--- title: "Stove Sparking: Causes and Fixes | StoveRepair.center" description: "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…" url: "https://stoverepair.center/problems/stove-sparking/" --- # 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. ## If there is gas in the air, walk out first. Without gas, shut the stove's breaker off Sparks from an electric stove are an emergency because the arc can ignite grease, food or the wiring. Cut power at the breaker only if you can reach the panel without going near the stove; otherwise leave the house and call 911. Keep the stove off until it has been looked at. ## What it usually means. An electric stove carries 240 volts to every burner and to the oven. When that current jumps through air instead of running through the heating wire, you see it as a spark. The usual places are a coil burner that is not pushed fully into its socket, a coil or oven element whose metal skin has split, a socket that has burnt at its contacts, and the thick cord or wires where the stove connects at the back. A single blue flicker from a gas igniter is how a gas stove lights and is not this problem. Sparks from the burners, the oven or the back of an electric stove mean current is going somewhere it should not, and the heat at that point can start a fire. The 6 causes, cheapest first Answer these first 01 Where did the sparks come from: a coil on top, under the glass, inside the oven, or behind the stove? 02 Did the spark come with a loud pop, after which that burner or the oven stopped heating? 03 Is there aluminum foil in the drip pans, lining the oven floor or wrapped around a burner? 04 Was a coil burner lifted out for cleaning and pushed back in shortly before? 05 Is the stove still sparking now, or did it happen once and stop? ## Check these before you book. Stove sparking: 5 checks, and none of them costs anything. 01 Do not touch the stove, turn its knobs or reach across it while it is sparking. 02 If you can get to the main electrical panel without passing the stove, switch off the stove's breaker; if you cannot, get everyone out of the house and call 911. 03 If the sparks have started a flame, keep the oven door shut or slide a lid onto a burning pan, and never use water; if it keeps burning, leave and call 911. ### Also worth checking - With the breaker off and the stove cold, remove any foil and look for a coil sitting crooked or a burner with a split or bulge in it. - Leave the breaker off until the stove has been repaired, and tell us where the sparks came from when you book. ## The causes, cheapest first. 6 things stove sparking turns out to be, from foil touching a burner or element to loose power connection at the back of the stove. [The cost guide](https://stoverepair.center/cost/) 1. 01 no repair ### Foil touching a burner or element Foil drip-pan liners, a sheet on the oven floor or foil folded around a coil can touch a live terminal and arc. Once the stove is off and cold, take all foil out and use the stove the way the manual shows, without liners. No repair: check it yourself 2. 02 low ### Coil burner not seated in its socket A coil pushed back in at an angle makes a loose contact that arcs and burns the terminals. If the terminals are now pitted, the coil and often the socket need replacing together. [Fixed by coil burner and socket repair](https://stoverepair.center/services/coil-burner-and-socket-repair/) [On an electric stove](https://stoverepair.center/types/electric-stove-repair/) 3. 03 low ### Coil burner split along its surface A coil can blister, crack or bulge at one spot after years of heat or a boil-over, and current escapes through the break with a flash. The coil will not work again after this. [Fixed by coil burner and socket repair](https://stoverepair.center/services/coil-burner-and-socket-repair/) [On an electric stove](https://stoverepair.center/types/electric-stove-repair/) [See stove burner not working](https://stoverepair.center/problems/stove-burner-not-working/) 4. 04 low to moderate ### Oven element burning through The bake or broil element in the oven can split with a bright arc and a pop, sometimes leaving a glowing spot along its length before it goes dark. The oven stops heating on that element afterward. [Fixed by stove oven heating repair](https://stoverepair.center/services/stove-oven-heating-repair/) [See oven on my stove won't heat up](https://stoverepair.center/problems/stove-oven-not-heating/) 5. 05 low to moderate ### Burnt socket or wire under the stovetop The socket a coil plugs into, and the short wires behind it, can scorch after a loose connection has been heating them for months. Sparks then come from underneath the burner rather than from the coil itself. [Fixed by coil burner and socket repair](https://stoverepair.center/services/coil-burner-and-socket-repair/) [On an electric stove](https://stoverepair.center/types/electric-stove-repair/) 6. 06 moderate ### Loose power connection at the back of the stove Where the cord or cable joins the stove, screws can loosen after a move or an old installation, and the terminal block burns. Sparks or smoke from behind the stove point here. [Fixed by gas and power hookup check](https://stoverepair.center/services/stove-gas-and-power-hookup-check/) ## What else it could be. Most often confused with stove smoking, then stove shocks when touched. [All problems](https://stoverepair.center/problems/) Gas, fire, sparks or a burner stuck on ### Stove Smoking 6 causes Gas, fire, sparks or a burner stuck on ### Stove Shocks When Touched 4 causes ### Stove Burner Not Working 6 causes ### Oven on My Stove Won't Heat Up 6 causes ## The makes it happens on. 32 makes on this site; stove sparking can show up on any of them. Each mark opens that make's own page. [All 32 brands](https://stoverepair.center/brands/) ## Stove Sparking, where we come out. 9 metros, each with its own page. [All service areas](https://stoverepair.center/locations/) [Tampa Bay](https://stoverepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/) FL · 31 areas - [Hyde Park](https://stoverepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/hyde-park/) - [Davis Islands](https://stoverepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/davis-islands/) - [Palma Ceia](https://stoverepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/palma-ceia/) - [Westchase](https://stoverepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/westchase/) - [Carrollwood](https://stoverepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/carrollwood/) - [Belleair](https://stoverepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/belleair/) - [St. Pete Beach](https://stoverepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/st-pete-beach/) - [Palm Harbor](https://stoverepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/palm-harbor/) [Orlando](https://stoverepair.center/locations/orlando/) FL · 30 areas - [Winter Park](https://stoverepair.center/locations/orlando/winter-park/) - [Windermere](https://stoverepair.center/locations/orlando/windermere/) - [Dr. Phillips](https://stoverepair.center/locations/orlando/dr-phillips/) - 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[Woodside](https://stoverepair.center/locations/bay-area/woodside/) - [Palo Alto](https://stoverepair.center/locations/bay-area/palo-alto/) - [Los Altos Hills](https://stoverepair.center/locations/bay-area/los-altos-hills/) - [Tiburon](https://stoverepair.center/locations/bay-area/tiburon/) - [Piedmont](https://stoverepair.center/locations/bay-area/piedmont/) - [Marina](https://stoverepair.center/locations/bay-area/marina/) For the heart of your home. ## Questions about stove sparking. ### My gas stove sparks when I turn the knob. Is that dangerous? No, that small blue spark with a clicking sound is the igniter doing its job. It becomes a problem only if it keeps clicking after the flame is lit, which is covered on the stove clicking page. ### Can I keep using the other burners after one sparked? Not until the stove has been checked. The damage can be in the wiring the burners share, so keep the breaker off rather than working around the one that sparked. ### Why did my oven flash and pop, then stop heating? That is usually the bake or broil element breaking open. Turn the oven off, keep the door closed until it is cold, and switch off the breaker if you can do it away from the stove. ### Is it safe to line drip pans with foil to keep them clean? Most manuals say no, because foil can touch the burner terminals and arc. Replacement drip pans are inexpensive and safer than any liner. --- **[Read on the site: Stove Sparking: Causes and Fixes | StoveRepair.center](https://stoverepair.center/problems/stove-sparking/)** **[Book a visit with StoveRepair.center](https://stoverepair.center/schedule/)**