Stove burners won’t ignite (burners click but won’t light)

When a customer calls me and says, “The burner keeps clicking but it won’t light,” I already know the situation. You’re turning the knob, you hear rapid ticking, maybe you smell a little gas, but you never get flame. On a commercial line that means lost tickets, lost time, and a stressed-out cook standing there with a pan that’s going cold.

In this post I’ll walk through:

why a gas burner won’t ignite,
what’s actually failing (in plain English),
what you should not do,
and how we fix it during service.

This applies to commercial ranges, cooktops, and stoves. Same basic story whether it’s a 6-burner line range on a hotline or a heavy-duty stock pot burner in prep.

Main symptom: stove burner keeps clicking but won’t light

Here’s the classic pattern I see:

You turn the knob.
You hear fast “tick tick tick tick…”
Gas is definitely on.
No flame, or the flame lights in one spot and dies.

That constant clicking means the ignition system is trying to spark. The burner wants to ignite, but something in the gas / air / spark triangle is off.

There are three usual causes.

Cause #1: Blocked burner ports / clogged orifices

Commercial kitchens breathe grease. Every shift, tiny fat and food particles settle into the burner ports and the orifice (the little opening that meters gas into the burner head).

After a while, gas can’t flow evenly. You’ll get one weak jet of gas instead of a clean ring. The igniter sparks, but the flame can’t “grab.”

What I do on-site:

Remove burner head and cap.
Clean the ports and orifice properly.
Clear carbon and cooked-on sauce without gouging the metal.

Important: Do not stick paperclips, toothpicks, or drill bits into those holes. I see this all the time. You oval the port, distort the flame shape, and then you’ve got a burner that runs yellow, overheats the grate, and keeps tripping safety.

When the ports are cleaned right, gas comes out smooth and even, and most burners will light instantly again.

Cause #2: Igniter / spark module issue

When you hear that rapid clicking, that’s the spark module firing voltage to the igniter tip. For reliable ignition, the spark needs to jump to the burner surface, right where the gas comes out.

Here’s what goes wrong:

The igniter tip is dirty or coated in carbon.
The ceramic around the igniter is cracked and leaking voltage.
The igniter is bent or sitting too far away from the burner cap.
The spark module itself is getting weak.

My process:

Clean and re-seat the igniter so the arc lands exactly where the gas first exits.
Inspect wiring and insulation — commercial heat cooks wires over time.
Test the spark module output. If it’s weak, we replace it.

When the igniter is aligned and strong, you should not need 10 seconds of clicking. You should get flame in under a second.

Cause #3: Wrong air–fuel mix

Even with clean ports and a good spark, the flame won’t hold if the air–fuel mix is off.

Too much air:

You hear gas, you see spark, but the flame “blows away” instead of catching.
Burner lights and then pops off.

Too little air:

Flame is lazy, mostly yellow, and doesn’t want to stay lit.
You might get soot under pans.

On commercial burners, air is usually set by an adjustable shutter at the burner intake. Gas flow can also be restricted if valves are sticking or partially blocked.

During service, I tune the air and gas so the flame is:

Blue, tight, and even
Not lifting off the burner
Not rolling and burning up the side of the pan

That tuning matters. Bad combustion isn’t just annoying — it wastes fuel, overheats the top, and in extreme cases will set off high-heat safeties and shut down the line in the middle of service.

Can you keep using a burner that won’t ignite?

Here’s what I tell kitchen managers:

If you smell raw gas and it’s not lighting: turn that burner OFF. Do not keep clicking and “hoping it’ll catch.” Unburned gas in a closed kitchen is not a joke.
If you’ve been lighting it with a lighter for weeks: that’s a sign of another problem (weak igniter, blocked ports, or airflow). That’s not “normal.” You’re bypassing the safety of the ignition system.
If one burner is dead and the rest are fine: don’t ignore it. On a lot of commercial ranges, the same ignition module feeds multiple burners. One “annoying” burner today can become three dead burners tomorrow, right before dinner rush.

In other words, yes, you can limp — but you’ll pay more in downtime if you wait for total failure.

What we do during a service call

When we’re called for “burner won’t light / burner keeps clicking,” here’s the typical workflow:

Visual inspection. I check caps, heads, grates for warping or food buildup. I also look for cleaning chemical residue — harsh degreasers can leave a film that interferes with ignition.
Port and orifice cleaning. I clear the gas path so the flame can form a proper ring again.
Ignition system test. I clean and re-position igniters, check wiring, and test/replace weak spark modules.
Air–fuel adjustment. I dial in the mixture so the flame ignites fast and stays stable under a pan.

In most cases, you get same-day recovery — meaning, the burner goes from “click click click no flame” to “click WHOOMPH (blue flame)” before I leave.

How to avoid this problem coming back

You can’t avoid grease in a working kitchen, but you can avoid emergency calls.

Don’t soak burner heads in harsh chemical buckets overnight. You’ll corrode metal and ruin tolerances.
Don’t stick pins, nails, or knives into gas ports.
Wipe down around the igniter. Heavy carbon on that tip = weak spark path.
If you hear abnormal behavior (slow ignition, popping, flame going yellow), take that station out of heavy rotation and put in a ticket right away instead of “running it ‘til it dies.”

A burner that lights on the first click and holds a tight blue flame is not “nice to have.” It’s food quality, ticket time, and safety.

FAQ: stove burners won’t ignite

Why is my commercial gas stove clicking but not lighting?
Most of the time the burner ports are clogged with grease/food, the igniter is dirty or misaligned, or the air–fuel mix is off. All three prevent the gas from catching fire even though you hear the spark.

Is it dangerous if the burner keeps clicking with gas on?
It can be. If you smell gas and it still won’t light, turn it off. Don’t keep flooding the area with unburned gas and trying again.

Can I just light it with a lighter and keep cooking?
That’s a temporary band-aid, not a fix. You’re working around a failed ignition system. It usually gets worse, not better.

Do I need new parts or just cleaning?
Sometimes it’s just cleaning and adjustment. Sometimes the spark module or the igniter is cooked and needs replacement. We don’t guess — we test it.

How fast can a tech fix a non-igniting burner?
In most cases, cleaning the ports, servicing the igniter, and tuning the air/fuel brings the burner back the same visit.

Final note from a tech

A burner that won’t ignite isn’t “just annoying.” It slows your line, wastes gas, and can be unsafe if ignored. When we service it, the goal isn’t just “make it light once.” The goal is: turn knob, instant blue flame, stable heat, back to work. That’s what “normal” should look like.