Repairing a gas oven that won't light can be quite a bit trickier than fixing the same issue in an electric oven. Indeed, some tasks should only be completed by a Gas Safe (formerly CORGI registered) engineer - working on a gas appliance when you're not qualified to do so can be dangerous, and in many cases, you may actually be breaking the law by doing so.
Still, if your gas oven won't light, there are a few things you can try before calling in a professional gas engineer to fix the problem for you...
How can I fix my gas oven?
- Check the power supply. If your gas oven won't light, remember that gas ovens still need electricity to work, so the first thing to do is make sure that your cooker is plugged in and that there's nothing that could be interrupting the power supply. Is the power cable in good condition? Is it soundly connected to the appliance itself? Is the power switched on at the wall? These may seem like stupid questions, but you'd be surprised by how often a broken cooker turns out to be merely an unplugged cooker!
- Check the gas supply. If the electricity supply is present and correct, it may be that there's no gas coming to your oven which is causing your gas oven to not light. If your cooker has gas hobs as well as a gas oven, there's an easy way to check this: simply fire up one of your hobs. If the hobs are working fine, it means there's something wrong inside the oven itself; if the hobs won't ignite either, it's probably an issue with the gas supply. Check your gas isolation valve to make sure the supply is actually on, then check that there are kinks or obstructions in the gas line itself.
- Buy a new ignition generator. If your gas oven still won't light after you've verified that there's nothing wrong with the electricity and gas supplies, the most likely explanation is that you need a new spark generator. Click the button below to browse our Ignition Generators & Switches department: Check Out Our Range Of Ignition Generators & Switches
Good luck with your oven-fixing efforts, and remember not to attempt any repairs yourself if you're unsure of what you're doing. When in doubt, always call a professional - it's safer and far less likely to result in further oven malfunctions!
