Check the Circuit Breaker
If you are lucky, the problem may simply be that the electrical circuit supplying power to the oven has tripped a circuit breaker. Even though the oven heats with gas, it requires electrical power to operate the timer and other components, and if the circuit breaker has tripped, the oven will refuse to heat. Since this is a gas oven, it will be connected to a circuit with a standard 15- or 20-amp breaker, not a large double-pole (usually 50-amp) breaker such as those used by electric ovens. Your oven may have its own breaker, or it may be tied into one of the small appliance or kitchen receptacle (outlet) circuits with a common breaker. If the breaker serving the oven has not tripped, the next thing to check is the gas supply and igniter.
Check the Gas Supply
Although rare, it is possible that your supply of natural gas or liquid propane gas has been interrupted for some reason. This usually happens when the main gas valve has been shut off to make some repair or replacement in the system and hasn’t been turned on again. Check the main gas valve, as well as any valves located on branch lines, to make sure they are in the ON position. If your oven has just been repaired or replaced, it’s also possible that the gas valve on the supply pipe hasn’t been turned back on. If the gas supply checks out to be fine, then turn to the gas igniter on the oven itself.
Check the Igniter
The problem could be that your oven igniter has simply gone bad. In normal operation, when the oven control is turned to bake, the igniter turns on and starts to glow bright orange. After the igniter gets hot, the gas valve opens and sends gas through the burner. The igniter lights the gas coming from the burner and the oven begins to heat. If, however, the igniter doesn’t glow hot enough, the oven will not light, and you’ll likely smell a little gas. Don’t worry though; the gas valve is equipped with a safety mechanism that shuts off the gas if the igniter isn’t working properly.
Replacing the Igniter
It’s easy enough to replace an oven igniter if you understand the process.
