What AGA sells as a cooktop
AGA does not list a drop-in cooktop on its US site. What it sells is a rangetop. The Mercury and Elise rangetops are induction units with five zones. The Mercury comes in 36 and 48 inch widths, and AGA builds it in the UK. A rangetop sits in the cabinet run with its controls on the front. There is no oven under it.
Many owners also call the top of their range a cooktop. On a dual fuel Mercury or Elise, that means gas burners. On a Classic cast-iron AGA, it means two hotplates under polished lids. We work on all three kinds. For the oven side of things, see our AGA range repair page.
Induction zone faults on a Mercury or Elise rangetop
Induction heats the pan, not the glass. A coil under each zone makes a magnetic field. The pan must be iron or magnetic steel to pick it up. So our first check is always the pan. Hold a fridge magnet to the base. If it does not stick, that zone will never heat it.
When the pan is fine, we move on to these parts.
- The cooling fan. It keeps the power boards from overheating. If it stops, the top shuts down to save itself.
- The power board. One board often feeds two zones. Two dead zones side by side point here.
- The coil and its heat sensor. A bad sensor makes a zone cut out after a minute.
- The front controls. A spill that creeps under a knob can block its signal.
- The house supply. A breaker with one tripped leg gives half power and odd faults.
Hotplate trouble on a cast-iron AGA
A Classic AGA has a boiling plate and a simmering plate. On the electric models, elements sit inside the cast iron of each plate. AGA says the boiling plate heats from cold in about 12 minutes. The simmering plate takes under 10. If yours takes far longer, an element may have burned out. We test each one with a meter before we order a thing. A worn lid seal also bleeds heat, so the plate never gets to full temp.
Gas burners on a dual fuel AGA
A burner that clicks and will not light is often just wet. Boil-overs soak the igniter and the switch under the knob. Let it dry for a day and try again. If the clicking goes on, the igniter tip may be cracked. A flame that lights and then dies points to the flame safety probe. A lazy yellow flame means the ports are clogged or the cap sits crooked.
What the visit costs and how it runs
Finding the fault on an AGA top costs $79 at a house. Book the AGA repair with us and that $79 is wiped from the bill. The rangetop quote is one set figure, labor and parts both counted, and you hear it first. A+ is an independent outfit that one family has run. Whoever works on your AGA holds a license, carries insurance and passed our background check. Some AGA parts ship from overseas. If we must order one, we set your return date on the spot. Finished AGA work carries our 30-day repair warranty.
Repair or replace an AGA rangetop
Most rangetop faults are worth fixing. A fan, a board or a coil costs far less than a new unit. The cutout in your counter was also made for this exact top. Cracked glass is the hard case. The glass on an induction top is a big share of its price. We will quote it and let you weigh it. If the glass is whole, repair nearly always wins.
Where we repair AGA cooktops
We see AGA owners in Chicago and its suburbs most days. The towns are on our Illinois appliance repair page. AGA rangetop calls also reach us from Houston, from greater Los Angeles, from Northern Virginia and from D.C. More on the brand sits on our AGA appliance repair page. If a gas top is your issue, our stove repair page covers burners in more depth. Before you book, note which zone fails and which pan you used. That one detail often tells us the part to bring.