--- title: "Range Problems — Symptoms and What They Mean" description: "Every range symptom we are called out for, from burners that will not light to an oven that runs cold, what each one tends to mean, and its causes from least to…" url: "https://rangerepair.center/problems/" --- Start with the symptom # Range problems, symptom first. Every symptom we are called out for, traced to the causes that actually explain it — cheapest first. Start from what you are seeing rather than from what you think is broken. ## Needs a visit now A range that smells of gas, puts out smoke or a scorched electrical smell, has a burner or element that keeps going after its knob is off, shows a crack across the glass top, or knocks out the breaker is a danger in the middle of the kitchen, so these are listed first — each with the causes it usually comes down to, least costly first. On an electric or induction range, turn it off at the breaker and leave a cracked top alone. If you smell gas, do not flip any switch or strike a match: take everyone out and phone the gas utility once you are outside. [Book a visit](https://rangerepair.center/schedule/) Gas, fire or electrical risk ### [Range Gas Smell](https://rangerepair.center/problems/range-gas-smell/) A sulfur or rotten-egg odor hangs around the range, near the burners on top, low by the oven, or with every knob in the off position. Causes, cheapest first 1. Leak at the flexible connector or shutoff behind the range *varies* 2. Burner knob valve that does not close *moderate* 3. Top burner blown out while the knob stayed on *low* [All 6 causes and what to check](https://rangerepair.center/problems/range-gas-smell/) Gas, fire or electrical risk ### [Range Burning Smell](https://rangerepair.center/problems/range-burning-smell/) Smoke, a hot plastic odor or a sharp electrical smell comes from the range top, from the oven below, or from the back of the range. Causes, cheapest first 1. Grease or spills burning on drip pans or the oven floor *no repair* 2. Scorched terminal block or power cord connection *moderate* 3. Oven element arcing *low* [All 6 causes and what to check](https://rangerepair.center/problems/range-burning-smell/) Gas, fire or electrical risk ### [Range Burner Won't Turn Off](https://rangerepair.center/problems/burner-wont-turn-off/) A gas burner keeps its flame, or an electric element or induction zone keeps heating, after its knob or key is set to off. Causes, cheapest first 1. Surface element switch stuck on *low to moderate* 2. Cracked knob or worn valve stem *low* 3. Gas burner valve not closing *moderate* [All 6 causes and what to check](https://rangerepair.center/problems/burner-wont-turn-off/) Gas, fire or electrical risk ### [Range Glass Top Cracked](https://rangerepair.center/problems/glass-top-cracked/) The smooth glass surface of an electric or induction range has a crack, a chip at the edge, or a break running across a cooking zone. Causes, cheapest first 1. Impact from a dropped pan or jar *moderate to highest* 2. Pan boiling dry on high *moderate to highest* 3. Melted sugar or plastic left to set *low* [All 5 causes and what to check](https://rangerepair.center/problems/glass-top-cracked/) Gas, fire or electrical risk ### [Range Keeps Tripping the Breaker](https://rangerepair.center/problems/range-tripping-breaker/) The range breaker trips when you switch on an element, the oven or self-clean, or it trips by itself with the range idle. Causes, cheapest first 1. Shorted surface element *low* 2. Oven element shorted to its sheath *low* 3. Burned terminal block or cord connection *moderate* [All 6 causes and what to check](https://rangerepair.center/problems/range-tripping-breaker/) ## Everything else we are called out for None of these involves a gas smell, smoke, a cracked top or a burner that refuses to shut off, so waiting for a booked slot is usually fine. Each page lists the checks that are safe to make before the technician comes. [The repairs behind them](https://rangerepair.center/services/) ### Range Burner Won't Light A gas burner on the range top clicks but never catches, lights only after a long delay, or does nothing at all when the knob is turned. 6 causes ### Range Burner Keeps Clicking The igniters on a gas range keep clicking after the burner has lit, keep clicking with every knob off, or never stop once they start. 5 causes ### Uneven Range Burner Flame A gas burner flame is taller on one side, has gaps, burns yellow or orange, lifts off the burner, or roars instead of burning quietly. 6 causes ### Range Surface Element Not Heating One coil or glass-top zone on an electric range stays cold, heats only weakly, or will not respond while the others work. 6 causes ### Induction Range Not Detecting Pan An induction zone flashes, beeps, shows its no-pan symbol or switches itself off, even with a pan sitting right on it. 6 causes ### Range Oven Not Heating The burners or elements on top work, but the oven below stays cold, heats only a little, or never finishes preheating. 7 causes ### Range Oven Temperature Wrong Recipes burn or come out underdone, and an oven thermometer disagrees with the temperature set on the range. 5 causes ### Range Broiler Not Working The broil setting does not heat, heats along only part of the element, or a gas broiler never lights. 5 causes ### Range Self-Clean Problems The self-clean cycle will not start, stops partway, leaves the door locked, smokes heavily, or leaves the oven dead afterward. 5 causes ### Range Oven Door Won't Close The oven door on the range hangs open a crack, sits crooked, springs back open, or will not latch for a clean. 6 causes ### Range Control Panel Not Responding The touch keys or knobs on the range do nothing, only some keys work, the display is blank or frozen, or it beeps without starting. 5 causes ### Range Error Code The range display shows letters, numbers or a flashing symbol, beeps, and stops the oven, a cooking zone or a clean. 6 causes ## Not every range breaks the same way. A gas range lights its burners with a spark, an electric one heats coils or elements under a smooth glass top, a dual-fuel range pairs gas burners with an electric oven, and an induction range heats the pan itself through a magnetic field. Find the one in your kitchen. [All range types](https://rangerepair.center/types/) ### Gas range Open flames on top and a gas-fired oven below, all fed by one supply line behind the range and lit by igniters rather than a match. ### Electric range Coil elements or radiant elements under a smooth glass top, with an electric oven below, all running on a dedicated 240-volt circuit. ### Dual-fuel range Gas burners on top and an electric oven below, the combination most professional-style ranges use, needing both a gas line and a 240-volt circuit. ### Induction range A glass top that heats the pan itself through copper coils and power boards, over an electric oven, with electronics doing almost all the work. Every kind we service ### All ranges, side by side The archive puts the 4 types against each other: how to tell which you own, what fails on each, and which manufacturers build them. How to tell yours What fails on each Who makes them Open the type archive Familiar brands. Expert care. ## For the brands in your kitchen. Independent repair service. Not affiliated with, authorized or endorsed by any manufacturer. Brand names and model numbers are the property of their respective owners and are used here for identification only, to describe the appliances we service. [All 32 brands](https://rangerepair.center/brands/) ## The repairs behind the symptoms Most people arrive knowing what they are seeing, not what is wrong. These are the jobs a visit usually turns out to be. [All 10 repairs](https://rangerepair.center/services/) diagnostic ### Diagnostic visit A visit that runs the burners, the elements and the oven in front of you and names the failed part before anything is ordered. low ### Burner and igniter repair Gas burners that will not light, keep ticking or burn with a weak, yellow or uneven flame, traced to the igniter, the spark switch, the module or the burner itself. low to moderate ### Surface element and glass top repair Electric zones that stay cold, run too hot or will not switch off, and cracked or damaged glass on radiant and induction models. low ### Bake and broil elements An electric range oven that stays cold, heats only from above or below, or will not broil, traced to the elements, their terminals or the relay that switches them. low to moderate ### Oven igniter and gas valve repair A gas range oven that is slow to light, never lights or will not broil, traced to the glowing igniter, the oven safety valve or the burner. low ### Temperature sensor and thermostat repair A range oven that bakes hot, bakes slow, takes forever to preheat or posts a sensor code, traced to the sensor probe, the thermostat or the calibration. moderate to highest ### Induction board and coil repair Induction zones that ignore the pan, cut out, post error codes or stay dead, traced to the coil, its sensors, the power board or the cooling fan. low ### Door hinge, gasket and lock repair An oven door that will not close, sits crooked, leaks heat, or stays locked after self-clean, traced to the hinges, the gasket, the glass or the lock. moderate ### Knobs, switches and controls Knobs that spin or crack, touch keys that do nothing, blank displays, clocks that reset and control boards that switch the wrong thing. low to moderate ### Convection fan repair A convection oven on a range that bakes unevenly, rattles, squeals or never starts its fan, traced to the motor, the blade or the convection element. For the heart of your home. ## Questions about the problems. ### My range is doing something that is not on this list. Do you still take the job? Yes. The list holds the complaints we hear most often, not every way a range can go wrong. Describe what you see, smell or hear when you book, and the technician starts there. ### The range shows two of these problems. Which one do I read about first? Start with the one that showed up first, because the second often grows out of it: a burner that keeps clicking after a spill is often the same burner that later refuses to light. Each problem page links to the ones it tends to travel with. ### Which of these count as emergencies? A gas smell, smoke or a scorched electrical smell, a burner or element that will not shut off, a crack in the glass top, and a breaker that trips when the range is on. How pressing each one is appears on its own page. A dim oven light, a slow boil or a knob that feels loose can wait for a booked visit. ### Can I keep cooking on the range until the technician comes? Only on the burners or the oven that still work normally, with no gas or scorched smell and a knob that still turns them off. Never use a cracked glass top. If you smell gas, leave and call the gas utility from outside; for anything electrical, switch the range off at the breaker. --- **[Read on the site: Range Problems — Symptoms and What They Mean](https://rangerepair.center/problems/)** **[Book a visit with RangeRepair.center](https://rangerepair.center/schedule/)**