With so many new appliances available, gas stoves and ovens are as simple to operate as ever. Gas flows in, the pilot stays lit, and a knob controls the flow of gas to the burner, lighting it when turned on. As easy as this may seem, sometimes gas stoves fail to light. Before having to call for oven repair, there are things that appliance owners can try first to light the oven.
Check Gas Flow
The first step is to test all burners and the oven to determine the source of the problem as follows:
- Element Problem – If none of the elements turn on, check the gas supply and be sure something hasn’t happened to stop the flow of gas. Many oven repair calls are the result of forgetting to take this simple step when the oven doesn’t work. If the flow can be restored, then relight the pilots and the appliance should work properly.
- Limited Problem – If the problem is limited to one burner or only the oven, then a disruption in the gas line leading to that burner or failure of a control part is likely.<
Inspect the Oven
Once it has been established that gas is available and flowing, inspect the parts that will not light to determine if an actual oven repair service call is necessary. There may still be some other, easy solution to the problem. Following are some of the issues to check for:
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Gas Odor – Is there a gas odor? An odor while burners are turned on can be normal; an odor while they are turned off indicates that there could be a leak.
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Burner Issue – For a burner issue, check to see if the pilot serving that burner is lit. If the pilot is lit but the burner is not, inspect the ignition tube since it may be clogged.
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Oven Issue – If the problem is only with the oven, open the broiler and pull out the broiler drawer, cover plate and flame extender according to the oven’s instruction manual. Using a flashlight, inspect the ignition system and look for either a pilot light or a filament that glows red when the oven is working. Knowing what to do next depends on the oven’s type of ignition system.
Clean, Relight, and Test
Based on the above findings, homeowners can take the following steps to clean, relight, and further diagnose where a problem may lie before calling for oven repair assistance:
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Burner – Relight the pilot feeding the burner tubes and try to light the burner. If it will not stay lit, the pilot tube could be blocked and in need of cleaning. Clean out the burner tubes and make sure there is a clear pathway for gas to flow, then try to relight the burner.
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Oven Pilot – Try to relight the pilot feeding the oven burner by holding a match to the pilot flame aperture for about ten seconds. If the pilot does not stay lit once the flame is removed, there is likely a problem with the thermocouple.
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Oven Burner – If the pilot stays lit, turn on the oven. The oven burner should ignite and produce an even flame all around. If this does not happen, there is a problem with the oven burner itself.
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Oven Filament – If the ignition system is the electronic filament type, turn the oven on (not the broiler) and let it heat up for about half a minute. It should turn glowing red-hot. If this does not happen, there is a problem with the electronic filament.
By using these troubleshooting tips, it is possible to easily determine the location of an oven problem and often correct it without having to call for an oven repair technician. Whether the problem is with the oven filament, burner, or pilot, a qualified oven repair specialist can be called to determine the source of the problem. As always, use caution when inspecting and lighting any kind of gas appliance. If the problem seems to be more than a simple fix, it is best to call a qualified oven repair service to handle the problem!
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