--- title: "Stove Problems — Symptoms and What They Mean" description: "Every stove problem we are called about, from a stove that won't turn on to a burner stuck on high or an oven that stays cold, what each one usually means, and…" url: "https://stoverepair.center/problems/" --- Start with the symptom # Stove problems, symptom first. Every symptom we are called out for, traced to the causes that actually explain it — cheapest first. Start from what you are seeing rather than from what you think is broken. ## Needs a visit now A stove that smells of gas, throws sparks from a burner socket, keeps a burner on high after the knob is turned to off, sends smoke out of the back panel or gives a tingle when you touch it is a danger in the busiest corner of the house, so these problems are listed first, each with its usual causes from cheapest to costliest. If you can smell gas, do not flip a light, touch the breaker panel or use a phone inside: take everyone out and call the gas utility from outdoors. If there is no gas, turn the stove's breaker off from the panel, well away from the stove, and keep hands off a coil or socket that sparked. On a burning pan, slide a lid on and turn the heat off; water only spreads it. [Book a visit](https://stoverepair.center/schedule/) Gas, fire, sparks or a burner stuck on ### [Stove Smells Like Gas](https://stoverepair.center/problems/stove-smells-like-gas/) You walk into the kitchen and catch the rotten-egg smell of gas around the stove, at the knobs, low by the oven drawer or from the gap behind it, whether you are cooking or not. Causes, cheapest first 1. A knob sitting a notch past off *no repair* 2. Connector strained when the stove was pulled out *varies* 3. Oven burner slow to light *low to moderate* [All 5 causes and what to check](https://stoverepair.center/problems/stove-smells-like-gas/) Gas, fire, sparks or a burner stuck on ### [Stove Sparking](https://stoverepair.center/problems/stove-sparking/) A bright flash, a crackle or a shower of sparks comes from a coil burner, from under the glass, from the oven element or from behind the stove, sometimes with a pop and a burnt smell. Causes, cheapest first 1. Foil touching a burner or element *no repair* 2. Coil burner not seated in its socket *low* 3. Coil burner split along its surface *low* [All 6 causes and what to check](https://stoverepair.center/problems/stove-sparking/) Gas, fire, sparks or a burner stuck on ### [Stove Burner Stays on High](https://stoverepair.center/problems/stove-burner-stays-on-high/) One burner heats at full power whatever the knob says, glows red when it should be off, or keeps a big flame that turning the knob does not bring down. Causes, cheapest first 1. Knob loose on its shaft *lowest* 2. Burner switch stuck on *low to moderate* 3. Wires fused behind the control panel *moderate* [All 5 causes and what to check](https://stoverepair.center/problems/stove-burner-stays-on-high/) Gas, fire, sparks or a burner stuck on ### [Stove Smoking](https://stoverepair.center/problems/stove-smoking/) Smoke rises from a burner, pours out of the oven vent, drifts up from behind the stove or seeps from the control panel, with or without a pan on top. Causes, cheapest first 1. Grease or oil burning in a pan *no repair* 2. Spills burning off drip pans or the oven floor *no repair* 3. A new stove burning in *no repair* [All 6 causes and what to check](https://stoverepair.center/problems/stove-smoking/) Gas, fire, sparks or a burner stuck on ### [Stove Shocks When Touched](https://stoverepair.center/problems/stove-shocks-when-touched/) You feel a tingle or a jolt when you touch the stove's door handle, the stovetop, a knob or a pan on a burner, sometimes only when you are also touching the sink or standing barefoot. Causes, cheapest first 1. Missing or loose ground at the power connection *moderate* 2. Heating element leaking to the stove body *low to moderate* 3. Wire rubbed through against the frame *moderate* [All 4 causes and what to check](https://stoverepair.center/problems/stove-shocks-when-touched/) ## Everything else we are called out for None of these involves a gas smell, sparks, smoke or a burner that refuses to turn off, so a booked visit is soon enough. Each page lists the checks an owner can safely make while the stove waits for a technician. [The repairs behind them](https://stoverepair.center/services/) ### Stove Won't Turn On Nothing happens anywhere on the stove: no burner heats, the oven stays cold, the clock and lights are dark, or the display lights up but nothing will start. 6 causes ### Stove Burner Not Working One burner stays cold or will not light while the others work, or it heats only part of the time and a pot on it never comes to a boil. 6 causes ### Stove Clicking The stove keeps clicking: the gas burners go on making their tick-tick-tick sound after the burner has lit, clicks with every knob off, or clicks on all burners when only one is turned on. 7 causes ### Gas Stove Won't Light None of the gas burners will catch: you hear clicking with no flame, or there is no click at all, or the burners lit yesterday and now nothing happens. 6 causes ### Stove Flame Too High or Too Low A gas burner's flame roars higher than it should, sits so low it will not boil water, turns yellow and lazy, or will not stay lit on the lowest setting. 6 causes ### Stovetop Not Heating The burners on an electric, glass or induction stovetop stay cold or warm up only a little, sometimes all of them and sometimes two on one side, while the oven below may still work. 6 causes ### Oven on My Stove Won't Heat Up The burners on top work, but the oven underneath stays cold, heats only a little, or never reaches the temperature you set. 6 causes ### Oven on My Stove Runs Hot or Cold Recipes take much longer or much less time than they should, cakes burn on the outside and stay raw inside, or an oven thermometer disagrees with the display by more than a little. 7 causes ### Stove Knob Broken or Loose A knob spins without doing anything, wobbles, falls off in your hand, has cracked, or will not turn at all, so you cannot set a burner or the oven properly. 6 causes ### Stove Door Won't Close The oven door on the stove hangs open a crack, closes crooked, springs back open, or will not stay shut and lets heat pour out while you bake. 6 causes ### Stove Display Blank or Flashing The clock and display on the stove have gone dark, or they flash the time, a word or a string of characters and ignore the keys you press. 6 causes ### Stove Error Code The stove shows letters and numbers, a flashing symbol or a short message, beeps, and the oven or a burner stops or will not start. 8 causes ## Not every stove breaks the same way. A gas stove lights its burners and its oven with a spark, an electric stove heats coils or ribbons under a smooth glass top, an induction stove warms the pan itself through the glass, and a heritage stove such as an AGA or a La Cornue is built of cast iron and enamel to last generations. Pick out the one standing in your kitchen. [All stove types](https://stoverepair.center/types/) ### Gas stove A stove with gas burners on top, whether its oven below runs on gas too or on electricity, fed by one gas line behind it and plugged into a wall outlet for the spark. ### Electric stove A stove that runs entirely on electricity through a heavy cord and a large outlet behind it, with coil burners that lift out or a smooth glass stovetop with elements under it. ### Induction stove A stove with a flat glass top that heats the pan itself through a magnetic field, run by touch keys and power boards, with an electric oven underneath. ### Heritage stove Classic stoves built the old way, from AGA cast-iron heat storage stoves to French and Italian enamel stoves with brass trim, kept for decades and repaired rather than replaced. Every kind we service ### All stoves, side by side The archive puts the 4 types against each other: how to tell which you own, what fails on each, and which manufacturers build them. How to tell yours What fails on each Who makes them Open the type archive Familiar brands. Expert care. ## For the brands in your kitchen. Independent repair service. Not affiliated with, authorized or endorsed by any manufacturer. Brand names and model numbers are the property of their respective owners and are used here for identification only, to describe the appliances we service. [All 32 brands](https://stoverepair.center/brands/) ## The repairs behind the symptoms Most people arrive knowing what they are seeing, not what is wrong. These are the jobs a visit usually turns out to be. [All 10 repairs](https://stoverepair.center/services/) diagnostic ### Diagnostic visit A visit that cooks on your stove the way you do, burners on top and the oven below, and finds the part that failed before anything is ordered. low to moderate ### Stove burner repair Gas burners on a stove that light weakly, burn unevenly or will not hold a steady flame, fixed at the cap, the burner head, the orifice or the valve behind the knob. low ### Igniter and spark switch repair Gas stove burners that tick without lighting, keep ticking after they light or tick with every knob off, traced to the electrode, the spark switch or the spark module. lowest ### Coil burner and socket repair Coil burners on an electric stove that stay cold, flicker or work only when moved, fixed at the coil, the socket it plugs into or the wiring behind it. moderate to highest ### Glass stovetop repair Smooth glass stovetops on electric and induction stoves with a cold circle, a cracked or chipped top, or a hot-surface light that stays on, repaired under the glass or with a new top. low to moderate ### Stove oven heating repair The oven part of a stove that stays cold, heats slowly or bakes too hot or too cool, fixed at the bake and broil elements, the oven igniter, the gas valve or the temperature sensor. low ### Knob and switch replacement Stove knobs that are cracked, loose or spin in place, and the switches behind them that leave a burner stuck on high or dead, replaced at the knob, the stem or the switch. moderate ### Control board and display repair Stoves with a blank or flashing display, touch keys that do not answer, codes that keep returning or a stove that will not turn on, traced to the board, the keypad or the power to them. low ### Stove door and hinge repair Oven doors on a stove that will not close, drop open, sit crooked or leak heat, fixed at the hinges, the door seal, the glass or the door lock. low ### Gas and power hookup check A check of what connects your stove to the house, the gas valve and connector or the cord and outlet, plus the anti-tip bracket, when a stove is moved, replaced or has sat unused. For the heart of your home. ## Questions about the problems. ### What my stove is doing is not on this list. Do you still take the call? Yes. Only the problems we hear about most have a page; plenty of others get booked every week. Describe the sound, the smell, the flame or the glow in the booking notes, and the technician starts from there. ### My stove has two of these problems at once. Where do I start reading? With the one that showed up first, because the second often grows out of it: a burner that kept clicking after a spill is often the same burner that later refuses to light. Every problem page links to the ones it tends to come with. ### Which stove problems should not wait for a booked visit? A gas smell, sparks from a burner or the cord, smoke or a hot-wire smell, a burner that will not turn off, and a stove that gives a tingle when touched. Each page says how urgent its problem is. A slow boil, a wobbly knob or a clock that keeps blinking can wait for the appointment. ### Is it safe to keep using the burners that still work? Only the ones that light, heat and shut off normally, with no gas or burning smell around the stove. With any smell of gas, walk out of the house and phone the gas utility from the street. If a coil sparked or a burner will not shut off, turn the stove's breaker off and leave it off until the visit. --- **[Read on the site: Stove Problems — Symptoms and What They Mean](https://stoverepair.center/problems/)** **[Book a visit with StoveRepair.center](https://stoverepair.center/schedule/)**