Rangemaster E3 fault codewhat it means and how to fix it
Two tables, two meanings. On the Eclipse 90 it is the supply voltage outside the rated values; on the RMB60HPEIGL it is a pan problem, and Rangemaster publish the test that separates pan from hob.
Take care
What E3 means
E3 is the third Rangemaster code where the two published tables disagree, so start with the guide number. In the Eclipse 90 guide, E3 is the supply voltage being other than the rated values, and the published sequence is to switch the hob off with the on/off button, wait until the H has disappeared from every zone, switch it back on and carry on; if the same error appears again, call an authorised service agent. That is a code about the circuit feeding the hob, not about the pan, and if it recurs the person to ring is an electrician rather than a cookware shop. In the service-audience table published in the RMB60HPEIGL guide, E3 is a different code altogether. There it has two stated causes and both of them are about what is sitting on the zone rather than what is underneath it. The first is a pan that is not suitable, and Rangemaster give a specific example worth knowing: loss of magnetic properties because of the temperature at the bottom of the pot. The second is the power of the cooking zones being permanently exceeded. Neither is a broken hob. Induction works by inducing a current in the base of the pan, so the base has to be ferromagnetic.
Most people know that much. What is less well known is that a pan can be magnetic when cold and stop behaving that way when it gets hot, which is what Rangemaster are describing. That produces the confusing case where a pan works perfectly for ten minutes and then the zone gives up, and the owner concludes the hob is failing intermittently. It is the pan changing, not the hob. Cheap pans with a thin ferrous disc bonded to an aluminium body are the usual offenders, and a warped base makes it worse by reducing contact. The reset behaviour is published and specific: the error clears after thirty seconds and the cooking zone can be used again. Rangemaster add that the pan must be removed if the fault keeps recurring — which is the practical instruction, because putting the same pan back produces the same result.
Then comes the genuinely useful part, and it is the cleanest published diagnostic on this brand. Rangemaster state that the power unit must be replaced only if the error persists with no pan present. That gives you a test you can run yourself in a minute. Take everything off the zone, leave it empty, and switch it on. If E3 appears on an empty zone, the fault is in the hob and it needs an engineer. If it does not, the hob is fine and you have a pan problem, which costs nothing to confirm by trying a different pan. The same service table adds a line about why the pan reading matters: an impermissible working range is reached or exceeded in the system, which may lead to the destruction of components such as the IGBTs. So on that platform a pan that keeps provoking E3 is not merely a nuisance, and Rangemaster’s instruction to remove it is worth following.
What causes it
| Cause | What is actually happening | How likely |
|---|---|---|
| Supply voltage outside the rated values | Table A’s meaning, on the Eclipse 90. The hob has measured a voltage at its terminals that it will not run on, and the published remedy is off, wait for H to clear, on again. | Common |
| A pan that is not suitable for induction | Table B’s first stated cause, on the RMB60HPEIGL. The base has to be ferromagnetic, and a pan that fails a fridge-magnet test will never work whatever the hob does. | Common |
| A pan that loses its magnetic properties when hot | Rangemaster name this explicitly. It produces the confusing case of a pan that works from cold and then drops out once it heats up. | Common |
| A warped or undersized base | Poor contact with the glass reduces the coupling. A base that has bowed with age, or one much smaller than the zone, both do it. | Occasional |
| Zone power permanently exceeded | Rangemaster’s second stated cause. The zone is being asked for more than it can deliver, often with boost engaged across several zones at once. | Occasional |
| A power unit fault | The genuine hardware case, and Rangemaster gate it precisely: the power unit is replaced only if the error persists with no pan present. | Occasional |
What to try yourself
Find your guide number, printed on the user guide in the form U110602-06. On the Eclipse 90 guide (U111125-03) E3 is a supply voltage code; on the RMB60HPEIGL guide (U110602-06) it is a pan code.
Eclipse 90: switch the hob off with the on/off button, wait until the H has gone from every zone, switch it back on and carry on. If E3 comes back, stop resetting it — Rangemaster say call an authorised service agent, and a recurring voltage reading is a question for an electrician about the circuit.
Do not open the cooker outlet or the terminal block behind the hob. It is a high-current connection on a hardwired circuit.RMB60HPEIGL: take the pan off and wait. Rangemaster publish that the error resets after thirty seconds and the zone can then be used again.
Run the test that separates pan from hob: leave the zone completely empty and switch it on. If E3 appears on an empty zone, stop there and book an engineer — Rangemaster’s own condition for replacing the power unit is that the error persists with no pan present.
If the empty zone is fine, try a different pan — ideally a heavy one with a thick flat base that a magnet grips firmly — and check the suspect pan for warping by standing it on a flat worktop and seeing whether it rocks.
If it only happens with boost engaged across several zones, reduce what you are asking of the hob at once and see whether it stops.
Get a qualified appliance engineer to look at your Rangemaster E3
We do not pass enquiries to a repair firm, so there is no form here. When you book a qualified appliance engineer, tell them the make, the model and the exact code or message on the display, and ask whether they carry parts for this make — that is what turns one visit into a repair rather than a quote.
What it costs to fix
Typical repair cost
£0–£300
Time on site
20 minutes
Nothing in most cases — a reset that holds on the Eclipse 90, or a different pan on the RMB60HPEIGL. An electrician’s visit if the Eclipse 90 reading recurs. A power unit only if the RMB60HPEIGL code appears with the zone empty, which is Rangemaster’s own threshold for replacing it.
Typical UK prices including parts and labour, updated September 2026. Your quote may differ.
Own this appliance and had this code? . Nothing is published until a person has read it.
Related Rangemaster fault codes
- E5Get it checkedRangemaster publish two meanings for E5 in two different guides — an over-temperature in one, a mains voltage error in the other. Check which guide covers your model.Related: same brand
- E1Get it checkedThe cooling fan is disabled. Rangemaster offer no reset for this one — the published action is to call a service agent.Related: same brand
- EAGet it checkedAnother code Rangemaster publish two ways — a coil saturation error you can reset in one guide, a hardware fault in the other.Related: same brand
- ECGet it checkedA supply voltage error. Reset it once, and if it comes back stop resetting — the hob is reporting something about the circuit feeding it.Related: same brand
- C1Usually simple to fixOne of the C1 to C8 microprocessor alerts. Rangemaster’s published remedy is to switch off and on and carry on using the hob.Related: same brand
Own a Rangemaster hob? Save it and its codes come first next time.
Related guides
Common questions about Rangemaster E3
My guide is the Eclipse 90 one. Why does this page talk about pans?
Because Rangemaster use E3 for two different things. On the Eclipse 90 (guide U111125-03) it is the supply voltage being other than the rated values — the same family as EC — and the remedy is off, wait for H to clear from every zone, on again, then a service agent if it returns. The pan meaning is from the RMB60HPEIGL guide (U110602-06). If you have the Eclipse 90, ignore the pan test and treat a recurring E3 as a question about the circuit for an electrician.
The pan works from cold and then stops.
That is the case Rangemaster describe when they name loss of magnetic properties because of the temperature at the bottom of the pot. Some pans are magnetic cold and stop coupling once hot, so the zone works for a while and then drops out. It looks like an intermittent hob fault and it is a pan.
How do I know whether it is the hob or the pan?
Run the zone empty. Rangemaster publish that the power unit is replaced only if the error persists with no pan present, which turns their service condition into a test you can do yourself. A code on an empty zone means the hob; no code on an empty zone means the pan.
Do I need to buy expensive pans?
Not expensive, but the base matters more than the price. Look for a thick, flat, fully ferrous base that a magnet grips strongly across its whole width. Thin pans with a small disc bonded into the bottom are the ones that lose contact when hot or warp with age.
Is this doing any harm?
No. The hob is detecting that it cannot couple properly and declining to run the zone, which is protection rather than damage. Rangemaster’s own instruction is simply to remove the pan if it keeps happening — there is nothing here to repair as long as an empty zone behaves.
Technical review
Not reviewed by an engineer
No engineer has read this page. Severity follows what the manufacturer publishes, and we would rather tell you that than let a byline imply a sign-off.
Sources and how we verified this
We establish the facts from the sources below and then write the explanation ourselves. We do not copy manufacturer wording and we do not host their manuals.
- Manufacturer technical and service documentation
This page has not been reviewed by an engineer, and we would rather tell you that than imply otherwise. The severity rating follows what the manufacturer publishes: where they say isolate the appliance and call someone, so do we.