Gas Burner Won't Light
You turn the knob. You hear the gas hiss. Click, click, click — and nothing. Or maybe you get no click at all, just quiet. Meanwhile dinner is sitting on the counter getting cold. A gas burner that won't light usually comes down to three or four things, and a couple of them you can sort out yourself in the next ten minutes.
- Safe checks only
- All major brands
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- A real person answers
- Open 7 days
- Written quote before work starts
Taking calls until 5:00 PM CT
What the symptom is actually telling you
A gas burner needs three things at the same moment: gas at the port, a spark or flame to light it, and a clear path for both. Pay attention to which one is missing. Clicking with no flame means spark is fine and gas or the port is the problem. Gas smell with no clicking points at the igniter or the switch under the knob. No hiss and no click usually means power or supply. One burner acting up is a burner problem. All of them at once is a shared part. That one detail saves a lot of guessing.
Spilled food and clogged ports — start here
This is the cheapest cause and the most common one. Boil-over gravy, bacon grease, and pancake batter bake into the little holes ringing the burner head. Gas can't get out evenly, so it lights on one side or not at all. You'll often see a lazy yellow flame that crawls halfway around. Same story with the igniter tip — a crust of dried food blocks the spark. Around here, cooktop vents also pull in fine clay dust that settles into everything. Cleaning is free and takes fifteen minutes. Try that before you call anybody, including us.
Ignition problems: weak spark, no spark, wet spark
The igniter is the little ceramic post beside the burner. If it clicks but the click sounds thin, or it clicks on the wrong burner, the spark module or the wiring is likely tired. Water is another culprit. After a heavy cleaning or a big steam pot, moisture in the igniter can make it click nonstop without lighting anything. Give it a few hours to dry out. Storm-season power surges are hard on ignition modules too — we see plenty of cooktops that quit clicking the morning after a bad thunderstorm rolled through.
Gas supply and control valves
If nothing hisses when you turn the knob, gas isn't reaching the burner. Check the obvious first: is the range knob fully turned, is the gas on at the house, did anyone bump the shutoff behind the stove during a cleaning or a move. Propane tanks run out. Beyond that, you're into the valve body and the safety valve, and that's technician territory. Do not take apart anything on the gas side. If you smell gas and it doesn't clear fast, shut the knob, open a window, step outside, and call your gas utility before anyone else.
Safe checks you can do — and where we take over
Safe list: wipe the burner head and igniter tip with a dry brush, clear the port holes with a straightened paper clip, make sure the burner cap sits flat and seated, unplug the range for one minute and plug it back in, confirm the wall outlet has power. That's it. Anything past that means panels, gas fittings, or live spark voltage. When we come out, we test the spark module output, check the safety valve, meter the switch under each knob, and look at whether a surge cooked the control board. We repair all major brands as an independent shop. Call us and tell us exactly what you hear when you turn the knob.
FAQ
Short answers to the questions we get most often on this one. If yours isn't here, call us and describe the sound and the smell — that's usually enough for us to know what part to bring.
Gas Burner Won't Light — quick answers
Can I light a gas burner with a match if the igniter is dead?
On many older ranges, yes, briefly. But if gas flows without a working igniter, something in the safety chain may be off. Do it once to finish dinner if you must, then get it repaired.
Why does one burner click when I turn a different knob?
Usually a shorted switch under the knob or a wet spark module sending voltage down the wrong wire. It's an ignition system fault, not a gas fault, and it needs testing behind the panel.
My burner lights, then goes out after a minute. What's wrong?
That points at the flame safety sensor. It has to feel heat to keep the valve open. A dirty or failing sensor shuts the gas off as a precaution. Cleaning helps sometimes; replacement often follows.
How it works
- Step 1
Tell us the symptom
Call us or fill out the form. Describe what you hear, smell, or see. Buzzing, leaking, no heat. Plain talk is fine. We ask a few questions and set a visit window.
- Step 2
We come look
A technician arrives in the window, pulls the unit out, and tests it. No guessing games. We explain what failed and why, in words that make sense on your back porch.
- Step 3
We fix it
Common parts ride with us, so many repairs finish the same visit. If a part must be ordered, we tell you plainly and schedule the return before we leave your driveway.
- A real person answers
- Open 7 days
- Written quote before work starts
Questions worth asking any repair company
Ask these of anyone you let into your home — us included. Call and we'll answer all five before you book anything.
- 1Ask for their license numberThen verify it with your state licensing board rather than taking it on trust.
- 2Ask for proof of insuranceLiability cover protects you if something goes wrong in your home.
- 3Get the quote in writingIncluding the trip fee, whether it's credited against the repair, and parts.
- 4Ask how they handle callbacksIf the same fault returns, what happens? Get the answer before work begins.
- 5Check their own reviewsLook the business up independently — their Google profile, not just what they tell you.
Why homeowners call us
- Storm-season surge damageLightning and blinking power hurt control boards. An oven that lights up but won't heat, a washer that dies mid-cycle. We test boards and wiring before replacing anything, so you know what the surge actually took out.
- Clay dust and lintRed clay dust and lint choke dryer vents and condenser coils. Long dry times, hot laundry rooms, fridges running nonstop. We check airflow every visit, because a clogged vent kills a good machine slowly.
- Straight talk, no runaroundWe say what's wrong and what it takes to fix. If a machine is worn past sense, we say that too. You decide. No pressure, no jargon, no upsell dressed up as advice.
- Independent and localWe're a Nashville crew, not a call center. We repair all major brands as an independent shop. You reach real people, and the person who answers knows the roads we drive.
- All major brands, gas & electricWhirlpool, Samsung, LG, GE, Maytag, Bosch, KitchenAid and more — as an independent repair company.
- Straight answersIf it isn't worth repairing, we'll say so — often on the phone.
About this guide
If the safe checks didn't fix it, the fault is real
Describe what you found and we'll take it from there — booking takes about a minute.
- A real person answers
- Open 7 days
- Written quotes
- All major brands
- Gas & electric
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