Gas Hob Keeps Clicking: Why the Igniter Won't Stop and How to Fix It

If the ignition clicking carries on after the burner lights, or with every knob off, the most common cause is moisture or food that has reached the ignition switch behind one of the knobs, especially after cleaning or a pot boiling over. Turn the cooker off and unplug it, dry the area and leave it several hours. If the clicking comes back once dry, the switch or igniter unit has failed and needs replacing. Don't try to take the control panel apart with the gas on.

Clicking that won't stop is one of the most annoying kitchen faults. In most cases it isn't dangerous, but it is irritating, it wears out the igniter, and sometimes it means water has reached electrical parts it shouldn't. Knowing how the ignition system works tells you where to start.

How does electric ignition work?

On cookers and ovens with automatic ignition, there is a small electric igniter unit that produces high-voltage pulses. It is wired to a spark plug beside each hob burner and beside the oven burner. Behind every knob is a small switch that closes when you press or turn the knob to the ignition position, signalling the igniter to start pulsing. That is why you hear clicking from every spark plug at once, even when lighting just one burner. When you let go of the knob the switch opens and the clicking stops.

So constant clicking means the igniter is getting a start signal that doesn't end. Either one of the switches is stuck closed, moisture is bridging its contacts, or the igniter itself has failed and is running on its own.

Common causes

What to do now

1. Turn every knob off, and close the gas valve if the clicking carries on for no reason.
2. Unplug the cooker. That stops the clicking at once and protects the igniter from burning out.
3. If a spill just happened, wipe what you can reach around the knobs and burners without taking anything apart.
4. Pull the knobs off if they come off by hand, and dry around them with a cloth.
5. Leave the cooker unplugged for several hours, ideally until the next day, so water that seeped inside can dry.
6. Plug it back in and try. If the clicking returns, it isn't just passing moisture.

To find the knob responsible: once dry, if the clicking starts when you touch a particular knob, or stops when you nudge it, that knob's switch is the problem. Tell the technician; it saves time on the check.

Don't take the control panel apart with the gas open and the power on, and don't spray water or cleaner behind the knobs to clean them. That area has electrical connections and gas valves side by side.

Clicking but no flame: a different fault

If it clicks but the burner won't light, that isn't the constant-clicking fault. It is a problem with the gas, the spark plug or the burner ports. See the causes in detail in gas oven won't light.

Why is this more common in coastal cities?

In Jeddah and Dammam, high humidity condenses inside the cooker as it cools, especially overnight, and reaches the switches and spark plugs. So you may notice clicking in the morning that stops once the kitchen warms up. It is a sign the insulation around the switches has weakened, and the switch needs cleaning or replacing before it fails completely. See our Jeddah and Dammam pages for more.

What the technician does

• Cuts the power and closes the gas before taking anything apart.
• Removes the control panel and checks each ignition switch on its own.
• Cleans moisture and grease from the switches, and replaces any that have failed.
• Checks the spark plug leads and plugs, and makes sure the spark jumps in the right place.
• If the switches are sound and the clicking continues, checks and replaces the igniter unit.
• Tests every burner and the oven burner after the repair.

Ignition switches and igniter units vary between models, and the technician tells you the part type and price before fitting. See our gas oven spare parts page, and our gas hob and burner repair page for what hob work covers.

How to stop it coming back

• Don't fill pots to the brim when boiling, and turn the heat down before they boil over.
• Wipe spills around the knobs straight away with a nearly dry cloth, not a wet one.
• When cleaning the hob, don't pour water or spray cleaner near the knobs. Spray it onto the cloth instead.
• Dry the burner heads fully before putting them back after washing.
• If your kitchen is humid, run the extractor while cooking and for a little while after.

Could the spark plug itself be the cause?

A spark plug rarely causes constant clicking, but it is a common cause of clicking that doesn't light. The spark plug is a small white ceramic piece with a metal wire in the middle, and the spark jumps from its tip to the burner. If the ceramic cracks, the spark escapes inwards or to nearby metal, so you hear clicking but the burner doesn't light. If baked-on grease builds up on it, the spark weakens and turns yellow. A clean, sound spark plug gives a short, clear blue spark.

During the weekly burner clean, brush the spark plug gently with a dry toothbrush without pressing on it, because the ceramic is fragile. And don't yank the burner head off so it knocks the spark plug, which is the most common way they break.

Quick summary: where to start

Common questions