How To: Troubleshoot a Defective Cooktop

Often, cooktops become malfunctioning due to igniter troubles. Warning! Don’t start fixing your cooktop unless you turn off and disconnect your cooktop. If the flame just won’t light on your gas cooktop, there could be a few things going wrong. First, make note of what happens when you try to light the burner. Normally, you should hear a clicking noise and be able to smell gas coming out of the valves. If you hear the click but don’t smell anything, the problem is likely with the gas flow. If you smell gas but don’t hear any clicking, the issue could lie with the ignition switch. Clean out any loose food debris and reconnect any wires that may have come loose. If that doesn’t solve it, you will likely need a new igniter or some work on your gas connection. If you don't hear gas hissing out at the gas burner your appliance may be out of fuel - a condition more likely if your fuel is LP gas supplied from a tank. If your appliance uses piped-in natural gas from a utility company it's still possible that the gas supply has been shut off. If that's the case then none of the gas appliances in your building will be working. If so your cooktop does not use an electronic igniter and you should not be looking for a sparking or clicking sound. But if your burners won't light the pilot light could be out. If none of the igniters spark check for a power failure. Check that the appliance is plugged in and that its circuit breaker or fuse is on or intact. Of course, you may simply invite a technician to diagnose the appliance for you – especially keeping into account that the diagnostics of the gas and electric units might be risky for the owner’s life. No need to tempt fate, give us a call instead!