If I unscrew this, does it readily lift off? Is this safe?
One of my gas burners won't ignite. It sparks but won't turn on.
by
Louise
+6
It started when the plastic handle of a knife got too close to the turned-on burner and started to burn. And by "burn," I mean a FLAME. Not a big one, but luckily I caught it on time. I poured water on the flame to douse it and it went out immediately. But then, the burner wouldn't ignite. That was about 2-3 weeks ago. An appliance guy was supposed go come out but he's been giving me the runaround so I wonder if this is a quick fix that I can do. Someone told me that SHE was told when she had a similar problem to remove this and put a sewing needle thru all the holes. I feel a bit antsy about removing this, however. Ideas?If
I had the same problem with my old stove, but my burners lifted off. and I washed them in soapy water, and dried them in my toaster oven. Mine didn't look like yours. I would call the gas company, and see if someone would come out, and check it. I don't know if there is a charge. Tell them you smell gas when you try to light it. Have you tried to light it with a match? Turn the knob to on and light it that way and let it burn. Make sure the plastic is all of the best you can. If by lighting it this way let it burn for a few minutes, this might clear the holes.
Hmmm. Good idea. If I light a match, it won't explode, will it?
CALL THE GAS COMPANY !! THEY WILL COME FOR FREE. My husband and also father in law worked for the gas company for over 46 years. Gas is nothing to mess around with. Yes, if you leave the knob on too long before you light the match, it can explode. Gas is nothing to mess around with. Have someone who works with it everyday deal with it.
Check to see if it will just lift off. Those screws likely hold the burner assembly together rather than hold the burner down. As the previous comment said, you can wash it really well and make sure all the crud is out of the slots and holes. Make sure it is dry before you try to use it. If you have not had the gas running open and unlit, it would be safe to light a match and hold it near the burner and turn it on. Use a long match or something to hold it to keep you finger out of the flame if and when it lights. Do not leave it on long if it's not lit. The rate of flow is very low so it would not explode unless you leave it open for a long while and then ignite it.
One of the burner holes near the sparkler is plugged.Use a needle to poke out the obstruction.
OK, it really is not too hard. There may be plastic or other debris stuck in the piping somewhere and you need to get it out. If you are really nervous you can shut off the gas at the pipe in back of the stove/range before doing more than the needle scraping,
You can usually disassemble the parts as needed to get to all of the parts. If you cannot find a diagram online try Sears Parts Direct or other repair sites.
You could take digital photos before removing each piece to remind you where they go back.
You are simply using a stiff brush and or other tools to scrape out anything that does not belong.
Your photo shows the main burner jet that the gas comes out from ( The darker part below the grey cover). I assume you removed the covering part with all of the small channels around it that spreads out the gas and allows mixing with air all under a flat cap that sits on top.
Try the needle as you said, that can easily be it. The jet is probably connected to a thin tube back to the valve you turn to adjust the flame. You do not want to pierce that tubing that the jet is attached to. Just scrape around with your needle.
If this does not clear it and you want to go further you can disconnect the tube and jet, and blow through it or run water through it to try to clear. A long piece from a corn broom might to through and dislodge the debris. You could try soaking it a while and perhaps that will loosen things.
If you cannot get air or water through the jet & tube you may need to replace it.
A neighbor sent this video to me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec8QL-K5To4&app=desktopIt's my problem exactly. BUT in the video, he screws his off easily. Mine has two phillips head screws on it and I can't get either to budge. Would it hurt anything for me to put a little WD-40 (or the like) oil on the screws to get them out? I worry about oil and gas mixing.