Gas Stove Repair Guide
For those who use gas stoves to cook, several issues can keep you from cooking. Fortunately, troubleshooting takes a few minutes. However, taking the necessary precautions is a must when trying to troubleshoot, maintain or repair a gas stove. The most common gas stove problems include:
The surface burner just won’t light
It’s common for gas stove owners to complain about surface burners that won’t light. The most likely culprits include clogged burner portholes or a defective ignition switch. Even so, you’ll want to confirm that your gas stove is correctly plugged in if it features an electric igniter. If the power is on and your circuit breaker hasn’t been tripped, a plugged-in gas stove that features an electric igniter is supposed to click repeatedly when the dial is set to light. If the stove does not produce a click, your ignition switch has probably malfunctioned. You should smell the gas if there’s a click but no flame, and if you don’t, then you probably have a gas flow issue. Either way, calling in a professional is the best option.
The oven burner doesn’t light
If you are experiencing this issue, start by checking the pilot light. In case the pilot light isn’t the cause, check the power cable, thermal cutoff, and thermostat if your gas stove has an electric igniter. Making sure your stove’s clock-timer is correctly set might be a solution. If all of these do-it-yourself solutions fail, contact a professional technician.
The pilot light goes out
Cleaning the pilot light opening might be the solution if the flame keeps going out. But if this doesn’t solve the problem, try adjusting the pilot light’s flame.
Gas odor
If you smell gas when the pilot flame isn’t lit, relight the pilot light only after you’ve ventilated the house. If you smell gas when the electric igniter is plugged in or when the pilot flame is burning, make sure all the burners are in the off position. If they all are, turn off the stove’s gas supply and call a gas stove repair company. Remember to ventilate the house.
Weak flame
If the flame appears less impressive than normal, clogged burner flame openings could be the problem. Less than the required amount of gas or air can lead to low-quality flames. If the air getting to the burner is not enough, adjusting the air shutter might solve the issue. Insufficient gas might be the problem if this does not work, in which case you should call in a professional technician.
Noisy flame
When there’s too much air or gas getting to the burner, a noisy flame is highly likely. You can tell whether too much air is the culprit by adjusting the air shutter. If it isn’t, you’d better leave it to the pros.
When testing a gas stove, you should never place your head near the stovetop nor should you assume the pilot light won’t work just because it has failed to in the past. You should, however, work in a well-ventilated area. A spark is all that gas needs to ignite and the flame produced by accumulated gas might be bigger than you’d expect. In addition to taking precautions and exercising fire safety measures, leaving your gas stove repair to the professionals is advisable.
While finding out what might be causing the problem is the first step to fixing your stove, working with a qualified and licensed technician is the second and most important step. If you need gas or electric stove repair services in Milwaukee and the surrounding areas, contact Dave’s Appliance Service for quick and affordable services.
Electric Stove Problems? See our Electric Stove Repair Guide blog post. mAlso see Signs Your Stove Might Need a Repair.
