A gas oven that won’t heat is usually one cheap part. The igniter is the single most common failure on a gas range, and the part itself doesn’t cost much. The catch is that its symptoms overlap with other faults, so confirming it before you spend beats guessing.
Why a glowing igniter can still be the dead part
In a gas oven the igniter does two things at once. It glows hot to light the gas, and it draws enough current to open the safety valve. As it ages it keeps glowing but pulls less current, and eventually it can’t trip the valve. The result: it glows, the burner never lights, the oven stays cold.
That’s the trap. People see the glow and assume the igniter’s fine. It usually isn’t.
Read the glow
Set the oven to bake and watch. You can often see the igniter through the window or the broiler slot without moving anything.
- Bright orange, valve opens in 60 to 90 seconds, burner lights: igniter’s healthy. Problem’s elsewhere.
- Dim orange or red, never lights: weak igniter, can’t draw enough current to open the valve.
- No glow at all: dead igniter, a broken wire, or a control board not sending power.
- Long delay, clicking, then a soft “whoomp”: aging igniter on borrowed time.
A tech confirms it with a clamp meter on the igniter circuit. A healthy round igniter draws around 3.2 to 3.6 amps, a flat one around 3.6 to 4.0. That reading rules out control-board and wiring faults before anyone buys a part.
What it costs
The part’s cheap. The labor and the diagnosis are where the money sits.
- Igniter part: $25 to $90 on everyday gas ovens (GE, Whirlpool, Frigidaire, Samsung, LG). Premium built-in units can run $120 or more.
- Diagnostic: $75, credited to the repair when you go ahead.
- Typical job installed: $200 to $350 for most gas ovens around the Bay Area.
We look up the OEM part for your exact model and give you the number in writing after the diagnostic, before we order. No surprise at the end.
What it looks like lit
Here’s a gas bake burner after service, lighting with a clean, even blue flame across every port. The white bar across the burner is the glow-bar igniter; the U-shaped tube is the bake burner. When the igniter’s healthy it heats, pulls enough current to open the safety valve, and the burner lights like this. When it weakens with age it still glows but can’t open the valve, so the oven won’t heat.
Why a pro should do the swap
The igniter is silicon carbide or flat ceramic. Oil from your fingers or a slight flex during install cracks it before it ever heats. Beyond the fragile part, you’re working at a live gas connection inside the appliance. And a wrong diagnosis, buying the part before confirming the fault, leaves you out the money with a dead oven.
We service gas and electric ovens, ranges, and cooktops across the Bay Area. If yours glows but won’t light, or won’t glow at all, Bay Area Appliance Repair Service confirms the cause on the first visit. More on how we narrow these down in our oven and range repair guide and our full cooking appliance repair service.
Schedule a visit and we’ll book you fast, often same or next day when we can. $75 diagnostic, credited to the repair, then a written repair-or-replace call and price. Call (925) 999-4095, email [email protected], or use the contact page.
FAQ
How much does an oven igniter replacement cost? The part runs $25 to $90 on everyday gas ovens, $120 or more on premium built-in ranges. Installed with the diagnostic and labor, most jobs land between $200 and $350.
How do I know my igniter is bad? A failing igniter glows dim and never gets hot enough to open the gas valve, so the burner won’t light. No glow at all usually means a dead igniter or a broken wire.
Should I replace it myself? It’s a fragile ceramic or silicon-carbide part that cracks from handling, and it sits next to a gas line. Add the risk of misdiagnosing the fault and it’s better done right the first time.