Is your electric range's cooktop surface element not performing like it used to? For example, does the element remain cool? Are the contacts on the surface element worn out or blackened? Or is there is rust or corrosion on the coils? Then you may need to replace the surface element itself. The product supplies the heat to a cooking area on top of the electric range. This element has temperature-limiting capabilities to reduce the risk of cooktop oil and grease fires. The number one reason for household fires is cooking-related, so retrofitting with this safety surface element makes sense on a lot of levels. Us regulations require all new coil top ranges to have temperature limiting capabilities. This retrofit replacement element has a silver medallion with a button (sensor) in the center of the coil. This button must contact the bottom of the pan for the thermostat to sense the temperature properly. When the thermostat detects a pan temperature above the safe limit, the element will shut off automatically until a lower, safe pan temperature is reached, then heat will resume to the element. This will not affect everyday cooking, as automatic shutoff is temporary and only happens at very high temperatures.