How To Replace A Range/Stove Glass Cooktop Assembly (With Video!)

Is your once-sleek glass cooktop now marred by unsightly cracks? Beyond just an eyesore, a broken glass surface can pose serious safety risks like electrocution. Fear not, replacing it is easier than you think! Follow our step-by-step guide and watch the tutorial video below to transform your kitchen into a safe and stylish space once again.

Need a replacement glass cooktop for your electric range? Search below using your specific range model number to identify the exact part needed:

That sleek in-counter glass cooktop looks great in your kitchen right up until it doesn’t – and while one of the perks of this sort of stove is how easy it is to clean, there’s no wiping away cracks and breaks. What’s more, a cracked glass stove top leaves you open to electrocution. So, if you’re seeing spider webbing – or worse – in that glass cooktop, it’s time to replace it. Not just for aesthetics, but for safety.

Luckily, swapping out the glass pane on your cooktop is an easy job that should only take you a few minutes to complete, and we’ll walk you through it in today’s guide. Don’t forget to check out the tutorial video for an in-depth look at each step in the process!

What Causes Cracks In A Glass Cooktop?

While sturdy, the glass on a flat cooktop is not immune to damage. Consider some of the common causes of damage to glass cooktops so you can better protect your appliance.

• Impacts from heavy objects are probably the number one cause of cracks and breaks in glass cooktops. A dropped bottle of olive oil or a cast iron pan set down too hard can potentially damage your cooktop, so take care when working above it.

• If you’ve got storage space above your cooktop, avoid storing heavier objects like ceramic dishes there.
• Sliding things around on the surface may cause scratching, and over time, those scratches can build up and weaken the surface’s integrity.
  • Especially if you’re using cast iron cookware and other rough materials, it’s better to lift and set carefully.
  • Make sure you wipe off the bottoms of pots and pans before using them. If there’s any crud there, it could scratch your cooktop surface.
• Sudden temperature fluctuations can cause instant cracks. Don’t place an already hot pot on the cooktop surface, and avoid cooking food directly on the glass. Also, plastic melting onto the cooktop surface, for example from a utensil left too close to the stove top, can potentially produce the safe effect in addition to getting that plastic stuck on your appliance.

Take care when using your cooktop, keep it clean, and consult your appliance’s manual for additional manufacturer-specific tips, and you’ll greatly prolong the life of your appliance!

Finding The Right Replacement Part

Where glass top stove cooktops are concerned, you want a genuine OEM replacement part to ensure both an exact fit and a quality piece of glass that won’t break easily. To track that down, you’ll need your cooktop’s model number, which you can find on a sticker label somewhere on the appliance.

Check out the following locations:

• On the bottom of the chassis. Open up your cabinets and take a look at the bottom and sides of the chassis.
• Beneath one of the burner knobs. You may have to pull them off to find it.
• Beneath the cooktop, itself.

If you still have your manual, you can check that, too! It should have at least a partial model number for your cooktop.

No matter how you come by it, once you get that model number, you can type it in to search on AppliancePartsPros.com. From there, you’ll be presented with a list of compatible manufacturer-made parts for your cooktop. Order from us and you’ll have it in just a few days!

How To Replace A Glass Cooktop Assembly

In our video tutorial, we replaced a damaged cooktop assembly on a GE cooktop – not a freestanding range. While the steps will likely be roughly the same for other brands and models of glass cooktops, and we tried to cover some tips for other brands of cooktop, you may still want to consult your manual for diagrams so you’re aware of any differences. You can also check out our YouTube channel where we have a variety of tutorial videos for different appliance brands and models.

Tools for the job

You’ll need a few basic tools to replace the glass cooktop on your range:

• A towel
• Two wooden support sticks
• Phillips screwdriver
• Putty knife
• Razorblade
• Foam tape, part number WB2X9902
• Optionally, clear tape, part number WB06T10007

Before you begin…

For safety, be sure to disconnect your cooktop from power either at the wall outlet or circuit breaker. Never start maintenance on an appliance that is still receiving power! If you’re planning on moving the entire cooktop to a different area to work on it, you may need to shut power off at the circuit breaker. To move the cooktop, you’ll need to disconnect the power cable, and the only safe way to do that is by flipping the breaker off first.

Replacing a glass cooktop

1. Start by removing any brackets holding the cooktop in place. You’ll need to go into the cabinets and look up at the counter and cooktop. How many brackets and what style they are will depend on the brand and model of your cooktop, but these can all usually be removed with a Phillips screwdriver. Just be sure to check each side of the cooktop for brackets. Once you’ve removed the screws securing the brackets to the counter, bend them down so that you can remove the cooktop from the counter more easily.
2. Test the cooktop to see if it will lift out of the counter space easily by pushing up on it from the bottom. If the cooktop resists being pushed out – which it should – it’s likely that the foam tape used to seal it still has a good amount of hold. Follow the next step to loosen things up.
3. If your cooktop won’t come away from the counter easily, carefully slide a putty knife or razor blade between the lip of the cooktop and the counter. You don’t want to scratch your countertop, so be careful here! Run the putty knife under the lip of the cooktop to separate it from the tape holding it in place.
4. Once it’s free, lift the cooktop up and prop it up and out of the countertop with a couple of support sticks. Lay them across the width of the countertop opening and then rest the cooktop on them. Refer to our video tutorial for a visual reference.
5. Remove any knobs from the cooktop surface. Regardless of your cooktop’s brand, these should just come away by hand with a firm pull.
6. Using a Phillips screwdriver, remove all the mounting hardware around the sides of the cooktop that hold the top to the chassis.
7. Clear any tape holding the glass top to the chassis. Usually, the glass top is secured by some tape, so you may need to use your putty knife again. Run it along the seam between the top and the chassis to separate the two components.
8. Carefully lift up on the old glass top. Mainly, you want to make sure each control knob shaft clears its grommet before you pull the glass top away completely. Remove any residual pieces of glass from the top of the stove and throw them away.
9. Lay out a towel near your workspace and set the new cooktop upside down on top of it. This will protect the cooktop from potential damage as you prep it.
10. Measure out lengths of tape to stick to the bottom of the cooktop. There should be one strip on each side, close to the edge, and none of the strips need to overlap. Just enough tape to run the length and secure the countertop.
    1. Double-sided foam tape, part number WB2X9902, is what we used in our tutorial video.
    2. Pre-cut and then remove the backing to stick the tape onto each side, making sure it’s not wrinkled. Carefully cut off any excess that hangs off the side of the glass.
    3. Don’t forget to check out our video guide for a look at how the tape should be laid down.
11. If there’s old tape still on the chassis lip, peel that off and replace it with new tape. We used GE clear tape, part number WB06T10007, for our cooktop.
12. Carefully line the cooktop up and lower it down onto the chassis. Make sure the switch shafts are properly aligned.
13. Reinstall the screws that secure the cooktop to the chassis.
14. Put the burner knobs back on. Make sure the tabs or flats on the knob interior are aligned with the flats on each shaft.
15. Put the cooktop back in the counter. Carefully lift the cooktop and remove each support stick, then press down to make sure it’s secured.
16. Bend the brackets back into place and reinstall the mounting screws.
17. Restore power to the cooktop and give it a test! Make sure that the knobs turn properly, the cooktop isn’t loose, and each element is heating adequately.

Wrapping Up

There you have it! An easy fix for a problem that otherwise seems pretty big. Now that your cooktop is good as new, are there any other appliance issues you’ve been living with? AppliancePartsPros.com is here to help you get them back in working order. We’ve got the tips, tutorials, and genuine OEM replacement parts you’ll need to keep your appliances in tip top shape, and our friendly staff is happy to help you do-it-yourself!

If you need any replacement parts for your appliances, you can enter your model number at AppliancePartsPros.com to locate and order them quickly. Most orders arrive in just two business days, and we have tons of great information in our repair help section and YouTube videos to help you troubleshoot.

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