--- title: "Induction zone not heating" description: "La Cornue induction zone not heating: before this is a problem it is worth ruling out the two things that are not: a pan that is not induction-compatible…" url: "https://la-cornuemiami.support/symptoms/induction-zone-not-heating/" date_modified: "2026-09-03" Appliance type: "Cooktops and rangetops, Ranges, Rangetops" --- # La Cornue induction zone not heating ### Two free checks, in this order Put a different pan on it — heavy, flat, and magnetic enough that a fridge magnet sticks firmly to its base. Then check the base diameter against the zone: 4¾ inches at the front left, 5½ at the rear zones, 8¼ in the center. If the display is showing the pan-missing symbol, the cooktop is telling you it cannot see a suitable pan, and that is information rather than a problem. If a good pan on the right zone still does nothing while other zones work, book it. ### What it usually means, by the kind of La Cornue appliance La Cornue sells one appliance in several forms, and the same behavior points at different things on each of them. A built-in side-by-side and an integrated column are not the same service situation, and a dual-fuel range and an induction range fail in different halves. - **All-induction Château** — Five zones on the 150 and 120, four on the 90 and 60. When this cooktop was specified the ovens are electric too, which matters if more than the top is affected. - **CornuFé 90 and 110 induction** — Five zones on a factory-built generator. Parts are more standardised than a Château's. - **Ceramic induction module in a gas Château** — Two identical 2,100 W zones, 3,700 W on boost, fitted into an otherwise gas top. The rest of the range tells you nothing about them. ### Indicators are not problems, and this display has more of the first than the second La Cornue’s induction guide lists what the cooktop display shows: the pan detector symbol, H for residual heat above 140 °F, A for automatic heat-up, L for child lock, L1 and L2 for the low and simmer settings, and P for power boost. None of those is a problem. Exactly three things on that display are — E2, U400 and Er with a number. A great many calls about induction cooktops across this industry are about an L that somebody’s child switched on. Reading the display properly is free and it is the first thing we do. ### When it is genuinely the appliance A single dead zone with a proper pan on it is a coil, a sensor or one channel of the generator, and the three are separated with a meter rather than by substitution. The parts are specific to this make; there is no generic induction coil that belongs in a La Cornue. Where an Er number is showing we quote the board with its lead time up front, because on a hand-built appliance a control can come from France and that is a conversation to have before the order rather than after. An unsuitable or undersized pan The commonest cause of this call and no repair required. Magnet test, then diameter. A failed coil One zone dead with the rest working. Measured, then replaced. A pan-detection sensor problem The zone works but never believes there is a pan on it. A generator board channel One channel of a multi-zone generator gone. An Er code often accompanies it. Heat protection cutting in If it works from cold and drops out later, read the E2 page instead — this is ventilation. Magnet test the pan A fridge magnet should grip the base firmly. Weak grip means weak coupling. Measure the base Against the minimum for that zone. This single check ends a good share of these calls. Watch the display Pan-missing symbol, an H, or a code. Three completely different meanings. Try every zone One dead zone is local. All of them is supply, connection or the generator. One zone does nothing What it usually means Minimum pan base: 4¾ in front left, 5½ in rear, 8¼ in center The pan-missing symbol is an indicator, not a problem One dead zone with the others fine is a coil or a sensor Two free checks, in this order Put a different pan on it — heavy, flat, and magnetic enough that a fridge magnet sticks firmly to its base. Then check the base diameter against the zone: 4¾ inches at the front left, 5½ at the rear zones, 8¼ in the center. If the display is showing the pan-missing symbol, the cooktop is telling you it cannot see a suitable pan, and that is information rather than a problem. If a good pan on the right zone still does nothing while other zones work, book it. What it usually means, by the kind of La Cornue appliance La Cornue sells one appliance in several forms, and the same behavior points at different things on each of them. A built-in side-by-side and an integrated column are not the same service situation, and a dual-fuel range and an induction range fail in different halves. All-induction Château — Five zones on the 150 and 120, four on the 90 and 60. When this cooktop was specified the ovens are electric too, which matters if more than the top is affected. CornuFé 90 and 110 induction — Five zones on a factory-built generator. Parts are more standardised than a Château's. Ceramic induction module in a gas Château — Two identical 2,100 W zones, 3,700 W on boost, fitted into an otherwise gas top. The rest of the range tells you nothing about them. Indicators are not problems, and this display has more of the first than the second La Cornue’s induction guide lists what the cooktop display shows: the pan detector symbol, H for residual heat above 140 °F, A for automatic heat-up, L for child lock, L1 and L2 for the low and simmer settings, and P for power boost. None of those is a problem. Exactly three things on that display are — E2, U400 and Er with a number. A great many calls about induction cooktops across this industry are about an L that somebody’s child switched on. Reading the display properly is free and it is the first thing we do. When it is genuinely the appliance A single dead zone with a proper pan on it is a coil, a sensor or one channel of the generator, and the three are separated with a meter rather than by substitution. The parts are specific to this make; there is no generic induction coil that belongs in a La Cornue. Where an Er number is showing we quote the board with its lead time up front, because on a hand-built appliance a control can come from France and that is a conversation to have before the order rather than after. ### It works on high but not on low. That is a real problem and a specific one — it usually means the zone is cycling rather than modulating, which points at the coil's temperature sensor or the generator channel driving it, not at the pan. Worth distinguishing from normal behavior though: induction at a low setting does pulse, and on a light pan you can hear and see it. If a heavy pan of water will not hold a gentle simmer without either boiling or going cold, book it. ### There is a buzzing from the pan. Is the cooktop failing? Almost certainly not. The manual says as much: noise from the pan is normal on induction, most noticeable at high power settings or with several pans running, and the type of pan contributes. Cheap multi-ply bases buzz; heavy single-piece bases usually do not. What is not normal is a buzz or hum from inside the cooktop itself that continues with no pan on it, or a fan that runs on loudly after everything is off — that is worth a look. --- **[Read full article: Induction zone not heating](https://la-cornuemiami.support/symptoms/induction-zone-not-heating/)**