AGA Hob will not go above a certain power levelwhat to check
Not a fault and no code: AGA’s overheat protection quietly reduces the power levels available, so the number simply refuses to go higher than the display shows.
Before you start
When does the hob refuse to go higher?
The right answer depends on what you can see. Pick the one that matches.
Choose the option on the left that matches what your appliance is doing, and the answer for that case appears here.
When does the hob refuse to go higher?
This is the published overheat derate almost exactly. The hob has decided it is too hot underneath and has taken the upper levels away rather than risk them.
Finish what you are cooking at the level it will give you and let it cool afterwards. Nothing needs resetting.
When does the hob refuse to go higher?
Published behaviour and not a fault. Boost on one zone automatically reduces the power available to the second for up to ten minutes.
Wait for the boost to expire, or cancel it, and the second zone will behave normally again.
When does the hob refuse to go higher?
None of AGA’s published explanations fit a cold hob, so this is the version of the complaint worth reporting.
Rule out a wet panel and a badly matched pan first, then ring AGA Service and tell them the ceiling is present from cold with no code shown.
What this means
This is the richest published material AGA have on the induction module, and every bit of it is behaviour rather than failure. Start with the complaint that brings most people here, which is a hob that will not go above six or seven however hard the touch pad is pressed. AGA publish the answer under the heading Overheat Protection: power levels will be automatically reduced if excessive high temperatures are monitored below the cooking zone, and if high temperatures are detected it will not be possible to adjust the power level to a higher level than shown in the visual displays. Read that twice, because the important word is silent. There is no code, no message and no beep. The ceiling simply drops and the number stops going up, which is exactly how a broken touch pad would present itself. They add one harder stop in the same paragraph: should a pan be allowed to boil dry, the overheat system will turn the hob off altogether.
Three more published behaviours account for most of the remaining traffic. Power boost lasts up to ten minutes on one zone only, and while it runs it automatically reduces the power available to the second zone, so a boost on the left can leave the right feeling weak for reasons that have nothing to do with either zone being faulty. If a power level is not set within twenty seconds of the hob being touched on, the unit switches itself off, which owners experience as a hob that keeps turning itself off; and a pause left running does the same after ten minutes, because AGA publish that pause remains active for ten minutes only and the hob then switches off. And the touch pads may not respond at all if the control area is wet, with AGA’s own instruction being to use positive finger contact and to dry the pad area with paper towel. That last one is the most common false fault on any touch-controlled hob, and it is free to rule out.
Two other things worth knowing before you conclude anything is wrong. AGA publish that most types of pan generate a faint audible sound during cooking and that this is perfectly normal, with the level varying by pan type and style, so buzzing and humming are not evidence of a fault. And they publish an ideal pan size of 180 to 240 mm, with a warning against oversize pans that overlap the controls and display area — which matters here because a pan lying across the panel both couples badly and blocks the controls you are trying to press. Where does that leave a genuine fault? If the ceiling is there from cold, with a good pan centred on the zone, a dry panel and no boost running elsewhere, then none of the published explanations fit and it is worth ringing AGA Service. Tell them there was no code, because on this brand that is useful information rather than a gap.
What causes it
| Cause | What is actually happening | How likely |
|---|---|---|
| Overheat protection has capped the available levels | AGA publish that high temperatures below the zone reduce the power levels automatically and that a higher level than the one displayed cannot then be selected. | Common |
| Boost has run out on its own | Power boost lasts up to ten minutes and then reverts to the previous setting, which looks like a zone losing its strength halfway through cooking. | Common |
| Boost running on the other zone | AGA state that boosting one zone automatically reduces power to the second, so a weak zone can be a symptom of a strong one. | Common |
| A wet control area | Touch pads may not respond when the panel is wet, so the level you thought you selected was never registered at all. | Common |
| No level chosen within twenty seconds | The unit switches off if a power level is not set inside that window after the hob is touched on, which reads as a hob that will not stay awake. | Occasional |
| A pan that couples badly or blocks the panel | An oversize pan sitting over the display area and a poor or bowed base both leave a zone underperforming without anything having failed. | Occasional |
What to try yourself
Look at what the display is offering rather than at what you are pressing. If the top of the range has dropped, this is protection rather than a dead pad.
Give it time to cool with nothing on the zone. AGA publish no waiting figure, but the levels come back as the temperature below the zone falls.
Check whether the other zone is boosting. Ten minutes, one zone at a time, and it takes power from its neighbour while it runs.
Dry the control area with paper towel and press firmly with a fingertip. That is AGA’s own instruction, not a workaround.
Set a level within twenty seconds of touching the hob on, or it will switch itself off before you have chosen anything.
Centre a flat pan of 180 to 240 mm on the zone so that it is not lying across the controls, then try the levels again.
If the ceiling is still there from cold with a good pan and a dry panel, ring AGA Service and mention that no code was displayed.
Get a qualified appliance engineer to look at your AGA range cooker
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
Time on site
15 minutes
Nothing. Every behaviour described here is published by AGA as normal operation, and the two most likely answers — a hot hob and a wet control panel — cost nothing to resolve. A service visit only comes into it if the ceiling is present from cold, which is not something AGA describe.
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 AGA fault codes
- n 3.11Get it checkedAGA’s owner guides confirm error codes exist and publish one example of the format, n 3.11, with no meanings. The owner remedy for every code is to tell AGA Service.Related: same brand
- 011Get it checkedAGA’s eR7 service manual lists 010 to 014 as a full power time-out: a cooking zone took too long to reach temperature. AGA’s first action is customer education, then the thermocouple.Related: same brand
- E2 and E6Get it checkedThe only two AGA codes with a published cause. Both point at poor-quality or non-induction cookware, and AGA warn that carrying on may seriously damage the hob.Related: same brand
- HUsually simple to fixAGA’s hob hot indicator. They publish that it shows for a short period after power off, and they pointedly do not publish how hot the glass actually is.Related: same brand
Own an AGA range cooker? Save it and its codes come first next time.
Related guides
Common questions
Why is there no error code when this happens?
Because AGA designed the derate to be silent. Their wording is that power levels are reduced automatically and that a higher level cannot then be selected, with nothing said about a code or a warning. The absence of a code is the behaviour, not a documentation gap.
How long until full power comes back?
Not published. AGA tie the derate to the temperature monitored below the cooking zone rather than to a timer, so it lifts when the hob has cooled rather than after a set interval. Taking the pan off and leaving the zone empty is the fastest route.
My hob keeps switching itself off a few seconds after I turn it on.
That is the twenty-second rule. AGA publish that if a power level is not set within twenty seconds of the hob being touched on, the unit switches off automatically. Choose a zone and a level promptly and it will stay awake. If it goes off ten minutes into a pause, that is published too: pause remains active for ten minutes only, and the hob then switches off.
The hob buzzes and hums. Is that the same problem?
No, and AGA say so in print: most types of pan generate a faint audible sound during cooking and this is perfectly normal, with the level depending on the type and style of pan. If the noise bothers you, a heavier pan with a thicker base usually quietens it.
What size pan should I be using?
AGA publish 180 to 240 mm as an ideal size and tell you not to use oversize pans that overlap the controls and display area. They also publish the magnet test for suitability, and the reminder to take the magnet off before you cook with the pan.
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.