Ceramic Hob Repair: How to Test and Replace Radiant Elements

Is one ring on your ceramic hob not heating up? Replacing a radiant element is straightforward, but reassembling the hob can be a nightmare if you don't know the "marker pen trick." In this guide, I’ll show you how to test for a faulty element and how to align those pesky fitting pins the first time.

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The Marker Pen Trick (Save 20 Minutes)

Ceramic hobs use a metal shroud with dozens of pre-drilled holes. Only a few of them match the pins on your specific elements.

• The Problem: When you lift the shroud, the elements often shift, and you lose your place.

• The Solution: Before removing the old element, use a permanent marker to circle the exact holes where the pins are currently seated. If you have Tip-Ex or white paint, mark the tips of the pins too. This turns a "guessing game" into a simple "plug-and-play" job.

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How to Test the Radiant Element

Don't guess—use your multimeter:

1. Safety First: Ensure the power is isolated (see my Safe Isolation Guide).

2. Multimeter Setting: Set to Ohms (Ω).

3. The Test: Touch your probes to the two terminals closest to the ceramic coil.

4. The Reading: A healthy element usually reads between 20Ω and 80Ω (mine was 26Ω). If your meter shows "OL" (Open Link), the coil is broken and needs replacing.

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Reassembly Tip

When sliding the elements back in, the shroud is often tight. Remove the earth wire temporarily to give yourself more "wiggle room," but never forget to reconnect it before closing the hob back up.

Buy cooker and oven spares from Ebay UK here 

Buy a good Multimeter here on Ebay UK 

Undo the retaining screws from around the outside of the 

housing shroud and then you can lift the shroud up 

you get just enough room to sneak a ceramic element out but it tight 

and you will move all of them and have to realign the fitting pins 

see photo below for fitting pins and i have marked next to them 

in black marker pen to show me which holes the pins align to

as the manufacturer kindly drilled loads of holes just to confuse matters 

fitting pins and marking the holes with marker pen for realignment purposes

You can remove this earth its the only wire you can remove and it gets it out of the way at

least 

undo retaining screws 

photo and write down wire connectors so you will not make a mistake when you 

fit 

below is a photo of my connections notes to make this easier for myself 

lift up the housing shroud and you can see all the ceramic elements 

i am choosing the easiest to get to if yours is faulty you will not have much choice 

here is the element removed and free 

Here i am testing the element for continuity set multimeter to ohms 

and test on the 2 connections closest to the element and make sure its the correct

one , if you get a reading here i get 26 ohms you element is intact and good. If no reading replace it .

Buy Multimeter here 

I am going to slide the element back in place and reconnect the wiring connections

wires all connected and attemping to realign the housing fitment pins with holes 

 Job done all pins aligned and ready to refit hob back 

it took me 20 mins to realign pins .

See video of this process below 

Sorry video was removed due to copyright i had music in background