Watch the igniter through the oven window during a lighting attempt — what it does tells you almost everything. It should glow increasingly bright over roughly 30 to 90 seconds, then the burner should light. An igniter that glows but never gets hot enough to open the gas valve, or one that never glows at all, is the most common single cause of a gas oven that will not light.
Watch the sequence, do not just wait
From a safe distance, with the oven door closed or per your model’s instructions, observe what happens when you attempt to light it:
| What you observe | What it suggests |
|---|---|
| Igniter never glows at all | No power to the igniter, or a completely failed igniter |
| Igniter glows but stays dim, never brightens fully | Weak igniter — common wear pattern, still failing |
| Igniter glows bright, burner never lights | Igniter not reaching temperature to open the gas valve, or a gas supply issue |
| Burner lights but goes out again quickly | Different fault — see our gas oven pilot-equivalent troubleshooting or contact an engineer |
| Clicking with no glow at all (spark ignition models) | Failed igniter module or spark electrode |
Common causes
| Cause | How likely | Typical sign |
|---|---|---|
| Weak or failed igniter | Very common | Dim glow, or glows but burner never lights |
| Gas supply valve closed | Common | No response at all, other gas appliances also affected |
| Tripped breaker (igniters are electric) | Common | No glow, no response whatsoever |
| Blocked burner ports | Occasional | Igniter works, weak or uneven flame once lit |
| Failed gas valve | Occasional | Igniter glows fully and correctly, still no gas flow |
| Control board fault | Uncommon | No ignition sequence begins at all |
What is safe to check
Switch off the breaker before removing any panel to look at the igniter or burner assembly more closely.
- Confirm the gas supply is open
Check the shut-off valve on the gas line to the range or oven, and confirm other gas appliances in the house are working — if none are, the issue is upstream of the oven.
- Check the breaker
Igniters run on household electricity even though the flame itself is gas — a tripped breaker stops the whole ignition sequence before it starts.
- Clean visible burner ports
If the igniter clearly glows and works but the flame is weak or uneven once lit, gently clean visible debris from the burner ports with a soft brush, with the oven off and cool.
- Note exactly what you observed
The pattern from the table above — no glow, weak glow, or full glow with no ignition — is the single most useful piece of information for whoever ultimately diagnoses this, whether that is you confirming a straightforward igniter swap or a gas engineer investigating further.
Where this stops
Observing the igniter, confirming the gas supply is open, checking the breaker, and cleaning visible burner ports with the gas off are reasonable homeowner-level checks. Replacing an igniter, adjusting or servicing the gas valve, and any work on gas connections belongs with a licensed gas engineer. If you smell gas at any point, stop entirely — see our dedicated gas smell guide.
When to call a gas engineer
Call a licensed gas engineer for igniter replacement, for a gas valve that does not open despite a fully glowing igniter, for burner assembly work beyond visible surface cleaning, or if you smell gas near the oven at any point during troubleshooting.
Stop and call a qualified appliance technician or electrician if you find scorched or melted wiring, smell burning, see water that has reached electrical components, or if the fault returns immediately after a repair. Never bypass a safety device — thermal fuses, door interlocks and flood switches fail for a reason, and defeating one converts a broken appliance into a fire or flood risk.
