10 Common Reasons Why Your Gas Stove Is Not Working

1. Lack of Gas Supply

When your gas stove isn't working, gas supply issues are a common culprit. Here are three things to check:

1. Verify the gas supply valve is open: Sometimes the gas supply valve gets accidentally turned off, cutting off the gas flow to your stove. Locate the gas supply valve, typically found behind the stove, and ensure it is fully open.
2. Check to see if other gas appliances work: Verify that you home has an adequate gas supply by checking the operation of the gas clothes dryer and water heater. If none of your gas appliances work, contact the utility company or your gas supplier to restore your home’s gas supply.
3. Examine the gas pressure regulator: The gas regulator controls the gas pressure to your stove. If the stove top burners work but not the oven, check the position of the service gas shut-off valve on the pressure regulator. Make sure that the tab is in the “on” position as shown in the image below.

Addressing these gas supply issues can potentially resolve the problem with your gas stove not working. If these steps don't solve a gas supply problem, schedule range repair service to have a Sears Home Services technician visit your home and fix the stove.

2. Lack of Electrical Power

If the control panel won’t light up and the oven light doesn’t work, the stove may not have electrical power. Check the house circuit breaker for your stove and reset the breaker if it’s tripped.

If the breaker isn’t tripped, make sure that the power cord is plugged securely into the electrical outlet.

If the stove is plugged in and breaker isn’t tripped, check the outlet for electrical power. Plug a night light or other small electrical item into the outlet to see if it works. If the outlet doesn’t have power, have an electrician fix the outlet.

3. Dirty Surface Burners

Food spills on the surface burner heads can prevent the electrodes from igniting the burners. With the burners cool, clean the burner heads to make sure the ignition port is clear so the surface burners light properly.

Here’s a video that shows how to clean the burners including the ignition port on the burner heads:

If you need to have a Sears Home Services technician visit your home and clean the surface burners so they ignite properly, schedule range maintenance and cleaning service. We'll send a tech to your home to inspect, clean and maintain your gas stove so that it works smoothly and lasts longer.

4. Faulty Igniter Electrode

When some of your surface burners won’t light, a wet, dirty or broken igniter electrode could be causing the problem.

Unplug the stove and check the non-working igniter electrodes for deposits or spill that could be preventing the spark from jumping to the burner head. Clean the igniter electrode (and burner head) if necessary.

If the igniter electrode is cracked or damaged, replace it. Here’s an illustrated repair guide that shows how to replace the igniter: How to replace a range spark igniter electrode.

5. Bad Spark Ignition Module

The spark ignition module sends current to the surface burner electrodes when you turn a burner control knob to the “Lite” position. When the ignition module is working properly, you’ll hear ticking noise as current flows to the igniter electrodes and ignition sparks jump from the electrode to the burner head.

When you near no ticking when attempting to light surface burners, a bad spark ignition module could be causing the surface burner ignition failure.

A service technician will typically need to determine whether the spark ignition module in your gas stove is bad because accurate diagnosis often requires live voltage checks to see whether the spark igniter is getting electrical current from the burner control switches. Schedule gas stove repair to have a Sears Home Services technician diagnose and fix your range if burners aren’t igniting properly and you suspect a bad spark igniter is causing the failure.

If you suspect that the spark ignition module is bad and you want to replace that part yourself without expert diagnosis by a technician, you can follow the illustrated procedure in this DIY repair guide to install a new spark module: How to replace a range spark module.

Note: The location of the ignition spark module in gas stoves is in various locations such as under the cooktop on the right or left side of the range instead of at the back of the range as shown in the above repair guide. Refer to the parts list diagram for your range to determine the spark module location if it isn’t behind the back panel as shown in the above repair guide.

6. Failed Burner Ignition Switch

When you don’t hear the ticking of the spark igniter as you turn a burner control knob to the “Lite” position, a bad burner ignition switch could be causing the problem. The burner switch sends electrical current to the spark ignition module which then sends current to the igniter electrode to spark and light the burner.

A failed burner ignition switch will also cause the stove to make the ignition ticking noise constantly.

On many ranges, the replacement ignition switches and their wire harness that connects to the spark ignition module are all one complete part assembly and you can’t buy a burner switch separately. Check the parts list diagram for your range to determine whether you can replace a single burner ignition switch or the burner switches are only available as a complete assembly.

If the replacement part is only available as a complete burner ignition switch assembly, then you’ll need to unplug the range, shut off the gas supply and replace that part when a single switch won’t ignite a burner or when you hear the stove ticking constantly because a burner ignition switch is stuck in the ignition mode.

Replacing a gas stove burner ignition switch assembly is a fairly complicated repair to complete on your own. If you are considering tackling this repair yourself, review this illustrated procedure to determine whether you think you can complete the repair on your own: How to replace a range spark igniter switch. Only attempt this repair if you’re completely confident that you can safely complete the repair on your own. Unplug the stove and shut off the gas supply before attempting the repair on your own.

If you’re not completely confident that you can complete this repair on your own, schedule appliance repair and we’ll send a Sears Home Services technician to your home to fix the burner ignition failure.

7. Defective Oven Burner Igniter

When an oven burner won’t ignite, the most likely cause of the problem is a bad igniter. Often, the igniter will glow but won’t get hot enough to allow enough current to flow to the switch on the safety gas valve. When the safety gas valve doesn’t get enough electrical current through the circuit from the burner igniter, the valve won’t open and the burner won’t light.

To accurately understand, diagnose and repair an oven burner ignition failure in your gas stove, view this popular DIY YouTube video:

If you’re fairly certain that a bad igniter is preventing an oven burner from igniting, replace the igniter. Always unplug the stove and shut off the gas supply before beginning any DIY repair.

If you’re not completely confident in your technical ability to diagnose and repair an oven burner ignition failure on your own, schedule gas stove repair service and we’ll send a Sears Home Services technician to your home to fix the problem.

8. Oven Temperature Sensor Failure

If the oven isn't heating to the baking temperature you set — it's too hot or not hot enough — the oven temperature sensor could be malfunctioning. Or the problem could be with the electronic oven control board, which controls oven functions.

You can test the oven temperature sensor probe by unplugging the range and measuring sensor probe resistance using a multimeter. It should measure about 1,080 ohms of resistance through most probes at room temperature.

Note: If you don’t measure 1080 ohms of resistance through the oven temperature sensor probe and you think that the normal room temperature resistance for your sensor is different, refer to the tech sheet for the oven temperature probe's resistance specification for your gas stove. (You can likely find the tech sheet in the control console or taped to the back of the range.)

See more details about safely testing the oven temperature sensor in the section below that covers the F10 error code. (A faulty temperature sensor can cause the F10 error code on some types of gas stoves.)

Replace the oven temperature sensor probe if the multimeter doesn't measure the correct resistance through the probe. Here’s a DIY video that shows how to replace the oven temperature sensor probe:

If the probe is okay, you might need to replace the electronic oven control board or the sensor probe wire harness may be damaged.

If you’re uncertain that you can safely diagnose and repair a problem with the oven temperature sensor on your own, schedule oven repair service and we’ll send a technician to your home to fix the problem.

9. F10 Error Code

Frigidaire, Electrolux and Kenmore gas stoves display the F10 error code when the electronic oven control board has detected a runaway temperature.

It's possible that your range is not heating to the temperature that you set it to, or that the control board may be reading the temperature sensor signal incorrectly. You may need to replace the electronic control board or the temperature sensor. This popular DIY YouTube video shows you what to do if your range is displaying the error code F10:

As always, if you’re not confident that you can safely complete this diagnosis and repair on your own, schedule gas stove repair service to have a professional technician fix your range.

10. Defective Electronic Oven Control Board

When the oven control on your gas stove won’t light up but you know that the stove is getting electrical power because functions such as the surface burner igniters work, a bad electronic control board could be causing the failure.

Unplug the range and check the wiring connections on the electronic control board. Reconnect any loose wires and repair any broken wires.

If you find no problems with the wiring connections, check the circuit board for damage such as burn marks. If the control board has visible damage or won’t power up even though wiring connections are okay, you can likely fix the stove by replacing the electronic oven control board.

Here’s a video that shows how to replace the electronic oven control board in a common type of gas stove:

Have a service technician repair the stove if you’re not completely confident that you can replace the electronic oven control board on your own.

There you have it. The 10 most frequent failures that occur on gas stoves. If you’re encountering a different type of problem, schedule gas stove repair service and we’ll send a Sears Home Services technician your way to fix the range.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I fix my gas stove igniter that keeps clicking?

A stuck igniter switch is causing the constant clicking. Unplug the stove and shut off the gas supply. If your stove uses an entire assembly of ignition switches which includes the wire harness as a replacement part, replace the igniter switch assembly to fix the stuck igniter switch. If individual igniter switches are available for your range, isolate the bad ignition switch by unplugging the range, shutting off the gas supply and disconnecting the wires from one ignition switch at a time. Tape the ends of the wires with electrical tape to prevent them from shorting to each other or metal in the stove. Plug the power cord back in to see if the clicking continues after disconnecting the wires from each switch. Once the clicking stops, you know that you’ve found the faulty ignition switch. Replace that part to fix the problem. Have a service technician find and replace the faulty switch if you’re unable to diagnose and repair the problem on your own.

How to clean a spark igniter?

Unplug the range and allow the burners to cool. Remove the cooking grate and wipe the electrode tip of the igniter with a moist cloth. Let the igniter electrode dry completely then reinstall the burner grate and test the igniter to see if it sparks and lights the burner properly.

How do I know if my gas stove ignitor is bad?

For a surface burner igniter, the igniter electrode is likely bad if all of the other igniter electrodes work and a single electrode isn’t working. You may be able to see a crack or damage on the electrode that isn’t working. For an oven igniter, if the igniter glows but the oven burner doesn’t ignite, then the igniter is likely bad because it’s not heating enough to allow enough current to flow through the safety gas valve to open that valve.

How can I clean my gas oven igniter?

Unplug the stove or oven to disconnect electrical power. Remove the bottom oven cavity panel to access the igniter. Remove the mounting screw and pull the igniter away from the oven burner. Don’t touch the igniter electrode element with your fingers because oil from your fingertips will cause the igniter to fail prematurely. Gently brush the igniter using a soft, dry toothbrush or similar brush. Use a toothpick or bamboo skewer to gently clean off stubborn debris. Reassemble the oven and test the igniter. If the oven burner fails to ignite, replace the igniter.