Cooktops installation: the cutout and the connection are the install.
A cooktop drops into a countertop, so the install is the cutout — measured from the manual's template for your exact model, not the old cooktop's hole — and the connection underneath: a hardwired 240V junction box for electric and induction, a gas line and connector for gas. Both connections are a licensed trade's work; the cutout and the clips are the installer's. There is no plug-in cooktop.
First use: what is normal
A new machine can do things on its first run that look like a fault and are not. Here is what the makers say is normal, what to do first, and where the line is.
Normal the first time
- A slight smell on the first few uses.
- On induction, pans that hum or buzz, controls that click, and a cooling fan that keeps running.
Do this first
- 1Take off any film and packing before the first heat, and open a window for the first few uses.
Where the line is. A gas smell that stays is never normal: turn it off and text us. A rotten-egg smell or a hissing sound: leave the house, then call the gas company or 911 from outside.
What is typically not in the box
Surplus inventory — open box, cancelled order, overstock, minor scratch & dent — is priced for exactly this: a unit can arrive without the small items that ship with a sealed machine. Have these on hand before install day.
The mounting clips or brackets and the foam gasket tape on some surplus units — the maker sells the clip kit by model number.
The gas regulator or the flexible connector and shutoff on a gas cooktop; the LP conversion orifices if the house runs propane.
The trim ring or the downdraft duct adapter on a few models.
The printed manual — download it by model number; the cutout template is in it.
Power, water, gas, venting, space
What the room has to have before the appliance comes through the door. The manual gives the exact figures for your model; these are the shapes to check.
A dedicated 240V circuit sized to the plate — typically 30, 40 or 50 amps — hardwired to a junction box under the counter. Induction tops draw more than the radiant top they replace; the breaker is checked, not assumed.
A 1/2-inch gas line with a shutoff valve in the cabinet below, a regulator (on the cooktop or in the line per the manual), and a new listed flexible connector. Natural gas or propane: the orifices must match.
The manual's template, measured and cut for the model — width, depth and the corner radius — with the manual's distance from the back wall and the front edge. A cutout too big has nothing to hold the clips; too small and the top will not seat.
The manual's inches to the cabinet above (a hood or a microwave), to the side walls, and the space below for the burner box so a drawer does not hit it. A gas top's combustible-clearance rule is a code item.
A hood above at the manual's height; a downdraft model needs its duct run and a blower.
The install, step by step
An overview of the manufacturer's own sequence, so you know what a good install looks like whether you watch one or do one. The manual's page for your model is the authority on every figure.
- 1
Cut or verify the cutout
Measure the opening against the manual's template for this model. A new countertop is cut by the fabricator from the template; an existing opening is widened only if the manual's dimensions say so.
- 2
Apply the gasket and set the top
The foam tape around the underside of the lip, then the cooktop lowered into the opening and centered.
- 3
Electric and induction: the electrician wires it
The cooktop's leads to the junction box under the counter — the two hot legs, the neutral where the model has one, and the ground — in a listed box with the strain relief. Then the breaker on.
- 4
Gas: the installer connects it
The connector between the shutoff and the cooktop inlet, the regulator set for the gas in the house, orifices converted for propane where needed, and a leak check at every joint with soap solution.
- 5
Fit the clips
The mounting clips under the counter tightened until the top sits flat and does not shift — not so tight the glass stresses.
- 6
First heat
Each element or burner lit in turn with a pan on it. An induction top needs an induction-ready pan (a magnet sticks to the bottom) or it reads "no pan" by design. A gas burner's flame is blue, stable, small yellow tips at most.
The diagram
Drawn by us, schematic on purpose: the shape of the connection with every part named. Your model's wiring and hookup page in the manual rules on the details.
Mistakes that look like a broken machine
Most first-week calls are one of these. Each is an install item, not a fault — and each is the reason we ask for every function to be tested before the installer leaves.
The cutout from the old cooktop's hole — the new top sits proud, rocks, or falls through; the template is per model.
An induction top on the old 30-amp radiant circuit — it trips the breaker on two burners at once; the plate names the circuit.
A gas top on the wrong gas — big yellow flames, soot; the orifices were not converted.
"No pan" on an induction top — the pan is aluminum or copper; a magnet on the bottom tells which pans work.
The clips skipped — the top shifts in the opening and a pan slides; the glass cracks at the edge over time.
When a licensed installer is the standard
We recommend professional installation for every appliance we sell. On a cooktop these are the parts of the job that the code, the permit or the manufacturer's warranty place with a licensed trade.
Every electric and induction cooktop is hardwired — a licensed electrician's job, with the circuit sized to the plate.
Every gas cooktop connection, conversion and leak check is a licensed gas fitter's or plumber's job.
A countertop cutout in stone or quartz is the fabricator's job with the manual's template.
Asked at the counter
Can I plug a cooktop in?
No — cooktops are hardwired (electric and induction) or gas. There is no cord; an electrician or gas installer makes the connection.
Will the new cooktop fit my old cutout?
Only if the manual's template matches the opening. Measure the opening and compare to the template before buying — a smaller top can be set in a larger opening only with the maker's trim kit, and never the reverse.
My induction cooktop says no pan.
The pan is not magnetic — induction needs steel or cast iron. A magnet that sticks firmly to the pan's bottom means it works.
What your receipt says about installation
Installation & testing
Apex Sales does not perform installation, and we strongly recommend professional installation. Moving or installing an appliance without the proper steps — transported upright and secured, every connection checked, and the unit leveled — can loosen parts or cause problems, and improper installation can void the manufacturer warranty. Have a licensed plumber, electrician, or appliance installer test every function of the unit before they leave, so any issue can be reported right away. Damage caused by improper installation is not covered.
Condition & warranty
All units are surplus inventory (open box, cancelled order, customer return, overstock, or minor scratch & dent). Every unit includes the manufacturer's full factory warranty. Please inspect thoroughly in person before purchasing — cosmetic imperfections or missing accessories are possible.
These pages are a general reference for the appliances we sell. They do not replace the manufacturer's installation instructions, the local building, electrical, plumbing, gas and mechanical codes, or the judgment of a licensed installer. Apex Sales does not perform installations and is not responsible for installation performed by the customer or by a third party. Damage caused by improper installation, transport or connection is not covered by the manufacturer's warranty or by Apex Sales.
When it's not a DIY moment
Everything on these pages is safe to look at with the machine unplugged or the gas shut off. These three are not a look — secure the appliance and call.
Gas smell
Close the appliance's shutoff valve if you can reach it safely, open a window, leave the room, and call the gas utility from outside. No switches, no flames.
Burnt smell, a melted plug, arcing
Shut the breaker off, not just the appliance. A scorched cord, plug or outlet means an electrician looks before anything is plugged back in.
Water that will not stop
Close the supply valve at the appliance first (washer, dishwasher, fridge line, water heater cold inlet), then unplug. Mop before you diagnose.
Text us the model number and what it's doing — we'll point you at the next step.
A fix, a part, or a warranty call — the plate's model and serial plus one line about the symptom is all it takes to tell which.
These pages are educational. Every appliance is a little different — follow the manufacturer's manual and local code, and leave gas, water heater and 240V work to a licensed installer.