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Older Kenmore Gas and Electric Cooktops in Denver Kitchens
Kenmore no longer sells cooktops. This page covers Kenmore cooktop repair for the gas and radiant electric models still in Denver homes, from Kenmore’s own documents. On the 790.3253*, Elite 790.32703 and PRO 790.34913 gas families, any knob at LITE sparks every igniter, but only that burner lights. Kenmore’s induction cooktops sit outside what we service: 22-43800 and 22-43900, plus the Elite 22-43820 and 22-43920.
The Plate Is Under the Cooktop
Every readable Kenmore cooktop guide puts the model and serial plate under the cooktop. You usually read it from the cabinet below. The guides ask you to leave it attached. On the 790.4540* touch model and the Elite 790.4531* and 790.4541*, the figure marks it under the burner box.
All nine readable guides print the 790 prefix. Your receipt shows a retail number such as 22-32682 instead, and Kenmore’s manual search needs the plate number. The prefix will not tell you the fuel or the age; the full number points to the right guide. Our Kenmore overview explains both numbers across every appliance.
We diagnose the Elite electric downdraft, 22-44113 and 22-44123, from its plate at the visit.
Burners on top of a freestanding Kenmore range belong to a different machine, covered on our page for current Kenmore ranges.
| Plate family | Retail numbers on Kenmore.com | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 790.3253*, 790.3254*, 790.3255*, 790.3268*, 790.3269* | 22-32532, 22-32533, 22-32539, 22-32542, 22-32543, 22-32549, 22-32553, 22-32682, 22-32683 | Gas, 30 and 36 inch |
| Elite 790.32703, 790.32713 | 22-32703, 22-32713 | Gas, 30 and 36 inch |
| PRO 790.33693, 790.34423 | 22-33693, 22-34423 | Gas, drop-in, 30 and 36 inch |
| PRO 790.34913 | 22-34913 | Gas, 36-inch slide-in |
| Elite 790.31113211, 790.31123211 | 22-31123; the 22-31113 record links no guide | Gas with a downdraft vent |
| 790.4510*, 790.4530*, 790.4550* | 22-45103, 22-45109, 22-45302, 22-45303, 22-45309 | Radiant electric, knob controls |
| Elite 790.4511*, 790.4512* | 22-45113 | Radiant electric, knob controls |
| 790.4540* | 22-45403, 22-45409 | Radiant electric, touch controls with a warmer zone |
| Elite 790.4531*, 790.4541* | 22-45313, 22-45319, 22-45413 | Radiant electric, touch controls with Controls Lock |
Gas Burner Checks From Kenmore’s Guides
The 790.3253*, Elite 790.32703 and PRO 790.34913 guides add that a Kenmore cooktop igniter keeps sparking while its knob stays at LITE. Turn the knob past LITE once the flame catches. Clicking with every knob off is not what those guides describe, and it is a call for us.
A Kenmore cooktop burner that will not light gets these checks first, from the five Kenmore gas guides we read.
- Knob: push it in and turn it fully to LITE.
- Gas supply: make sure the supply valve to the cooktop is open.
- Burner: check that it sits properly in its support.
- Ports: with the burner off, clear clogged ports or slots with a small-gauge wire or a needle.
- Power: ignition is electric, so check that the cord is plugged in.
- Outage: light the burner by hand, holding a lit match to the burner head while turning the knob to LITE.
- Orange flame: dust in the gas line. Let the burner run a few minutes until the flame turns blue.
- Flame only half way round: clogged ports, or moisture after cleaning. Let it burn until the flame is full, and dry burners after washing.
- Ignition trouble at one burner: its small ignition port may be blocked with soil. The 790.3253* and Elite 790.32703 guides give the fix. Clear the port with a fine needle or a paper clip end, burner head in place.
- Still dark after every check: that burner is our work.
Natural Gas From the Factory, LP by a Qualified Agent
All five Kenmore gas guides we read describe a cooktop set for natural gas, with an LP conversion kit in the literature package. Kenmore says only a qualified service agent should convert it. The guides also tell owners to contact their local gas provider.
In the Elite gas downdraft guide, a flame too high or too low means a Kenmore cooktop valve is out of adjustment. Kenmore lists no owner check for it and points to the LP conversion instructions.
Every gas record we could read on Kenmore.com lists a power cord. The guides want it in a polarized, grounded three-prong outlet. A two-prong outlet is a job for a qualified electrician, and the grounding prong must never be removed.
Kenmore Elite Gas Downdraft: Burners and a Vent in One
Kenmore’s site lists two Elite gas downdraft cooktops, 22-31113 and 22-31123. The guide linked from 22-31123 covers plates 790.31113211 and 790.31123211, and it troubleshoots the vent as well as the burners. A fan-power knob switches the vent. A separate hood is a different appliance, covered on our Kenmore range hood page; a downdraft built into the cooktop stays here.
The grease filter must be installed and cleaned often. On these models, the Kenmore cooktop seal named in the guide is the vent grate seal. If it or the grate is out of place, a burner flame can go out whenever the vent runs.
If the blower stays silent with power present, we test the Kenmore cooktop switch in the fan-power knob and the blower.
| Symptom | Kenmore's check | When it is ours |
|---|---|---|
| Blower not running | Power to the cooktop: cord plugged in, breaker or fuse intact | Power is present and the blower stays silent |
| Weak ventilation | Grease filter clean and seated; nothing in the ventilation chamber; vent setting matched to the cooking; grate and grate seal in place | All four are right and the draw stays weak |
| Rattling while venting | Blower housing mounting nuts tight; external ductwork mounted and secured; nothing inside the duct | Ductwork belongs to the installer; the blower itself is ours |
| Flame goes out with the vent on | Vent grate and vent grate seal correctly installed | Both are right and flames still fail |
Radiant Electric Models: Normal Cycling, Codes and Locks
On the 790.4510* family, a Kenmore cooktop element that glows red, goes dark and glows again is holding its setting. Its guide calls that cycling normal.
Of the guides we could read, only the two touch families print codes. Their sets differ: C-11 appears only on 790.4540*, while Controls Lock and LH belong to the Elite 790.4531* and 790.4541*. The knob-control and gas guides we read describe no display and print no codes.
Before any code, the four Kenmore radiant guides we read list these checks.
- Whole cooktop dead: check for a blown house fuse, a tripped breaker or a power outage. Kenmore sends a circuit overload to a qualified electrician and incomplete wiring to service.
- One element cold: confirm power, a setting that is not too low, and the right control for that element.
- Too hot or not hot enough: check the setting and the pans, since light or warped pans are on Kenmore’s list. Incorrect voltage goes to service.
- After a power failure: turn the cooktop off. A zone left on starts again by itself when power returns, and unattended food can catch fire.
- Cracked glass: stop using it and do not clean it, because liquids can reach the inside and create a shock risk. Kenmore says to call a qualified technician immediately.
| Display | Kenmore's meaning | What Kenmore says to do |
|---|---|---|
| Error code, no number given | Mechanical interference with the touch pads | Make sure nothing rests on the control panel and the surface is clean, then call for service |
| C-11 | Fluid spilled, or an object lying on the controls area | Clean the spill or remove the object, then turn the cooking zone back on |
| Display | Kenmore's meaning | What Kenmore says to do |
|---|---|---|
| Error code, no number given | Mechanical interference with the touch pads | Nothing resting on the panel and a clean surface, then call for service |
| Lock light on | Controls Lock is on, so no cooking zone will heat | Touch and hold the LOCK pad a few seconds until it beeps and the light goes out |
| LH | Warm & Hold is selected | Nothing; it is a setting, not a fault |
Parts We Test After Kenmore’s Checks
Kenmore’s cooktop guides stop at owner checks. Past those checks, the diagnosis is ours.
We source parts through national supplier networks and manufacturer contracts. We fit OEM parts when the supplier has the right one, ordered by the plate number.
- Ignition: when no igniter sparks with the cord plugged in and the outlet live, we test the ignition circuit.
- Gas flow: a burner with clean ports and an open supply valve that still will not light sends us to its valve.
- Radiant elements: an element that stays cold on every setting, with power present, is tested with the control that feeds it.
- Touch controls: an Error code that returns with the panel clear and clean is a call, as Kenmore says.
- Glass: a cracked top stays unused until it is replaced, and replacing it is our work. The warranty section below covers how Kenmore treats cracks.
Warranty Rules for an Older Kenmore Cooktop
Kenmore’s current warranty page has no statement for cooktops. The old guides and some Kenmore.com records disagree on the length of the original warranty. We have no sale date for your cooktop. Only your paperwork can show whether coverage remains.
If it does, the claim goes to Kenmore’s warranty service, through the store that sold it. Outside coverage, the repair is ours.
One exclusion matters on a smooth glass top. Kenmore’s warranty page and the guides exclude cracks in ceramic glass not caused by thermal shock, and stains or scratches from accident or misuse.
Keep the plate attached as well. The gas guides and Kenmore’s warranty page exclude service when it is missing or altered.
When to Call Wilson & Myers
Work through Kenmore’s checks first. On a gas model, that means the knob position and the supply valve, then the cord and the ports. On a touch model, it means a clear, clean panel, plus the lock light on the Elite 790.4531* and 790.4541*.
Past those checks, the work is ours. That covers a burner that stays dark, an element that never heats, a code that returns and cracked glass.
I usually ask for the plate number before the visit, because it decides which Kenmore guide applies to your cooktop.
Our insured technicians work on the cooktop where it is installed, anywhere in the Denver Metro Area. Every paid repair carries our 100-day labor warranty on the work on your invoice. Book your repair online and include that plate number.
Cooktops sit in our Kenmore cooking appliances section, alongside current ranges and their ovens, older wall ovens and range hoods. If a Kenmore wall oven shares the kitchen, it has its own plate. Our Kenmore wall oven page covers the 790 and 911 families.
Kenmore Cooktop Repair FAQ
Where is the model number on a Kenmore cooktop?
On the plate under the cooktop, usually read from the cabinet below. Kenmore’s manual search needs that plate number, not a retail number such as 22-45403.
What does C-11 mean on a Kenmore cooktop?
On the 790.4540* touch cooktop (22-45403, 22-45409), C-11 means a spill or an object on the controls area. Clear it, then turn the cooking zone back on.
Why won't my Kenmore touch cooktop turn on?
On the Elite 790.4531* and 790.4541*, Controls Lock may be on: hold the LOCK pad a few seconds until the light goes out. An Error code that stays with a clear, clean panel is a call for service.
Can I convert my Kenmore gas cooktop to propane myself?
No. In all five gas guides we read, Kenmore says only a qualified service agent should convert it. The LP kit ships in the literature package, and the guides also say to contact your local gas provider. We do not do LP conversions.
Is there a recall on Kenmore cooktops?
Our search of CPSC records found none for a Kenmore cooktop. The Kenmore Elite smoothtop recalls cover electric ranges with plates starting 790.990, not cooktops. Own one of those ranges? Check its recall before booking.
Does Kenmore still make cooktops?
No. Kenmore’s site has no cooktop category today, but it keeps support records for its older cooktops, most with a guide. Those documents are what our repairs work from.
Kenmore Cooktop Burner Not Lighting or Element Not Heating?
Note the model number from the plate under the cooktop, usually read from the cabinet below, and whether it is gas or electric. That plate decides which Kenmore guide applies.
