Repairing Gas Cooktop Burners That Click Without Lighting

Most gas cooktops use electric ignitions to light the gas without matches. If you press the gas ignitor button, then the cooktop will click, this should cause the flame to light. If the flame doesn't light then this is probably because of a blockage in your cooker. If you have the right tools and enough time on your hands then you should actually be able to fix this problem yourself.

Step 1 - Remove the Burners

The first thing that you need to do is remove the burners from your gas cooktop. The method of doing this will vary depending on the type of cooktop you have. Some cooktops have covers over the top which first need to be opened so that the individual parts can be removed. Others have burners which can simply be lifted off the cooktop.

Remove all of the burners at the same time and take a look at the condition of the parts which are usually hidden. You might notice a buildup of grease and grime.

Step 2 - Wash the Burners

Any part which can be removed from the cooker should then be washed in warm soapy water. Concentrate on all of the small holes which are designed to let the gas out. The washing up liquid should be able to break the grease up and make the burners as good as new again.

Once the burners have been washed you should then leave them to dry for around five minutes. Once they are dry you can then continue with the steps below.

Step 3 - Clear Holes in Burners

The holes in the burners are very small and so you should clean them using a small pin or needle. The pin can be used to poke the debris out of the holes so that the burners allow the gas out easily.

Step 4 - Cleaning the Pilot

Once you have cleaned the boiler you should clean the pilot opening, this is the part that is under your burners. To clean this opening you should use a needle or thin piece of wire which can be bent into the necessary shape. Try to clear the nozzle of any grease or debris.

Step 5 - Reassemble

After this you have finished cleaning the gas burners and this should make it much easier for gas to get out of the burner, which will in turn make it easier for the burners to be lit. Make sure that you reassemble all of the parts of your gas cooktop how they were arranged before.

Each ring will probably be a different size which should make it easy to locate the burners in the correct place.

Step 6 - Testing

When you have finished cleaning your cooktop burners and reassembling everything you should check that it now works. Try lighting your burner as normal and check that it lights. If the burner still doesn't light then there could be another problem, perhaps there is something wrong with the ignition system itself.

Learning how to troubleshoot ignition problems for your cooktop will make it much easier to prevent the problem from happening again in the future. You will also save yourself a fortune in professional repair fees.