just recently purchased a Max Burton 6200 as a portable cooktop for a road trip I'm making on my way out to the house I just purchased in New York. In addition to being able to make food on the road, I wanted to try out induction cooking to see if I want to go that way for my kitchen remodel. I'm really enjoying it so far...

However, my wife isn't as pleased. The Max Burton 6200 unit power cycles, when it's on low power settings. Meaning the unit powers on and powers off every few seconds... which is a pain to cook with. My wife is concerned that ALL induction units do this. Manufacturers tend to be extremely vague about this sort of thing on their website, instead talking about how fast it boils water (which is fine information, but I need to do more than just boil water).

I'm pretty sure that this is just an artifact of being a $99 portable unit. But can't say for certain.

Something like a nice Thermador, Electrolux, Miele, or Cooktek doesn't power cycle, does it?

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Comments (9)

dodge59
13 years ago
The Elux does not power cycle at low levels, need proof
go to the link below, (it will direct you to UTube) where I put up a video of the Elux's simmering capabilities.
It stayed a 119F until I got bored with it.

There were some induction cooktops that turned on/off (Cycled) on the market, a couple years ago, there the main complaint was clicking sound made as the thing cycled on & off. I have not seen any similar post in a couple of years so maybe those units were either updated by new models.

"Most everybody" that has bought either the induction cooktop or an induction range, seems to be satisfied with same, regardless of the manufacturer.

Gary

Here is a link that might be useful: Elux Icon Simmering
User
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks for the reply... the video was great. I love the cooktop being in the corner.
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dodge59
13 years ago
Glad you enjoyed it. Yes we find it very acessible and handy to use. Originally I had a 36" Semi Circle Caldera cooktop there, Non induction---my big "Kitchen goof" so I had to have granite fabricated to cover that BIG 36" hole, take a huge loss on that Caldera Cooktop and the pop-up vent that went with it (Cooktop died in Thanks to a few here on GW, we learned about induction and we really luv it.

Good luck on yours!!!

Gary
Fori
13 years ago
I've had two different induction cooktops, and I suppose they do cycle at low power, but you don't notice it. It's smoooooth. Forget ever needing a double boiler.
dodge59
13 years ago
A quick way to check for "Cycling" (assuming they have the cooktop hooked up at the appliance store) is to put a small amount of water in a shallow pan. Then set the temp so it just "Barely boils" ie makes small bubbles.
Watch the bubbles, if the bubbles appear "Constantly" then that unit has little or no clycling----where as one that cycles, the bubbles will come and go and perhaps get a bit more "Intense" before they die off.

Gary
chac_mool
13 years ago
This is interesting...

My Electrolux induction range (EW30IS65JSA), built in June 2010, does cycle on and off. I tried the largest and the smallest hobs, skipping the two intermediate ones. For whatever reason, the smallest hob (in the back, and farther away) is a bit louder.

Its certainly not a bother (for me), and either sound would easily be drowned out by boiling water or a hood fan -- not to mention Gary's music system -- but its there.

At a relatively low setting of 2.0, my smallest hob cycles on and off at about 1 second intervals (1 sec on; 1 sec. off). At higher settings, the "on" cycle lasts proportionately longer, while at LO (1.0), there's a half second pulse with a ~2 second pause between pulses.

Turning a pan of boiling water down to 2, you can see the boil only during the "on" cycles, until it settles on a steady temperature. [This range has 22 steps between LO (1.0) and HI (10), plus a temporary PowerBoost setting available at start-up; 4.5 is just below boiling water, with first bubbles appearing at 5 on the smallest hob; 10 is a very strong boil.]
warmfridge
13 years ago
I have the same range that chac mool does, and while I've noticed the same thing, I don't think that the cycling affects cooking ability in any way. Adjusting the setting just a tiny bit will also mitigate the cycling sounds considerably. The cycling is a non-issue, IMHO.
weedmeister
13 years ago
I have a Cooktek Apogee unit. It does not cycle like that at low settings. It basically 'tics'. I would guess from listening to it that the tick goes over a half second. So for 100% power, it is on constantly. At 50% power it is on .25 seconds and off .25 seconds. At 10% power it is on .05sec and off .45 seconds At 1% power it is on .005sec and off for .495sec. Everything happens in that .5sec base interval.
Fori
13 years ago
The only time I noticed the cycling in a bad way was when I had a household electrical issue that resulted in lights (and everything else I assume) dimming as the cooktop pulsed. (If you notice something like this, get it fixed before you have a fire.)

Even when this phenomenon was making me and the entire neighborhood very aware of the pulsing, it didn't impact cooking performance. Even with this 30+ year old induction unit, it was excellent at the lowest temperatures which is one reason I like induction. You can go below simmer, which is actually pretty cool. If you're into candy making, induction can't be beat. (If you're into anything aside from charring, induction can't be beat.)

Induction Unit Power Cycling on Low Settings

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Induction Unit Power Cycling on Low Settings

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