Cooktop
Burner Won't Light
The igniter clicks but the gas never catches, the burner lights only after several tries, or nothing happens 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 cooktop burner needs three things at the same moment: gas at the ports, a spark at the electrode, and a cap sitting square so the flame can travel around the ring. On a built-in cooktop the spark comes from a module mounted under the burner box, powered from an outlet or junction in the cabinet below, and each knob closes a small switch that tells it to fire. When one burner will not light, the cause is usually simple: a cap off center, ports still wet from cleaning, or an electrode crusted with spilled food. When no burner clicks at all, look to power or the module; when one burner clicks and will not catch, look to that burner.
The 6 causes, cheapest first
Answer these first
Do you hear clicking from the burner that will not light?
Do the other burners light normally?
Did it begin after cleaning the cooktop or after a boil-over?
Is there a visible spark at the white ceramic electrode beside the burner?
Is the cooktop on natural gas, or was it converted to propane?
Check these
before you book.
Cooktop burner won't light: 5 checks, and none of them costs anything.
Lift off the grate and cap, let the burner dry fully, and reseat the cap so it sits flat.
If you smell gas while the burner fails to catch, turn the knob off, leave the house and call the gas utility from outside.
Listen for the click and look for a spark at the electrode of the burner that will not light.
Also worth checking
- With the cooktop off and cold, brush the electrode tip clean with a dry toothbrush.
- If no burner clicks at all, check that the cooktop's breaker is on before booking.
How soon does it need a visit?
A burner that will not light is not an emergency by itself, and the other burners can be used meanwhile. It becomes one if gas keeps flowing unlit and the odor builds: turn the knob off, leave, and call the gas utility from outside.
The causes,
cheapest first.
6 things cooktop burner won't light turns out to be, from burner cap off its seat to low pressure at the regulator or supply.
The cost guide-
01 no repair
Burner cap off its seat
A cap that is not seated flat blocks some ports and keeps the spark from meeting the gas. Set it back so it cannot rock.
-
02 no repair
Wet or clogged burner ports
Water from cleaning or a boil-over sitting in the ports stops gas from flowing evenly. Let the burner dry completely, and clear a blocked port with a straightened paper clip rather than a toothpick that can snap off inside.
-
03 low
Crusted or cracked spark electrode
Grease on the electrode tip weakens the spark, and a crack in its ceramic lets the spark jump to the burner base instead of across the gas.
-
04 low
Broken spark switch on one valve
Each gas valve carries a small switch that signals the module to spark. When it breaks, that burner stays silent while the others still click.
-
05 low to moderate
Spark module not firing
When no burner clicks at all, the module under the cooktop, or the power reaching it from the cabinet below, is the likely cause.
-
06 varies
Low pressure at the regulator or supply
If every burner lights weakly or not at all, the regulator under the cooktop, a partly closed shutoff or the supply itself may be to blame. Anything on the supply side is for the gas utility or a gas fitter.
What else
it could be.
Most often confused with cooktop igniter keeps clicking, then cooktop flame yellow or uneven.
All problems
The makes
it happens on.
29 makes on this site; cooktop burner won't light can show up on any of them. Each mark opens that make's own page.
All 29 brandsCooktop 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
cooktop burner won't light.
Can I light a cooktop burner with a match during a power outage?
Why did my burner stop lighting after I cleaned the cooktop?
Only one burner fails to light. Is it the spark module?
Does a pro rangetop light differently from a cooktop?
Back to your everyday
Still seeing cooktop burner won't light?
Book with what you checked above — 5 answers save the technician the first part of the visit.