Three burners work; one plays dead. A single cold burner on an electric range is one of the most satisfying diagnoses in the trade, because the machine practically sorts itself: three parts are possible, and a three-minute test separates them without tools.
The swap test (coil-top ranges)
Unplug the dead element from its socket and swap it with a working neighbor of the same size. The problem follows the element — the element itself has failed (they burn out like oversized light bulbs; blistering or a visible break confirms it). The same position stays dead with a known-good element — the fault is in the receptacle (look for charring where the prongs seat; heat-cycled terminals loosen and burn) or upstream in the infinite switch behind the knob, the part that pulses power to hold your simmer. Elements and receptacles are inexpensive; switches are modest; all three ride on our van for the common ranges.
Glass-top ranges: same logic, hidden parts
Radiant elements under glass fail the same way but can't be swap-tested from above. Their tell: the burner indicator lights but the surface never glows (element or its limiter), or nothing responds at all (switch side). Ceramic-top elements also have a built-in temperature limiter that can fail independently — cycling the burner off early or refusing to fire. This is meter work behind the glass, and worth doing right: the glass panel does not enjoy improvisation.
The symptoms that upgrade the urgency
A burner stuck on full high regardless of the knob is a shorted infinite switch — unplug the range or kill the breaker and don't use it; that's an uncontrolled heat source. Any spark, pop, or scorch smell at a burner means a burned receptacle or element arcing to the drip pan — same instruction. These aren't wait-a-week faults; they're the ones we same-day across the Boise metro.
While the panel's open
A dead burner call is also when we check the siblings' receptacles for early charring and the range cord terminals — a five-minute look that regularly catches the next failure before it strands a dinner. One fixed quote after the swap test and the meter agree; most single-burner repairs finish the same visit, and the big front-right burner goes back to earning its keep.
