We’re all in it for longevity when we pick out new kitchen appliances. That’s why you may be wondering how much life you can expect to get out of your new induction hob and exactly how long do induction hobs last?
First, let’s talk about the benefit of getting an induction hob of any kind over a traditional gas unit.
If you’ve ever been in a situation where your cooker has a broken component, you know that one small thing going wrong anywhere in a cooker can mean that both your internal oven and surface cooker can stop working.
With a hob, you’re getting the benefit of a standalone cooktop unit that won’t impact your separate oven.
Of course, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t still be concerned about how long induction hobs last.
With induction hobs being the priciest option among hob types, you’re understandably concerned about getting a good return on your investment by getting many usable years out of your hob.
Let’s talk about how long you can expect your new induction hob to last!
How Long Do Induction Hobs Last?
If we’re being realistic, it’s impossible to assign a guaranteed lifespan to any appliance.
A million factors that range from an electrical issue at your home to a faulty component on the part of a manufacturer can shorten the life of an appliance.
However, we can use what we know about how the average induction hob performs under normal circumstances to create a rough blueprint for how long an induction hob should last.
Most brands base the expected lifespan of an induction hob on usage hours over years of performance.
That means that the length of time you can expect your hob to be powering your cooking pursuits in your kitchen will mostly come down to personal usage.
Let’s use an example.
For this scenario, we’ll say that you work from home in a busy household with several family members. You may use your induction hob to whip up scrambled eggs and a kettle for tea almost every morning.
At lunch, you like to steam some vegetables with tofu while also heating the kettle for another cup of tea.
Dinner almost always entails boiling water for pasta, roasting some veggies in a pan and cooking meat on your hob. Don’t forget about that nightly cup of tea from the kettle!
In this scenario, you have a neighbour who purchased the same exact hob as you on the same exact day.
This neighbour has a busy career that takes them away from home two weeks per month. They spend between eight and 10 hours each day at the office.
While they may have a cup of tea at night, the average schedule is breakfast at the office, takeout lunch and dinner with colleagues.
However, your neighbour does like to whip up a big meal on Sundays that includes cooking some steaks and vegetables on the hob.
Your hob dies after a few years. Meanwhile, your neighbour’s hob is going strong. While you may be angry because you feel that you must have purchased a faulty appliance, the reality is that you’ve simply packed more life into your hob than your neighbour.
While your neighbour will get more years out of the hob due to low usage, they aren’t actually getting more time out of the hob than you.
How Many Hours Can You Get from an Induction Hob?
You might be curious to know just how many hours of usage you can expect to get from your induction hob.
In reality, there’s no uniform answer. Your lifetime output will depend on things like manufacturer quality, the integrity of parts and risks lurking in your kitchen.
The most common answer for how many hours you can get from an induction hob is 2,500 hours.
However, manufacturer testing from many mainstream brands shows that the average lifetime works out to be between 10 years and 20 years of usage in real-world scenarios. That certainly isn’t bad!
What Can Shorten the Lifespan of an Induction Hob?
A variety of household and mechanical factors can reduce the lifespan of your hob.
First, breaking or cracking the glass on top of your hob with the impact of a heavy pan can cause the unit to become dysfunctional.
Issues with your home’s electrical wiring can also kill your hob. Lastly, a faulty component within the hob can also reduce the number of hours you’ll get from a hob.
How to Increase the Lifespan of an Induction Hob
- Use less power – Using lower temperatures helps extend the efficiency of your induction hob’s cooking zones. It places them under less stress as they’re not having to work at full capacity. After all, an induction hob heats up to high temperatures in much less time than any other hob. It means you can use slightly less power whenever you’re cooking without any loss of efficiency or performance.
- Protect the glass – Take care with all types of pans and not just the heavy ones. Accidentally dropping pans, lids or utensils such as ladles and knives onto the glass can cause it to crack badly. Once your hob develops a crack, it can be dangerous to use due to spillages seeping into the circuitry. Cracks inevitably lead to expensive repairs.
- Keep it for cooking – Induction hobs usually fit flush with a worktop, creating an almost seamless surface in your kitchen. Resist the temptation to use the ceramic glass for any other purpose except heating pans. Don’t use it as an additional workspace for mixing bowls or chopping boards. You’ll only add unnecessary pressure and increase your chances of damaging the glass.
- Clean correctly – Small scratches on the surface of your hob can quickly lead to more serious indentations. Don’t use paper towels to clean the surface as they are fibrous and rough. Instead, choose soft, natural cotton cloths. Always lightly brush away loose crumbs before wiping the hob with a damp cloth as debris can stick into the fabric and scratch the surface as you clean. Stubborn food should easily loosen if you soak it in white vinegar for around fifteen minutes.
- Check home electricity – Your induction hob only uses a small amount of electricity. But if your home’s wiring is antiquated, it can disrupt the hob’s electromagnetic circuitry. This can lead to your hob becoming less energy-efficient and impair its fast, precise control. A fully-qualified electrician can advise on your home’s electrical suitability when installing your hob.
Final Thoughts on How Long an Induction Hob Will Last
As you weigh your options when purchasing a new hob, it’s important to keep some perspective. The average life of a standard kitchen cooker is about 15 years.
That means that the range of 10 to 20 years for an induction hob is pretty generous indeed!