Induction Zone Will Not See the Pan
| Reading | Likely cause | Owner check | Price band |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stays cold under a pan that a fridge magnet slides off | No magnetic steel in the base, so the zone has nothing to heat | Hold a magnet to the underside; try a pan it grips firmly | Quoted after the diagnosis |
| Ignores a small or footed pan; a broad flat one heats | Base too small, standing on feet, or warped off the glass | Centre a flat pan at least 5 inches across on the same zone | Quoted after the diagnosis |
| Heats, but weakly, while a neighbouring zone runs on high | Two zones draw on one power unit and split its output | Turn the other zones down and see whether this one recovers | Quoted after the diagnosis |
| Right pan, right size, other zones off, still nothing | The power unit or the control under the glass for that zone | Nothing more to try; note which zone, switch it off | $430–$630Control board or touch panel |
A pan on the zone and no heat. Usually the pan itself, then its size or its base, then two zones sharing power; only after all that the electronics.
The pan first, then the zone under it
Start at the top of the table, because the pan is the usual culprit. An induction zone does not heat the glass; it heats the iron in the base of the pan, and with no iron above it the zone simply waits. Viking’s use and care guide for its 5 Series cooktops rules out pottery, glass, aluminium, copper, bronze and any footed pan. In a Tacoma kitchen that never had gas, test the pans that came with the house before anything else.
The second line is about fit. The same guide asks for a flat, heavy magnetic base between 5 and 12 inches across, so a small milk pan or a warped bottom can pass the magnet test and still be ignored.
The third reading is the cooktop behaving as designed: each power unit under the glass feeds two zones and shares its output when both want high heat.
Only the bottom row calls for a visit. With a proper pan, centred, and the other zones quiet, a zone that still will not start points at the power unit or the control behind it, which is the control board band. If the cooktop shows a code, write it down for the call.
Owner checks, in this order
- Hold a fridge magnet flat against the base of the pan. If it slides off or barely clings, the zone cannot use that pan, however well it cooked on gas.
- Move a pan that heats properly on another zone onto the cold one, centred, and give it a minute on a middle setting.
- Turn every other zone down or off, then try the cold zone again on its own.
- With the cooktop off and cool, look the glass over. A crack means switching the cooktop off at its breaker and leaving it off.
- Stop there. Anything past these checks means panels off or gas and wiring, and that is the $89 visit from Viking Repair Tacoma: (206) 472-1140.
Asked about this one
Will my old pans work if a magnet only just holds on?
Sometimes, slowly. A weak grip usually means only a thin layer or a small plate of magnetic steel in the base, and the zone may heat it poorly or refuse it altogether. A pan the magnet grabs firmly across the whole base is the one to trust on a Viking induction top.
What happens at the visit if the pan is not the problem?
The technician rules out the pan and the power-sharing rows first, then tests that zone's circuit under the glass. You hear what failed and which band it sits in before any part is ordered, and the $89 diagnosis is credited if you go ahead. Viking Repair Tacoma books cooktop visits on (206) 472-1140.