Other style uses a button that when depressed turns on a electrical spark unit which is powered by a small 9 volt battery. But the spark goes down the same type of wire, through the white glass tube and exits out a small metal rod that is placed close to the gas pipe where the flame is located.

To check to see what is wrong, you need to do just a few easy steps.

1. Turn off the gas at the tank.

2. Remove the grate and the metal cover and or lava rocks in the area in which this little rod is located. Normally its pretty close to where the button is located so look in that area.

3. Once you have uncovered it push the button to see if you can see a spark or not. If not either your spark generator device, (the one that makes the click when you press it) or the battery is dead if you have one of those. This battery would be located somewhere under the unit near the switch.

4. If you figure if the spark device is working and you still have no spark, check to see that the wires are clean and secure to both the switch and the little metal rod sticking out the white glass tube.

5. If your spark is seen then its the gas supply out of the tube where the spark is going on.

6. you need to check the gas tube. If the first few holes are filled with grease, spider webs, (very common) or rust, you need to clean with a soft wire brush real well. Make sure the metal rod is about 1/4 to 1/8 of an inch away from the hole and tube.

If you see spark and your gas tube is clean, put everything back again and turn on gas at tank. Then try to relight the grill. It should now work properly.

Once its lit, you should check to see if the flame is blue or yellow. If your seeing a lot of yellow and not so much blue, the air adjustment tubes where the gas enters the pipes with all the holes. Its dirty from spiders and rust. Take the grill apart again from the top and remove the tubes and clean real well. then replace the tubes turn on gas and test before you replace the grates and lava rocks.

But your doing the correct thing by leaving the gas off for a while before trying again. While you will not explode, you will make a pretty big whoosh when it does light if the gas is on for any length of time. Do not try to light with cover closed ever.

Some grills have a small match lighting hole on the side. If your not really wanting to try to fix the spark lighting device, purchase a fireplace lighter the ones with the real long metal tube and the trigger to turn them on. Simply light it, stick it in the little hole on side of grill and turn on gas. The flame should light right up for you.

Happy grilling!