Stove & Range Maintenance: Burners, Igniters & Common Failures
Stoves and ranges are mostly simple — burners, igniters, knobs, a control board — but small problems make daily cooking miserable. Here's how to maintain yours and the failures that actually need a tech.
Maintenance recommendations
Gas burners: clean weekly
Pull the burner caps and rings, soak them in warm soapy water, and use a toothpick to clear the igniter holes. Food debris in the igniter port is the #1 cause of nonstop clicking.
Glass cooktops: clean while warm, not hot
Use a cooktop cleaner (Cerama Bryte, Weiman) and a non-scratch pad. Never use abrasive cleansers or steel wool. Sugar-based spills (jam, syrup) must be scraped off while warm — they etch the glass permanently if they cool.
Electric coils: lift and clean the drip pans
Coils lift right out — clean the drip pans monthly. Burnt-on food on drip pans is a fire risk and ruins their reflectivity.
Check knobs for cracks
A cracked knob can let you turn gas on without lighting it. Replace any knob that won't click into 'Off' positively.
Use the right pan size
On gas, the flame should never extend past the bottom of the pan — that damages the burner head over time. On electric/induction, match pan diameter to the burner.
Most common failures
Gas burner won't ignite
Clogged igniter port (clean first), failed spark module, or wet igniter from a spill. Multiple burners clicking constantly = bad spark module.
Electric coil won't heat
Bad coil (test by swapping with another burner of the same size), failed infinite switch, or a burnt receptacle the coil plugs into.
Cracked glass cooktop
Unfortunately not repairable — the whole cooktop assembly needs replacement. We can quote it.
Clicking won't stop
Food/moisture in an igniter port, or a failed spark module. Until we get there, turn the breaker off — continuous clicking can drain the module.
Burner heats too hot or too low
Failed infinite switch (electric) or a gas valve that needs adjustment.
Knobs broken or stuck
Worn knob shaft (plastic stems break with age) or a failed valve stem. Both replaceable.
When to call a technician
Gas smell, yellow flames instead of blue, or a burner that won't turn off — turn off the gas at the shutoff and call us. Glass crack on an induction or smooth cooktop is also a stop-using-it issue.