Homeowners' pick for appliance repair across Texas
Gas Burner Won't Light
If a gas burner clicks but won't light, or lights and dies the second you let go of the knob, the problem is gas flow, ignition, or a safety sensor, and we sort out which one. Sometimes it's one burner. Sometimes it's every burner on the range. Either way it's aggravating when dinner is already thawed on the counter. Here's how we figure out what's actually wrong.
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By the Appliance Tech service team · reviewed by our working technicians
What the symptom is telling you
A gas burner needs gas at the port, a spark or flame to light it, and a clear path for that flame to spread. When it won't light, one of those is missing. The details matter. Clicking with no flame usually means gas isn't getting through, or the gas is there and the spark is landing in the wrong spot. No clicking at all points to the ignition side. A flame that catches then quits after a few seconds is a different animal, usually a safety sensor. Tell us which one you hear and we narrow it down fast.
Cause one: gunk in the burner ports
Blocked ports are the cheapest and most common cause, so that's what we check first. Boil-overs, grease, and spilled food dry into the little holes around the burner ring. Around Lubbock, hard water leaves scale behind too, especially if someone wiped the burner down with a wet rag. When the ports plug up, gas can't reach the igniter. You may see flame on one side only, or a weak yellow flame that won't spread. The igniter crusts over the same way. A clean burner cap and clean ports fix a surprising number of these calls with no parts at all.
Cause two: ignition, cause three: the gas safety valve
If nothing clicks, the spark side is suspect. That means the igniter electrode, the spark module, or the switch inside the knob that tells the module to fire. On some ranges, one bad igniter stops every burner from clicking. If the burner lights fine but dies the moment you release the knob, we look at the thermocouple or flame sensor. That part proves a flame exists so the valve stays open. When it weakens, the valve shuts for safety. Working right, that's the system protecting your house. Both jobs mean getting behind panels and near gas connections, which is where you stop and we start.
Safe checks you can do right now
Turn every knob off first. Then make sure the burner cap sits flat and centered, because a cap knocked off-kilter is a real fix people miss. Lift off the grate and cap and clean the ports with a straightened paperclip or a stiff toothbrush. No pins. No toothpicks that can snap off inside. Wipe the igniter dry with a cloth, since a damp igniter after cleaning won't spark. Check the other gas appliances in the house too. If your water heater is out, the gas supply is the issue and not the range. If you smell gas with the knobs off, leave the house and call your gas utility. Then call us.
What we do that you can't from the kitchen floor
We test instead of guess. A meter tells us whether the spark module is sending voltage and whether the switch in that knob is closing. We measure thermocouple output to see if it's still strong enough to hold the valve open, instead of swapping parts and hoping. We check gas pressure at the manifold and look at the orifices for correct size, which matters if the range was ever converted for propane. Wiring behind the console gets a look for heat damage. Then we put it back together, run every burner, and confirm the flame is steady and blue. Call us and tell us what you hear when you turn the knob.
Gas Burner Won't Light — common questions
Can I light the burner with a match until it's fixed?
On many older ranges, yes, once you've confirmed there's no gas smell with the knobs off. Light the match first, then turn the knob. Never do it on a sealed burner that won't shut off gas properly. When in doubt, don't.
Why do all my burners click at once?
Most ranges share one spark module across all the burners. A shorted or wet igniter on one burner can make the whole set fire continuously. Cleaning and drying that one burner often stops the clicking everywhere.
The oven works but no burner lights. Is that normal?
It's common. The oven usually has its own igniter and valve, separate from the cooktop, so gas is reaching the range fine. The trouble sits in the cooktop's spark system or the burner ports.
How it works
- Step 1
Tell us the symptom
Call us or fill out the form and describe what you hear, smell, or see. A noise, a leak, an error code, a burning odor. Give us the brand and rough age if you know them.
- Step 2
We come look
A technician shows up with common parts on the truck. We test the machine instead of guessing. Then we explain what failed in plain words, and what the repair takes, before anything gets opened up.
- Step 3
You decide, we repair
Nothing gets replaced without your go-ahead. Most repairs finish the same visit. If a part has to be ordered, we tell you straight and set a return time that works for your day.
- A real person answers
- Open 7 days
- Written quote before work starts
Why homeowners call us
- Hard water is our specialtyWest Texas scale wrecks dishwashers, ice makers, and water valves, and we see it daily. Spray arms clog. Heating elements crust over and inlet screens choke up white. We clean and replace the parts scale eats first.
- Built for Texas summersHeat pushes refrigerators and freezers hard. Condenser coils pack with dust, compressors run nonstop, and garage freezers quit in triple digits. We check cooling systems for heat load, not just for the obvious broken part.
- Plain talk, no runaroundWe tell you what died and why. If a machine is not worth fixing, we say so. You get the reasoning instead of a sales pitch, and you make the call yourself.
- Most brands, most machinesWashers, dryers, ranges, ovens, dishwashers, fridges, freezers. We work as an independent shop on all major brands, top load and front load, gas and electric. One call covers the laundry room and the kitchen.
- All major brands, gas & electricEvery major appliance brand, gas and electric, handled by an independent shop.
- Straight answersWhen a repair doesn't make sense, we tell you, sometimes before we even roll a truck.
About this guide
Checked everything on the list and it still acts up?
Report what you saw during the checks and we handle the rest. A minute to book.
- A real person answers
- Open 7 days
- Written quotes
- All major brands
- Gas & electric
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