Induction unit hum/buzz - Electrolux in particular

15 years ago

So I'm almost sold on induction but I have one really big concern. I have rather severe tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and can be really sensitive to hums / buzzes (for example the buzz/hum that cheap CFL bulbs make drives me crazy). It's not just an inconvenience, it can be quite painful.

Realistically for our kitchen I see two possibilities: the Electrolux 30 inch cooktop or the new Kenmore induction range (which I believe is also Electrolux). The limitations are due to space/design issues. We only have a spot for a slide-in range so if we get a cooktop it would have to have a small enough clearance requirement to accommodate a wall oven underneath.

So question is - what's the hum/buzz level of these units if anyone knows? Or does anyone know of an alternative that doesn't cost as much as a used car (i.e. the Diva range)?

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Comments (11)

lucypwd
15 years ago
OK, I have the DIVA and it hums when it is actively working. It is not high pitched, but it is noticible. I purchased some demeyere pans, and also have cast iron - they all sound the same. To me it is much less noticeable than the sound of propane on a camp stove. In fact after it has been on a few minutes I fail to hear it. My husband, who has tinnitus, commented on it straight away. It is definately not like the buzz of the CFL bulbs. People also comment that it varys depending on the pan. I have not found the pans to make a difference. You really need to hear it for yoursef with your own pans.
weedmeister
15 years ago
L: you might just be hearing the blower that cools the electronics. My Cooktek fan is almost as loud as the microwave, but it was designed to be used in a restaurant kitchen. the 'iron-slug' elcheapo pans I have (iron slug underneath an aluminum pan) to make noise, but once they warm up or the bacon is frying I can't hear them.

You'll have to figure it out for yourself.
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It would be the unit, but the cookware makes a difference. Induction cooking works by creating a very strong alternating electromagnetic field in a coil under the ceramic glass top (the Hob). When you put a ferrous (iron/magnetic) material in this field its properties change (you can't see this as its at an atom level). This change creates a current in the material, this in known as induction. Because the field in the coil is alternating, it creates an alternating current in your cookware. As with any metal that has a current running through it, depending on its resistance, it will generate heat. The more resistance, the more heat it will generate. Whenever you send a strong alternating electric current through a coil, creating a magnetic field, it will hum. Period. This is because the material in the core that the coil is wrapped around expands and contracts with the cycle (frequency) of the magnetic field. This is called magnetostriction. Depending on the quality of the components and the engineering of the cooktop, you may hear this hum more pronounced with one cooktop than another. As a matter of fact, you may get a different result even between the same make and model. A perfect example of this is between Cushy and me. We both have the same unit and I am fortunate to not have a pronounced hum. This also explains why you may also get a hum depending on the setting the unit is placed. Different strength current, different expansion and contraction, hum or no hum. When you place cookware (ferrous material) on the ceramic glass top it changes the intensity of the magnetic field in the coil and thereby changes the amount of magnetostriction going on. This would be the reason why the hum may disappear when you place cookware on the hob, or it may actually create a hum. Depending on the quality of the ferrous material (cookware), the interaction will be different.
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Below is an explanation i received from the Electrolux Director of Technical Services. (In all induction cookers the majority of the "audible noise" during heating is directly related to the construction of the cookware and the power level applied. Some factors that influence whether or not a piece of cookware is noisy or not ... 1) Encapsulated slugs in the base of the cookware. Most induction cookware manufactures encapsulate a ferromagnetic slug in the base of cookware. The benefits are they "will" work with induction, the heat is more evenly distributed within the cookware since these metals are higher density and distribute the heat evenly, and the cookware cost less to manufacture. In most cases the slug is "just encapsulated" and is not fixed (welded) inside the bottom of the pan. Because the slug can move within the encapsulation, the high frequency magnetic field will setup a mechanical vibration (audible noise). 2) Loose fitting handles on cookware is another cause of audible noise. 3) Pans with a non-uniform bottom that can vibrate on the glass surface causing audible noise, especially under higher power settings. The cookware with the lowest noise levels are constructed of solid cast iron and are enamel coated. There are several brands that represent this construction - Silit and Le Creuset although they more expensive. Peggy can probably recommend others. There are some low level noises such as a "tick" or "humming" can sometimes be detected. These noises are associated with power level control (rapid ON & OFF) and are present in ALL induction cooking electronics). " I can confirm that the pan used makes a big difference to the noise level probably more than the brand purchased.
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Are the lights on a dimmer? It might be producing lots of powerline "hash" -- that is, radiating noise of various frequencies well into the radio frequency range back into the powerline. Presumably your cooktop is unusually sensitive to such noise. Another possibility is that the power supplies in the lights themselves are the source of the noise. Or, it could be the combination of this particular dimmer and these particular lights. If you have the lights on a dimmer, I would first try replacing the dimmer with a conventional snap switch, and see if the noise abates or disappears. If it does, try changing to a different brand or type of dimmer. If they're not on a dimmer, I'd try disconnecting all the lights from power, then adding them back in one by one, to see if any single light is the source. Line powered LED lights have switching power supplies built in, to convert 120vac (or 240vac in other countries) to the lower voltage that LEDs need. It's possible that one of your light units has defective noise filtering in its power supply. If they all make noise, it would be pretty surprising, because the page you linked to seems to say that they meet regulatory requirements. I'm not familiar with Canada's, though, so I don't know how complete their compliance is. If the easy fixes above don't work, you may be stuck with either replacing all the lights, or changing the cooktop. One possible "quick fix" before going that drastic route might be to install a noise filter. I would wire it in ahead of the lights, maybe in a cellar junction box. I've never had to do this, so I don't have a specific recommendation. However, a quick web search turned up this one, which is supposed to be wired in ahead of noisy devices when they're interfering with an X10 home automation system. Others here may have their own recommendations for noise filters. Please let us know how it goes.
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lucypwd
15 years ago
Yes, I do hear the blower after the unit is turned off but there is definately a 2nd sound, besides the fan, that is more of a hum when the burner is on. Not obnoxious by any means.
pbrisjar
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks for the info. This (and budget) are about the only sticking points to us going induction rather than gas. Guess I'm just going to have to find somewhere where I can try one out.
Fori
15 years ago
Try it out with different pans, too. Some are hummier than others. Cast iron is the quietest on mine.
PRO
Trevor Lawson (Eurostoves Inc)
15 years ago
As noted above the pan is the problem not the cooktop. If you use the pans Electrolux give to dealers as demos you wont hear any noise if you use others it can be very noticeable.
lightlystarched
15 years ago
STOP THE PRESSES! Did you say "new Kenmore induction range"???
lightlystarched
15 years ago
Just went and looked it up. Wow. I almost wish that would have been out a year ago. The range costs about what I paid for the GE cooktop and wall oven, but I'd have saved about $500 in countertop that got mostly cut out, and not have had to buy an oven cab.
pbrisjar
Original Author
15 years ago
Yup. Introduced just last weekend. It's on sale. We just ordered one for delivery Wednesday :D

Here is a link that might be useful: This is the one I'm thinking about
kaseki
15 years ago
I have the Kenmore 36-inch induction cooktop. With Emerilware that we bought, there is little noise. The fans do turn on at low level if one uses enough power. With a Demeyere 4-L tea kettle, there is one small hob that causes a hum in the Power mode. I think the sound is generated in the kettle and not the cooktop proper. A larger hob doesn't have this effect. Otherwise all hobs are quiet so far.

These observations are for a limited number of cookware examples with the cooktop perched on wood blocks on a table, and not yet hung from a stone counter, so results could change when it is fully operational. Others on this forum have reported humming with various combinations of cookware and induction brands, so generalizations are difficult to make.

kas
paso
15 years ago
Any ticking sounds...like snapping your fingers on low settings?

Induction unit hum/buzz - Electrolux in particular

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lucypwd

weedmeister

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Induction unit hum/buzz - Electrolux in particular

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