Stovetops are designed to reach fairly high temperatures, but they shouldn’t be hot enough to make the kitchen warmer. If you’re worried about whether or not your stove is getting too hot, you’ll be glad to know that there are several causes and solutions.
Your stovetop is getting so hot for one of the following reasons:
- Clogged stove vents
- Misshapen burners
- Oversized pots and pans
- Deteriorated oven insulation
- Drip pan problems
- Low-quality air circulation
In this post, I’ll explain all of the causes for a hot stove top and how to fix each of them. Let’s get started!
Covered or Clogged Stove Vents
If your stovetop seems too warm, it might be the hood’s fault. Most oven-stove combos have a vent to release excess heat from the stove when you’re cooking or baking. These vents push hot air out of the appliance, which is why the kitchen sometimes feels warmer. However, a clogged or closed oven vent will trap most of the heat in the kitchen.
Paradise Appliance Service explains that as the heat rises through the stove, it can make your stovetop excessively hot. This issue is quite common in older ovens and stoves because debris and grime from cooking and baking fill the vents. If it’s there for too long, your stove can become unnecessarily hot.
How to Fix
Follow this process to unclog your stove’s vent:
- Remove the filter from the range. It sits under the hood, so you should be able to unscrew it easily.
- Set the filter in a large bucket, tub, or sink. Fill the container with water, then drain it to remove the surface debris.
- Spray Homestar Rangehood Cleaner on the filter. This chemical removes excess grease, grime, and everything in between. Wipe off the liquid with a soft cloth to get rid of everything that’s clogging and overheating the stovetop.
- Put the filter back in the range hood and test your work. If it’s still too hot, proceed to the next suggestion.
Warped Burners Overheat
Whether you have a gas or electric stove, the burner’s shape and size directly affect the temperature. Most stovetops have multiple burner sizes to help you choose the correct dimensions for the cookware you use. If the burners become misshapen or damaged, they’ll heat unevenly.
This uneven heating problem causes patches and hot spots that can make them too warm. If you can feel more heat on one side of the burner than the other, there’s more than likely a warping issue present.
How to Fix
Unfortunately, the only way to fix a warped burner is to replace it. Trying to repair or reshape the burner will lead to more problems down the road. It can also cause gas or electrical issues, so it’s not worth it. Check with your stove’s manufacturer to know the correct size, shape, and model number for your appliance.
Incorrect Cookware Size for the Stove
According to GE Appliance, the size of your pots and pans can make the stove too hot. The good news is that this means you probably don’t have to worry about replacing components, overheating the stove, or dealing with unevenly cooked food. However, it can mean that it’s time to reconsider what you cook with.
How to Fix
Use the correct pots and pans for your stovetop. For example, if you have a 5-inch burner, your cookware shouldn’t be bigger than six to seven inches. Try to keep the pots and pans within two inches of the burner’s size. If it’s too big or small, the heat can be trapped on the stovetop, even where the burner doesn’t sit.
Oven Insulation Deterioration
All ovens should be insulated to keep the heat from escaping. This insulation serves two purposes:
- It regulates the internal temperature of the oven, directing most of the heat toward the food.
- It keeps the stove and kitchen from getting too hot from the high temperature.
How to Fix
If your oven is lacking insulation or it’s deteriorating, your best bet is to call a professional to replace the insulation or get a new oven. Replacing the oven’s insulation can help it last longer, but it’s typically a sign that other components will fail soon. This process leads to a stovetop and kitchen that are much warmer than they should be.
However, sometimes there’s a simple fix to the overheating problem. The oven door’s seal keeps the heat from escaping. Since it’s right under the stove, many people think there’s a stovetop problem. Replacing this thin, crucial seal around the oven door can be a huge help.
All you have to do is remove the old seal with a butter knife or wrench, then thread the new gasket in its place.
PartSelect offers a helpful video guide here:
Dirty Drip Pans
Drip pans on stoves are designed to prevent oil and food debris from getting onto the igniters or electric surfaces. They can handle a lot of heat, but too much buildup makes them significantly less effective. It’s time to take a look at your stove’s drip pans to find out if they need to be cleaned or replaced.
How to Fix
To replace the drip pans on your stove:
- Turn off the burners and let them cool off.
- Lift the burners out of their slots and set them aside.
- Pull out the drip trays beneath each burner, then insert the new trays.
Ensure the drip pans or trays are designed for your stove to prevent uneven heating issues.
Poor Air Circulation
As Seattle Times shows, low air circulation can be the reason your stovetop gets so hot. Combined with dirty drip pans and bad insulation, not having enough air movement is bad for the appliance. There needs to be enough space between the cookware, burner, drip pan, and stove.
Many issues can lead to low-end air circulation, such as debris buildup, bad installations, or low-sitting burners. Fortunately, all of these problems can be solved with the solutions you’ll find below.
How to Fix
Check to ensure that all of the burners, pans, pots, and drip trays are the correct size for your stove’s make and model. Using the wrong parts will likely lead to low-quality air circulation, overheating the stove quickly.
The Easiest Fix
If you don’t have the time or expertise to diagnose and fix your stove’s problems, your best bet is to hire a stove repair expert.
I know how hard it is to find a trustworthy and affordable contractor. To eliminate that frustration, I’ve partnered with a company called Networx to make it easy to get free quotes from trusted stove repair services near you.
Here’s how it works:
- You fill out the form below. You just need to add some basic contact information and a brief description of your problem.
- Our repair service partner will contact multiple vetted stovetop repair experts near you. They’ll explain your problem and ask each service to contact you with a free quote.
- You’ll receive an email or phone call with repair quotes from each service. You can choose the most affordable option and schedule your repair directly with them.
- They’ll come to your house and fix your hot stove top. Problem solved!
Fill out the form now to get free quotes from trusted repair services in your area!
Jonah has worked for several years in the swimming pool industry installing and repairing equipment, treating pools with chemicals, and fixing damaged liners. He also has plumbing and electrical experience with air conditioning, ceiling fans, boilers, and more. When he’s not writing for Temperature Master, he’s usually writing for his own websites, LawnCareLessons.com and DIYByHand.com.