Hob not igniting: causes and what to check

Hob jal nahi raha? A built-in hob has three systems that must all work at once: power for the spark (from the mains or from a battery, depending on the model), gas reaching the burner, and a safety device that keeps the gas flowing once the flame is lit.

If you can smell gas at any point, stop. Do not press the knob again and do not switch anything on or off. Close the regulator or the PNG valve, open the doors and windows, and read what to do in the first minute before anything else.

Listen first: is there a click?

Push a knob in and turn it to ignition. What you hear sorts it:

• No click on any burner. The ignition is not getting power, or the spark module has failed.
• A click on some burners but not on one. The fault is at that one burner: its electrode (the small white ceramic pin next to the burner), its wire, or the switch behind its knob.
• A click and a spark, but no flame. The ignition is fine. Gas is not reaching the burner, or is reaching it in the wrong place.

A burner that lights while you hold the knob in and dies when you let go is not an ignition fault: it is the flame-failure device, explained in our piece on burners that go out when you release the knob.

No click at all: the power side

Built-in hobs sold in India make their spark in one of two ways. Some plug into a socket in the cabinet under the counter. Many others, including a lot of Indian-made hobs, run the spark from a single 1.5 volt battery. Find out which yours has first: look for a round battery cap under the front edge of the hob or on the ignition box in the cabinet below, and for a cord running to a socket. The manual says too.

Battery ignition, with every knob off:

1. Unscrew the cap and fit a new cell of the same size as the old one, usually AA or D, the right way round. A half-used cell can click without lighting gas.
2. Look at the contacts. White or green crust means the old cell leaked; wipe it off with a dry cloth. A contact that is eaten away or loose means the holder needs replacing.

Mains ignition, in this order, without opening anything:

1. The switch on that socket. It is easy to knock off while cleaning the cabinet.
2. Whether the socket has power at all. Plug a phone charger or a lamp into it. If that is dead too, look for a tripped MCB.
3. Whether the plug is pushed fully in.

On either kind, a hob that was just cleaned may simply be wet: water down the knob spindles stops the spark until it dries, so leave it overnight. If a fresh battery or a live socket, a dry hob and still no click on any burner, the ignition module is the likely fault. It sits under the hob, next to the gas valves, so it is a technician job. Do not open the hob yourself.

A hob that clicks non-stop even with every knob off has a stuck ignition switch, usually from liquid that got under a knob. Switch it off at the socket, or take the battery out, and leave it that way until it is looked at. Constant sparking wears the module and is dangerous if there is ever a leak.

One burner silent: the electrode

When the other burners click and one does not, look at that burner’s electrode with the hob cold. Milk boil-overs, dal spills and tadka oil bake onto the ceramic and the tip, and the spark jumps to the grime instead of the burner.

What is safe: with the hob switched off at the socket (or the battery out) and cool, wipe the electrode with a dry cloth or dry, soft toothbrush. No water, knife or wire brush, and do not bend it. Wipe the underside of the burner cap, set it back flat and try again.

A cracked or loose electrode, or one whose wire has come off, needs replacing by a technician.

Spark but no flame: the gas side

A healthy spark that lights nothing means the gas is not there. If it is every burner, check the supply first: the regulator is on and the cylinder is not empty, or on piped gas the valve near the hob and the one at the meter are open. Then two things that are particular to hobs:

• The knob press. On most hobs gas only flows while the knob is pushed in. Push it fully in, then turn. A half-press gives a spark with no gas.
• The burner cap. On a hob the cap has to sit exactly on its base. If it is crooked, gas comes out on the far side and the spark never meets it.

Keep each attempt short: a few seconds, then the knob off, then a minute’s wait so gas from the failed attempt can clear. Never hold a lighter to a burner that has been failing, because gas collects in the burner body and lights all at once. If only one burner sparks with no flame, its jet (the small brass nozzle under the burner) is probably blocked. A pin pushed into it enlarges the hole for good, so leave it for a technician.

What a technician does on a hob ignition visit

• Tests the battery holder or the power supply, the ignition module and each electrode and its wire
• Isolates the gas, then clears or replaces blocked jets with the right tool
• Tests the flame-failure device on every burner
• Checks the gas connection under the counter with a soap solution before handing the hob back

Clear the cabinet under the hob before the visit. A visiting charge applies, and the technician tells you what any part will cost before fitting it.

A note on brands

The checks above apply to every gas hob. For Sunflame and Prestige hobs, our pages on Sunflame hob repair and Prestige hob repair list the faults we see most. We are an independent service, not any manufacturer’s authorised centre, so if your hob is still under the maker’s warranty, call the maker first.

If you have done the safe checks and the hob still will not light, book a hob repair visit and tell us which pattern you saw and whether your hob has a battery or a plug, so the technician brings the right part.