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Repair guide · Tigard

Gas Stove Burner Won't Light? What to Check in Tigard

Updated 10/29/2026

A gas burner that clicks but will not light is most often wet, clogged or not put back together right. GE and Whirlpool both list the same first causes: water from a spill or a cleaning, food in the burner ports, and a burner cap that is not sitting flat on its base.

A burner that does not click at all is a different problem: no power to the igniters, or a control lockout on some models. And a burner that will not light while the others work points to that burner alone.

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Stove & range repair

  • If you smell gas, do not light anything and do not touch a switch. Leave the home and call your gas utility or 911 from outside.
  • Turn every knob off and let the burners cool before you touch them.
  • If a burner has clicked for a while without lighting, air the kitchen before you try again.
  • Unplug the range, or switch off its breaker, before you clean around an igniter.
  • Do not remove the cooktop or open the range. A home check ends at the grates, the caps, the burner heads and the knobs.

Tigard homes on natural gas get it from NW Natural. A burner that clicks without lighting is not a leak in itself, but while its knob is on it lets out gas that is not burning, so turn it off before you look for the cause.

If you smell gas, NW Natural's advice is to leave the home even if the smell seems mild, not to touch switches on the way out, and to call from outside: NW Natural at 800-882-3377 at any hour, or 911. On propane, call your propane supplier.

Dry it out

After a boil-over or a cleaning, the burner will keep clicking until it is dry. Take off the grate, the cap and the burner head and let them dry; Whirlpool suggests a hair dryer on cool aimed at the burner and the knob area to speed it up.

Seat the cap

The cap must sit flat on its base with very little play, and on many ranges each cap fits only its own burner. A medium cap on a small burner, or a cap a little crooked, keeps the flame from lighting evenly.

Clear the ports

Clear food from the burner ports with a straight pin or a thin wire, without widening the holes. Whirlpool warns against wooden toothpicks, which can break off inside.

The igniter

Wipe the small ceramic igniter dry with a paper towel. On GE ranges an electrode that has lifted can be pressed down with a gentle clockwise twist until it sits flush.

The knob position

Many igniters spark only with the knob turned to Lite. Turn it there, wait for the flame, then turn it down.

No click at all

Check the breaker and that the range is plugged in. Some models start in a control lockout after a power loss; Whirlpool gives holding the lock key for three seconds to release it.

Moisture, clogged ports or a cap out of place in most cases. If the burner is clean, dry and assembled right and still will not light, the gas valve or the igniter needs a look.

The gas and the power reach the range, so the cause is in that burner: its cap, its ports, its igniter or its switch.

Check that the gas valve behind the range is open and that other gas appliances work. After new installation or a gas shut-off, Whirlpool notes that air in the line can take a moment to clear once a burner is turned on.

  • Igniter: cracked, so the spark jumps to the wrong place.
  • Burner switch on the valve: worn or wet, it sparks at the wrong time or not at all.
  • Spark module: no spark on any burner, or sparks that never stop.
  • Burner base or cap: warped or cracked, so it never seats.
  • Gas valve: a clean, dry burner with a good spark still does not light.
  • A burner that is clean, dry and seated still does not light.
  • No burner clicks with power on and no lockout.
  • Clicking that does not stop with every knob off.
  • A yellow, lifting or uneven flame.
  • Any smell of gas: leave, and call from outside first.

Stove & range repair

Book a range repair

  • Book online: choose the appliance, describe the problem and pick up to three times that suit you.
  • We confirm one of your times by phone or text. You are not booked until we do.
  • We come to your home, test the range and find the cause.
  • You get the price before any repair begins. We repair it with your approval; if a part has to be ordered, we come back to fit it.

The diagnostic visit costs $89. If you go ahead with the repair, the $89 is applied toward it; if you decide not to repair, the $89 covers the diagnosis.

Our work and the parts we install carry a 90-day warranty. The terms are printed on your invoice.

What appliance repair costs

We repair gas ranges and stoves at home in Tigard and across the Portland metro area. Enter your ZIP code when you book and the form checks it right away.

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The facts on this page come from these sources, checked when the page was written.

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