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.
Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm
- 5 checks before you book
- 5 questions that narrow it
- 6 causes, cheapest first
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What it
usually means.
A gas burner lights when gas leaving the ports around its head meets a spark from the igniter tip beside it. For that to happen the burner cap must sit flat, the ports must be open, the igniter must be clean and dry, and the spark module must send power when the knob is pushed and turned. Most burners that will not light have trouble with one of the first three, usually after a boil-over or a cleaning. When no burner sparks at all, or every burner lights poorly at once, the cause sits further back: the spark module, the power to the range, or the gas supply itself.
The 6 causes, cheapest first
Answer these first
Does the burner click without lighting, or is there no click at all?
Is it one burner, or every burner on the range top?
Did it start after a spill, a boil-over or washing the caps and heads?
Do the other burners light normally when you try them?
Is the oven on the range lighting as usual?
Check these
before you book.
Range burner won't light: 5 checks, and none of them costs anything.
Never leave a knob on while a burner clicks without lighting; turn it off after a few seconds.
If you smell gas at any point, leave the home and call the gas utility from outside.
With the knob off and the burner cool, lift the cap and set it back flat and centered on the head.
Also worth checking
- After a spill, dry around the igniter with a cloth and wait until everything is fully dry before trying again.
- Check whether the other burners and the oven light, and tell us when you book.
How soon does it need a visit?
A burner that will not light is not usually urgent, but gas that flows without lighting is. Do not let a knob sit on while it clicks, and at the first hint of a gas odor go outside and phone the gas utility from there. Otherwise use the burners that light normally and book a visit.
The causes,
cheapest first.
6 things range burner won't light turns out to be, from burner cap sitting crooked to gas not reaching the range.
The cost guide-
01 no repair
Burner cap sitting crooked
A cap left off center after cleaning blocks some ports and throws the gas away from the igniter. Seating it flat on its head is often all it takes.
-
02 no repair
Clogged burner ports
Food, grease and cleaner can fill the small holes around the burner head, so gas leaves on the far side only, or too little of it reaches the spark to light.
-
03 no repair
Wet or dirty igniter tip
After a boil-over the igniter tip can be coated or damp. It sparks to the wrong spot, or the spark is too weak to light the gas, until it is clean and dry.
-
04 low
Cracked igniter or loose igniter wire
The white ceramic around an igniter tip can crack and let the spark leak to the frame. A wire that came loose under the range top gives no spark at that burner at all.
-
05 low to moderate
Failed spark module
The module sends pulses to every igniter at once. When it fails, no burner sparks, or all of them spark weakly.
-
06 varies
Gas not reaching the range
If no burner lights and the oven stays cold too, the supply to the range may be off or weak. The supply side belongs to the utility or the installer; we confirm it before replacing any part.
What else
it could be.
Most often confused with range burner keeps clicking, then uneven range burner flame.
All problems
The makes
it happens on.
32 makes on this site; range burner won't light can show up on any of them. Each mark opens that make's own page.
All 32 brandsRange Burner Won't Light,
where we come out.
9 metros, each with its own page.
All service areasTampa BayFL · 31 areas
Miami / South FloridaFL · 47 areas
New York MetroNY · 75 areas
HoustonTX · 36 areas
ChicagoIL · 50 areas
Los AngelesCA · 95 areas
San DiegoCA · 31 areas
Questions about
range burner won't light.
Why does my burner take several clicks before it lights?
It stopped lighting right after I cleaned the range top. What happened?
None of the burners click. Is that the igniters?
How should I clean clogged burner ports?
Back to your everyday
Still seeing range burner won't light?
Book with what you checked above — 5 answers save the technician the first part of the visit.