--- title: "Common problems — Range Guides | RangeRepair.center" description: "What a range means when a burner clicks without lighting, an element stays dark, the flame turns yellow or the oven below runs cold." url: "https://rangerepair.center/guides/common-problems/" --- Why the range is acting that way # Common problems guides. What a range means when a burner clicks without lighting, an element stays dark, the flame turns yellow or the oven below runs cold. ## Common problems, guide by guide. These guides start from what you notice at the range: a burner that clicks and never catches, a ring on the glass top that stays dark, a tray of cookies scorched along one edge. Each one works back from that sign to the handful of causes behind it, beginning with the ones you can rule out in a minute and ending with the parts that need a technician. [All 18 guides](https://rangerepair.center/guides/) 6-minute read ### [Why a gas burner won't light: clicks, silence and the cap](https://rangerepair.center/guides/why-a-burner-wont-light/) Water from a boil-over, a cap on the wrong base, a greasy electrode or a range with no power at its plug: how the sound tells you which. 6-minute read ### [Why a glass-top element stays cold or stops glowing](https://rangerepair.center/guides/why-a-glass-top-element-wont-heat/) Normal cycling, low settings that never turn red, a control lock, half a breaker, a warped pan or a failed element: reading the glow, the light and the pan. 6-minute read ### [Why a range oven bakes unevenly, from the floor panel up](https://rangerepair.center/guides/why-a-range-oven-bakes-unevenly/) Foil over the oven floor, crowded pans, a rack too close to the bake burner, a short preheat or a range that is not level, before an element or flame is at issue. ## Why the range is acting that way. A range is really two appliances in one cabinet, a set of burners or elements on top and an oven below, fed by gas, electricity or both. The same complaint can mean very different things on a gas, radiant, induction or dual-fuel model, so every guide separates them rather than giving one answer for all. Read them before you book. A surprising share of these problems ends with a damp burner cap, a control lock or foil on the oven floor, and when it does not, you will know what to tell us and which symptoms mean the range should not be used until it is looked at. [Not sure where to start?](https://rangerepair.center/guides/#start-here) ### The short answer Why a gas burner won't light: clicks, silence and the cap When a gas burner won't light, listen first. ### The short answer Why a glass-top element stays cold or stops glowing A glass top element not heating is often working as designed: radiant elements switch on and off to protect the glass, and low or simmer settings never glow. ### The short answer Why a range oven bakes unevenly, from the floor panel up When a range oven bakes unevenly, the cause is usually on the rack: foil over the oven floor, pans with less than 2 inches around them, dark bakeware, the wrong rack or baking before preheat is done. ## When reading is not enough. If the checks in these guides did not settle it, the visit picks up from there, stop by stop. [What repairs cost](https://rangerepair.center/cost/) 1. 01 Every burner and the oven, tried 2. 02 A price before any part goes in 3. 03 Common parts on board 4. 04 Fixed, then run hot ## The problems these answer. Each has a page of its own, with the causes in the order worth checking. [All 17 problems](https://rangerepair.center/problems/) Problem ### Range Burner Won't Light 6 causes, cheapest first Problem ### Range Burner Keeps Clicking 5 causes, cheapest first Problem ### Uneven Range Burner Flame 6 causes, cheapest first Gas, fire or electrical risk ### Range Gas Smell 6 causes, cheapest first For the heart of your home. ## Questions about common problems. ### Do these guides cover every brand of range? Yes. The explanations hold for gas, electric, induction and dual-fuel ranges whatever the badge says. Where a guide quotes GE or Whirlpool, it is because that maker published the exact figure or step, and the link sits under the section that uses it. ### Which problems should stop me using the range at once? Any smell of gas, a burner or element that will not turn off, a cracked glass top, a breaker that trips as the range heats, or a burning smell from inside the range. Leave the house and call the gas utility from outside for gas; switch an electric range off at the breaker for the rest. ### What if my problem is not listed here? Start with the troubleshooting guides, which cover the general checks for any range, and note the model number and any code on the display. A diagnostic visit picks up from there. ## The other sections. Split by what you are trying to find out rather than by which part of the appliance it concerns. [All guides](https://rangerepair.center/guides/) Range checks you can safely make ### [Troubleshooting](https://rangerepair.center/guides/troubleshooting/) - [Five range checks to make before booking a visit](https://rangerepair.center/guides/five-checks-before-you-call/) - [Cleaning burner caps and setting them back so every flame is even](https://rangerepair.center/guides/clean-and-seat-burner-caps/) - [Where the model tag sits on a freestanding or slide-in range](https://rangerepair.center/guides/find-your-model-number/) Keeping the range out of trouble ### [Maintenance and prevention](https://rangerepair.center/guides/maintenance-and-prevention/) - [Glass top range care: pans, sugary spills and the razor scraper](https://rangerepair.center/guides/glass-top-care/) - [Cleaning gas range burners, caps and grates so every burner lights](https://rangerepair.center/guides/burner-and-grate-cleaning/) - [Running a range's self-clean cycle without damage or smoke](https://rangerepair.center/guides/range-self-clean-safely/) When to stop using the range ### [Gas, fire and burn safety](https://rangerepair.center/guides/safety-and-food/) - [Smell Gas Near the Range? Leave First, Call From Outside](https://rangerepair.center/guides/range-gas-smell-what-to-do-first/) - [Anti-Tip Brackets: How a Range Tips Forward and How to Check Yours](https://rangerepair.center/guides/anti-tip-brackets-and-tip-overs/) - [Cooking With Gas and the Air in Your Kitchen](https://rangerepair.center/guides/gas-range-and-indoor-air/) Which range suits the kitchen ### [Choosing and comparing](https://rangerepair.center/guides/choosing-and-comparing/) - [Repair or replace a range: which half failed, and what a new one needs](https://rangerepair.center/guides/repair-or-replace-a-range/) - [Gas, electric or induction: how each kind of range heats a pan](https://rangerepair.center/guides/gas-electric-or-induction/) - [Dual-fuel and pro-style ranges: what the extra power asks of the house](https://rangerepair.center/guides/dual-fuel-and-pro-style-ranges/) Set up to last ### [Installation and setup](https://rangerepair.center/guides/installation-and-setup/) - [Behind a Gas Range: What a Sound Connection Looks Like](https://rangerepair.center/guides/range-gas-connection-what-it-should-look-like/) - [The Outlet and Circuit Every Kind of Range Needs](https://rangerepair.center/guides/range-electrical-supply/) - [Natural Gas to Propane: What Converting a Range Really Involves](https://rangerepair.center/guides/converting-a-range-to-propane/) Not sure which section? ### Start from your question The four questions most visits start with, each with the guide that answers it. 18 guides Where to start Where to start --- **[Read on the site: Common problems — Range Guides | RangeRepair.center](https://rangerepair.center/guides/common-problems/)** **[Book a visit with RangeRepair.center](https://rangerepair.center/schedule/)**