A stovetop burner won't light or heat

Q: A stovetop burner won't light or heat

In Canada, when a stovetop burner won't light or heat, the most common fixes are free. On a gas burner that clicks but won't catch, the burner head or igniter is usually just dirty or wet, or the cap is off its seat — clean it, dry it, and reseat the cap squarely. On an electric coil, the element or its plug-in socket often just needs reseating. Turn a clicking gas burner OFF and let the gas clear before retrying — don't let unlit gas build up. A weak spark module, a clogged gas port, or a smooth-top control fault is a licensed appliance/gas job. If you smell gas, stop, shut everything off, ventilate, and if it's strong leave and call your gas utility.

A dead burner is usually a five-minute fix — most often the burner head just needs a clean and a dry, or the cap nudged back into place.

tuneWhat are you noticing?

Select anything that matches and the checklist below reorders to fit. Not sure? Skip it.

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In Canadian kitchens with a glass smooth-top or induction cooktop, rule out the simple things first: induction needs flat, magnetic cookware (a fridge magnet should stick to the pan's base), and many tops lock out or fault if a control is mis-set. If the cookware is right and a reset doesn't help, a control or element fault is a licensed appliance repair.

Ranked from real-world failure data. The order updates as you select what you’re noticing above.

Likely causes, in the order to check them

Showing the typical order

Beginner-friendly Doable, with care Safety-critical Call a pro

visibilityHow to check

report Turn the gas off and let it clear firstA burner that clicks without catching is releasing unlit gas. Before you clean or retry, turn the knob fully OFF and give the gas a minute to disperse — don't sit there clicking. Work with good ventilation and keep other flames away, and if you smell gas at any point, stop and follow the "I can smell gas" step. If any of this feels beyond you, a burner clean-up is a quick job for an appliance tech.

Turn the burner knob fully OFF and wait a minute for any unlit gas to clear before you touch anything — sitting there clicking with gas flowing lets it build up.
Lift off the burner cap and grate and look at the igniter (the small ceramic-tipped electrode beside the burner) and the ring of flame ports. Grease, food, or water bridging the gap stops the spark or blocks the flame.
Dry everything completely — a wet igniter won't spark — clear each port with a straightened pin or soft brush, seat the cap squarely so its notches line up, and try once. If it still clicks without lighting when clean, dry, and correctly seated, move up to the spark-module cause.

buildNo tools schedule15 min

handymanHow to fix it

With the burner off and cool, lift off the cap and grate, wash grease and food off the burner head, dry it completely, clear each flame port, seat the cap squarely over the igniter, and test once.

Turn the burner OFF and let it cool, then lift off the grate and the burner cap.
Wash the cap and burner head in warm soapy water, scrubbing grease off the ports and the igniter tip; rinse and dry completely — a wet igniter won't spark.
Clear any blocked flame ports with a straightened pin or a soft brush; avoid a toothpick or anything that could snap off inside a port.
Set the cap back squarely so its notches line up and it sits flat, then turn the burner on once. A clean, dry, correctly seated burner usually lights right away.

schedule15 min savings$0–10

gavel Check your province first AB: homeowner may do this · BC: homeowner may do this · ON: homeowner may do this · PE: homeowner may do this · QC: homeowner may do this
Cleaning and reseating your own gas burner head is routine homeowner maintenance in every province.

visibilityHow to check

With the knob off and the element cool, gently wiggle the coil where it plugs into the socket at the edge of the burner — a loose or arced connection is a common no-heat cause.
Lift the suspect coil straight out (they unplug) and look at the two prongs and the socket for black pitting, burn marks, or melted spots.
Swap the suspect coil into a known-good spot of the same size. If the trouble follows the coil, the element is bad; if it stays with the spot, the socket/receptacle is at fault.

buildNo tools schedule10 min

handymanHow to fix it

Unplug the suspect coil, clean or inspect the prongs and socket, reseat it firmly, and if the element or receptacle is pitted or burnt, replace the matching part for your model.

Make sure the knob is off and the coil is cool, then lift the coil straight up to unplug it from the socket.
Look at the two prongs and inside the socket: light discoloration can be gently cleaned, but black pitting or melted plastic means the part is done.
Reseat a good coil firmly and test on medium heat. If it heats evenly, you're finished.
If a prong or the socket is burnt, replace the coil element (or the plug-in receptacle) with the matching part for your model, then test again.

schedule20 min savings$0–40

Plug-in coil surface elementMatch the coil diameter (usually 6" or 8") and the terminal/plug style to your cooktop model

gavel Check your province first AB: homeowner may do this · BC: homeowner may do this · ON: homeowner may do this · PE: homeowner may do this · QC: homeowner may do this
Replacing a plug-in coil element or receptacle is routine homeowner maintenance; it is not gas or fixed-wiring work.

verifiedWhy this one goes to a pro

A weak igniter module and a clogged burner gas port both mean working on the gas path and leak-testing afterward. In Canada that's a job for a licensed appliance technician or gas fitter — the service call is small next to the cost of getting gas wrong. Have them confirm and fix it rather than opening up the gas assembly yourself.

gavel Check your province first AB: licensed professionals only · BC: licensed professionals only · ON: licensed professionals only · PE: licensed professionals only · QC: licensed professionals only
Servicing the gas igniter module and burner port is licensed gas work; use a certified gas technician / licensed gas fitter.

Your notes travel with the request — what you saw, what you ruled out, when it started — so the pro arrives with a head start instead of a mystery.

sort

Why the list is in this order

We don’t sort by likelihood alone. We sort the way a good, honest tradesperson thinks: rule out the free, safe, common causes first. That’s why the cheap checks outrank the expensive repairs — and why anything dangerous gets a hard stop instead of a pep talk. The order exists to save you money, not to sell you anything.