Match your symptom to narrow down the likely cause before calling us.
These checks are safe for homeowners. Do not attempt to open sealed refrigerant systems, touch electrical components behind access panels, or work on gas lines — always call a licensed technician for those.
If you smell gas strongly near your oven — do not operate any switches, do not use your phone near the appliance, do not light anything. Leave the house, leave the door open as you exit, and call your gas company from outside. A gas leak is an emergency. Call HomeHeroes only after the gas company has cleared the situation.
Behind or beneath the range is a gas shutoff valve. The handle should run parallel to the pipe to be open. If it's perpendicular (across the pipe), it's closed. This is the only gas component a homeowner should interact with — and only turn it if you're confident it was accidentally closed.
On gas ranges, the small holes in the burner ring can clog with food debris. If a surface burner ignites inconsistently, remove the grate and burner cap, clean the burner head with a toothpick and dry cloth, and confirm the cap is seated fully flat. Never use water to clean a burner — let it dry completely before relighting.
Set the oven to Bake at 350°F and open the broiler drawer (or remove the bottom oven panel) to observe the oven igniter. It should begin glowing within 30 seconds and the burner should light within 90 seconds. A weak glow that stays orange without igniting confirms a weak igniter.
A brief, faint smell of gas during the first 1–2 seconds of an ignition attempt is normal — that's the gas flowing before the igniter lights it. The smell should disappear immediately when the burner ignites. If the gas smell persists for more than a few seconds, or you can smell it continuously near the oven, stop using it and call for service.
A functioning igniter should glow bright orange-white and ignite the burner within 30–90 seconds. A weak igniter glows a dimmer, redder orange — it's producing heat but not enough electrical current to pull open the gas valve bimetal. The flame never appears. Timed from glow to ignition, anything over 90 seconds typically means a weak igniter.
Technically, replacing the igniter itself doesn't involve gas lines — the igniter is an electrical component that simply heats the gas valve. However, in North Carolina, working on gas appliances is regulated and doing it incorrectly can void your homeowner's insurance. We recommend having a licensed technician replace gas oven igniters.
Gas ovens have two separate igniters — one for bake (bottom burner) and one for broil (top burner). When the bake igniter fails and the broil igniter is still good, you'll have exactly this symptom: broil works, bake doesn't. The two are independent components and are replaced separately.
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