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A gas cooktop burner clicking with a small spark and no flame, an empty pan above it.

Why the cooktop behaves that way

Common problems
guides.

What a cooktop is telling you when a burner ticks without catching, a glass zone glows only on high, an induction zone ignores the pan or the flame turns lazy and yellow.

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Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm

  • Three guides
  • Read before you book
  • Says where to stop

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Common problems,
guide by guide.

This section starts from what a cooktop owner actually notices standing at the counter: a burner that ticks and ticks without catching, a glass zone that blinks dark on high, an induction ring that flashes and leaves the pan cold. Each guide explains what the cooktop is doing and why, across gas, radiant, coil and induction tops and pro rangetops, whatever the brand on the trim.

All 18 guides
A gas cooktop set into a speckled granite counter in a US home kitchen, a single burner cap set aside on a folded towel beside its bare slotted head and white ceramic igniter, drawers closed below.
6-minute read

Why a cooktop burner clicks but won't light, from the cap to the downdraft

Wet ports, a cap on the wrong head, a closed shutoff in the cabinet, air in a new line, a cooktop lock or a downdraft vent tugging the flame off the igniter: sorting them by sound.

A black radiant glass cooktop set into a pale quartz counter in a US home kitchen, one zone glowing orange-red beneath a stainless saucepan and the zone beside it dark, drawers closed below.
5-minute read

Why a radiant cooktop element blinks off or never turns red

The limiter that switches a zone off even on high, low settings that heat without glowing, dual rings, a warped pan, a lock or half a breaker, and the point where the element itself has failed.

A black induction cooktop set flush into a white quartz kitchen island in a US home, a stainless skillet centered on one printed ring and a small magnet stuck to the base of a second pan lying upside down beside it, drawers closed below.
5-minute read

Why an induction cooktop ignores a pan: magnet, size and center

The magnet test, the magnetic disc that is smaller than the pan, centering on the ring, thin or warped bases, a cooktop that overheats in a tight cabinet, and what the flashing display means.

Why the cooktop behaves that way.

Several of these behaviors are designed in, like a radiant limiter switching off to protect the glass or an induction board refusing a pan it cannot heat, and knowing that saves a visit. Where the answer is a part, we say which one and where it sits: under the burner box, beneath the glass, or in the cabinet below the counter.

Read these when the cooktop has started doing something new, before booking and before buying anything. If you smell gas, skip the reading: get everyone outdoors and ring the gas utility from there.

Not sure where to start?

The short answerWhy a cooktop burner clicks but won't light, from the cap to the downdraft

When a cooktop burner clicks but won't light, the spark is working and the gas is not catching: a wet or crooked cap, blocked ports, a closed shutoff under the counter, air in a new line, an active cooktop lock or a downdraft vent pulling the flame away.

The short answerWhy a radiant cooktop element blinks off or never turns red

Radiant cooktop element cycling is normal: a limiter under the glass switches the ribbon off and on, even on high, so the glass does not overheat, and low or warm settings heat without glowing red.

The short answerWhy an induction cooktop ignores a pan: magnet, size and center

An induction cooktop not detecting pan is usually reacting to the cookware: a base a magnet will not grip, a magnetic disc smaller than the zone's minimum, a pan off center, or a warped or thin bottom.

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
  1. 01Each burner and zone, tried in turn
  2. 02The price, before any part is fitted
  3. 03The usual parts in the van
  4. 04Repaired, then cooked on

The problems
these answer.

Each has a page of its own, with the causes in the order worth checking.

All 17 problems
A stainless gas cooktop set into a granite countertop in a US home kitchen, a hand lifting a burner cap to reseat it, the grate set aside on a folded towel and every knob off. Problem

Cooktop Burner Won't Light

6 causes, cheapest first

 A close view of a gas burner on a black cooktop set into a white quartz countertop, a tiny blue spark jumping from the ceramic electrode beside an unlit burner, its grate lifted aside. Problem

Cooktop Igniter Keeps Clicking

5 causes, cheapest first

 A close view of a lit gas burner on a stainless cooktop set into a dark granite countertop, the flame lazy and yellow-tipped on one side beneath an empty steel pan with soot on its base. Problem

Cooktop Flame Yellow or Uneven

6 causes, cheapest first

 A quiet US home kitchen with a stainless gas cooktop set into a stone countertop, every burner dark and the grates empty, the back door open to a sunny yard where the family stands together outside. Gas, fire, broken glass or live current

Cooktop Gas Smell

5 causes, cheapest first
A parent and a teenager stirring a pan together over a gas cooktop set into a kitchen island
For the heart of your home.

Questions about
common problems.

Do these guides cover one brand of cooktop?
No. They explain how each kind of cooktop works and fails across makers, quoting a manufacturer only where its own support page or manual backs a specific point.
What if my cooktop's problem is not listed here?
Try the symptom pages, which cover more behaviors in shorter form, and the troubleshooting guides for checks that apply to any cooktop. A diagnostic visit covers the rest.
Can I use these guides for a pro-style rangetop?
Yes. A rangetop's burners, igniters and gas supply work the same way as a gas cooktop's, and where a rangetop differs, such as dual-ring burners or a griddle, the guides say so.

The other
sections.

Split by what you are trying to find out rather than by which part of the appliance it concerns.

All guides
A finger touching the lock key on a black glass cooktop's control strip, the display blank.
Cooktop checks you can safely make

Troubleshooting

A razor scraper held flat against a black glass cooktop, lifting a dried spill.
Keeping the cooktop out of trouble

Maintenance and prevention

A kitchen with a gas cooktop switched off and every knob at off, the back door propped open to air the room.
When to stop using the cooktop

Gas, fire and burn safety

A gas cooktop and an induction cooktop set side by side into one long counter, both clean and off.
Which cooktop suits the kitchen

Choosing and comparing

An empty rectangular cutout in a stone countertop, a cooktop resting on padding beside it.
Set up to last

Installation and setup

Not sure which section?

Start from your question

The four questions most visits start with, each with the guide that answers it.

18 guidesWhere to start Where to start

Back to your everyday

Let’s get your cooktop working again.

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