My Gas Oven Won’t Turn On, but the Stove Works

If your gas oven won’t turn on but the stove still works, you’re in the right place.

Thankfully, most of the time this problem is caused by either a problem with your power, the gas, the gas igniter, the burners, or in rare cases the temperature control thermostat.

In this article, we will give you step-by-step instructions for how to find the cause of the problem and fix it so that you can get back to using your oven again.

Let’s get into it.

Step 1 – Check the Power

The first step is to ensure your oven is getting power to it. Even though your oven is gas-powered, it still requires electricity for the timer and other components to be able to operate.

To check the power, you simply need to:

1. Check that the circuit breaker hasn’t tripped. You can do this by inspecting the circuit breaker in your fuse box. Depending on your setup, you might have a dedicated breaker for your oven or one for your kitchen appliances.
2. If the circuit breaker has tripped, you can turn it back on. You can then check if this solves the problem.
3. If the circuit breaker is ok, check that the power socket is working—you can try the oven in a separate power socket to check this out. If the power socket is faulty, it will need to be repaired. If the power is fine, move on to step 2.
4. If the circuit breaker continues to trip, then it will need to be repaired by a qualified electrician.

Step 2 – Check the Gas Supply

The next step is to check the gas supply. Sometimes the gas supply can get impeded and not get through to your oven.

To check the gas supply:

1. Check that the main gas valve is turned on. If not, turn it back on.
2. Check all of the other gas supply valves, such as those on the branch lines.
3. If the gas is fine, move on to step 3.

Step 3 – Check the Igniter

The next step is to check the gas igniter. This is the most common cause of an oven not working even while the stove does. Sometimes the igniter can simply wear out over time, or it can break for other reasons.

To check the gas igniter, you need to:

1. Turn the power off to the oven by turning the circuit breaker off. Before proceeding, make sure that the oven is off by checking that the clock and oven light are not working.
2. Remove all of the oven racks and the tray at the bottom of the oven so you can access the gas burner and the igniter.
3. Check the igniter coil and the element for any signs of damage or discoloration, which are good signs that they may need to be replaced.
4. Turn the power back on.
5. You can then turn your oven on and set the oven to heat.
6. When the heating cycle starts, check the igniter to see if it glows bright orange. If it does glow orange but the gas doesn’t ignite, this means the gas igniter will need to be replaced. If the igniter does work, the problem might be caused by another faulty component—move on to step 4 to keep checking components.

To replace the gas igniter, you’ll need to:

1. Order the correct replacement gas igniter for your oven.
2. Once you have the replacement igniter, turn the power off to the oven.
3. Remove the racks and the bottom tray so you can access the igniter.
4. Remove the gas igniter—this simply involves removing a couple of screws, and then it should come out.
5. You can then attach the new igniter.
6. Once attached, test to see if it works by turning your oven on again.
7. If it works, then you can start to use your gas oven again!

Step 4 – Check the Element/Burners

If the gas igniter is working, the problem might be that the gas elements or burners are blocked. The easiest way to check them is to take them out and check that they aren’t blocked in any way. If they are, give them a clean and then put them back into the oven and see if this solves the problem. If not, move on to step 5.

Step 5 – Replace the Temperature Control Thermostat

The next component to check if you still haven’t found the cause of the problem is the temperature control thermostat. The purpose of this component is to monitor the temperature inside the oven and then cycle on the heat when the oven temperature gets too low. If the temperature control thermostat becomes defective, it can stop your oven from turning on. This doesn’t happen often, but if the igniter is working, your best option might be to simply replace the temperature control thermostat and see if that solves the problem.