Sounds like there was a problem from the beginning. I don't have a Thermador but I thought they also had light sensitive rather than pressure sensitive controls? I remember them being easy to use on the store model. Sounds horrible to not have a cooktop for the holidays though! The cheapo counter top induction units from Amazon are pretty good if you need something so as not to starve - we even pulled ours out at Thanksgiving when we already had 5 things going on the cooktop....

Yeh_yeh,

This sounds terrible especially around the holiday. Did you contact the retailer you purchased the item from? Maybe they may have some ideas. Just some things to check and I don't know if you should do them on your unit or not. Did Thermador support walk you through any diagnostic steps on the phone? I don't know if resetting your breaker for the induction cooktop would help. Are there any steps listed in your user manual? I agree with the recommendation of the countertop induction units.

Good luck!

I've seen issues like this before with other cooktops. Based on your description the cutout hole may be too large which lets the glass sit on the counter instead of the metal support tabs that are supposed to be carrying the weight. When the weight of the product is only being supported by the glass, the glass will pull a way slightly from the control which is why when you push hard you can get the control to work.

To test this, try having somebody push upward on the bottom of the cooktop while you test the touch control. You may find it is now working ok. If this is the case you will need someone to fix your counter cutout.

@lharpie @homepro01, I was about to order a counter top unit then I remember my brother has one for occasional hot pot so I borrowed his for the holiday. At least I will be able to cook a simple lunch and dinner but no hope of inviting people over. I tried resetting the breaker several times and hoping for the best but sadly no miracle. Try a few troubleshooting but nothing happen either.

@Jakvis, actually the glass top is about 1/4" inch on top of the counter surface, the metal bracket is sitting on the counter but there's 1/4" between the counter and the glass top stainless steel edge (I have the stainless steel edge version). That's why when I press on the panel, I pushed down the glass top to touch the counter.

If the surface is glass or some other hard material then the control panel is capacitive-touch and a light touch should operate it.

Capactive-touch works by generating a weak electric field in the area of each "button." Placing a finger on it disrupts the electric field which triggers the control to respond accordingly ... hard pressure shouldn't be required. Perhaps there's a grounding problem on the electrical supply to the cooktop.

Soft-touch or pressure-sensitive panels have a plastic surface that flexes slightly when pressed so contacts touch to complete the control circuit.

The cooktop SS trim is not designed to hold the cooktop weight. The Thermadors I've seen have support tabs sticking out from the metal box that are supposed to rest on the countertop and support the product weight. If your cutout is only about a 1/4 inch from the edge of the metal trim it most likely is not sitting on the support tabs. The electric field doesn't rise much above the glass surface so if the glass is being pulled away, even a little, you will have the issue your are describing.

Yehyeh,

Can you post a picture of your cooktop?

@Jakvis, I do see the support tabs sticking out from the metal box resting on the countertop. The 1/4" gap I refer to above is between the top surface of countertop and the bottom of the glass. see figure below. I did not draw the brackets holding the electronic box but those are there. I will take a pic when I get home.

@homepro01, I will take a pic when I get back home.

Here are two pictures. First pic showing he 1/4" gap, second pic I tried to focus on the supporting tab that's sitting on the counter but the phone keeps on trying to refocus a other location, this is the best shots I have.

It doesn't look like the top is fitted correctly to the rough in box. You should not have that big of gap.

Yehyeh,

Thanks for loading the picture. Who installed your cooktop? I would contact Thermador and send them the picture. The cooktop does not look properly installed. After seeing your pictures, I looked at some youtube videos of Thermador inductions and none of them look like this. I also looked at some older Gardenweb posts where these were installed and yours looks incorrect.

A gap that large would be a real problem if there were significant spillage, and an annoyance even with occasional errant pepper corns. Now I'm interested in how Thermador induction cooktops are supposed to be installed.

I need the model number. Your installation looks completely wrong from the point of view of three different rimmed units' installation directions I just looked at. Two of those cooktops are supposed to be sitting on foam strips and clamped from the bottom of the electronics box to keep from somehow jumping out of their cutouts. The third also sits on foam strips, but has a different clamping scheme from the sides of the electronics box. Perhaps your clamps are of this third type and they were mis-located. (They are supposed to be pushing against the underneath of the counter top.)

You seem to be missing the foam strips. Installation directions should at least be reviewed after the installation to determine if it has to be done over. :)

These installation defects may have nothing to do with your operation problem, but they are certainly at the borderline of unbelievability for any installer, leading me to question what else may be wrong, including wiring.

kas

The model is CIT304KB. We took the foam strips out to see if the foam strips are causing the gap but it weren't. The double-sided tape lost the adhesion after we took those out and I can't find my double-sided tape so we haven't put those back on. I took the pictures after we took out the foam strips.

There are 4 brackets that are screwed to the cabinet top from the bottom and the bottom of the electronic box per the installation instruction. The brackets are tightly secured to the electronic box. It seems like the glass top is "squishy" when I push it and that it's not tightly secured to the electronic box. The installation does not call out doing anything to the glass top so the GC didn't do anything to it.

DH read the entire installation and was there when the GC installed it. So the GC did everything per the installation.

I also read another thread that the Thermador foam strips are quite thick causing a big gap, that's why we tried to take those out to see if that's the problem. But that's not the problem in my case as the gap is still there after we removed the foam strips. Some owners said they bought thinner foam strips and use those instead to minimize the gap they have.

There is something different about your unit than the illustrations in the installation instructions, although that may be a problem with the illustrations. The several CIT304KBx installation manuals I looked at are available at:

https://portal.bsh-partner.com/portal%28bD1kZSZjPTAwOQ==%29/PORTALFRAME.HTM

Below are two relevant images taken from one of the installation manuals, but the others show the same images:

Note that the clamps attached to the bottom are used to pull the bottom down relative to the counter top underside, thereby compressing the foam, (and hopefully, not separating the electronics box from the Ceram).

Going back to the original question, I greatly doubt that there should be a gap between the bottom of the Ceram cooktop and the top edge of the electronics box. If that is what you have then that is surely an issue, and could explain your symptoms if the touch controls are mounted to the electronics box.

(The Electrolux clones that I'm familiar with attach the touch controls to the Ceram cooktop, and the cooktop has bonded on metal skirts that are screwed to the electronics box with numerous screws around the periphery. When the bottom clamps pull down on the electronics box relative to the counter top, the forces go through those screws and thence to the Ceram where it overlaps the counter top.)

I'm now wondering whether your clamps were tightened too much for whatever bonding was used for the interface between the cooking surface and electronics box. My understanding is that those clamps and their counterparts for other brands are only there to (a) keep the unit from sliding around in the cutout, and (b) meet some NEC or UL requirement that the unit be fixed in place.

kas

@kas, Merry Christmas!!

The clamps underneath don't look like too tight now but the gap is there from day one so I am not sure what's wrong. I just hope Thermador service people can fix it. I miss my cooktop terribly!!

I now cook with the portable unit. We didn't want to place the portable unit on the glass so DH build a wood rack and put foam protection covering the cooktop. So sad looking setup...

This would cry out for a combination Christmas and sympathy message if such were not an etiquette faux pas.

Yeh, I have a Bosch induction for 4 years. Bosch is sister to Thermador. When I first got it, I often could not get it to work. My 21 year old daughter always got it to work. I was convinced I had a lemon. Try this. Instead of pressing hard on the control, just rest your finger lightly. Slightly increase the pressure. Lightly. Once I figured that out, by copying my daughter, it never failed to operate. I love this thing. It never fails.

Try licking your finger before you LIGHTLY touch a control, and tell me what happens. This is not in jest, there is science behind this experiment.

The service guy came today. As he was examining the cooktop, the glass top came loose and he lifted it up. He said the factory cured adhesive did not hold it in place and the glass top completely separated. He checked and said the installation appeared to be correct. He said it's weird but he will order a new glass top and come back to fix it. His next opening is a month later, so I will be cooking with the port able unit for another month. He considers it a defect and warranty covers it, that's a good thing!!

I think we should wait for a repaired assembly to work with to evaluate touch sensitivity.

Yay!! Cooktop is repaired and the touch sensitivity is great! No need to apply quarter of my body weight anymore!! Touch with light pressure and it responds! I feel like I am finally using it for the first time!! Woohoo!!

Gap from countertop is much much smaller too! I am so so happy! Thank you all for your response!!

Congrat Yeh-yeh! I am glad you got this fixed. Happy cooking. The gap looks much better!

So glad to hear that it's working and that you're happy with it!

I was cooking dinner last night and the big burner was flashing 'U' then '2'. I turned off the cooktop and then turned it back on and it was fine. I will have to monitor it and hopefully it doesn't come back. Kinda nervous now...

The U and then 2... The U is supposed to indicate that the pot has been lifted off the burner. The U is supposed to be a pot shape. The 2 is the setting that the hob was set for.

I had my 7.25qt round Le Creuset dutch oven with 8 or 9 power level on it when it had the error code. It was fine for the rest of the dinner cooking after I restarted the cooktop, but now I am just scared it might happen again...

I had the U 2 error code again today. I was making instant noodle on the big hob with level 8 (no power boost), then I turned on the small hob to the right (same zone) of it to fry some eggs. I noticed once the small one was turned on, the boil in the big hob dramatically decreased and shortly after the big hob started blinking U 2. All otter burners seem to be fine so I moved my pot to the left hob to finish cooking. The big hob does not respond to any command. Once I was done cooking, I turned it off and ate my noodle. After I was done I checked he big hob again and it seems to work fine. Arghhh...

Yeh yeh,

Have an electrician check that the electrical run to your cooktop can actually be supported by your panel. It sounds like you have insufficient capacity.

Good luck!

I fervently suggest you do not purchase a dual fuel Thermador range. I spent $18,000 on a pro range. One day I had hot cocoa boil over onto the induction cooktop. It leaked into the internal mechanism and short circuited the entire unit. They sent out a repair person who said it was my fault and not covered under warranty and it would be $4000 to repair . Thermador has terrible customer service and even worse product reliability. Buyer beware