You can see the igniter glowing, and still no flame comes. An oven igniter glowing but not lighting is often an igniter that’s too weak to open the gas safety valve. The glow alone doesn’t prove it’s healthy.

If the igniter glows and the burner hasn’t lit within roughly 90 seconds, treat that as a clue, not a verdict. If you smell gas, stop trying to light the oven and follow gas-safety procedures. Don’t keep repeating the test.

Checking first takes one reading and can save you buying a part you didn’t need.

Why an Igniter Glows but the Burner Won’t Light

The igniter does two jobs. It lights the gas, and it acts as the current sensor that opens the safety valve.

The oven thermostat, the igniter and the gas safety valve sit in one series circuit. The valve opens on current, not voltage. Current heats a small resistive wire in the valve, the wire heats a bimetal strip, and the strip bends to let gas through. The manufacturer’s service data sheet puts the valve’s minimum at 2.9 amps. A healthy flat igniter draws a steady 3.2 to 3.6 amps.

A cold igniter needs 30 to 60 seconds with voltage on before its resistance drops far enough to pass 2.9 amps. By then it’s at 980 to 1,370°C (1,800 to 2,500°F). Some delay is normal, because the igniter glows before gas flows even when the current is right.

A long delay isn’t. Glow only proves the circuit has continuity. If the igniter glows but draws under 2.9 amps, the igniter is the fault, not the valve. If you’ve waited around 90 seconds with no flame, the igniter may be too weak to open the valve.

Confirm You Have a Glow-Bar Oven

Everything below applies only to hot-surface (glow-bar) ovens. Gas ranges use one of three ignition systems: standing pilot, hot surface or spark. Only the pilot system has a flame that might need lighting by hand. The other two are both called electronic ignition. If you can see an element glow before the burner lights, you have a hot-surface oven.

Two checks sort the rest:

1. With the oven off, look for a pilot flame. A flame that’s there with the oven off means a standing pilot.
2. If a pilot appears only after you turn the oven on, it’s a spark-assisted pilot system. That’s a different repair.

Don’t use the cooktop to decide. Spark-lit surface burners don’t make the oven spark-ignition, because the cooktop and oven ignition systems are independent. If your oven only clicks and sparks, start with this post on stoves that spark but never ignite.

Rule Out a Closed Shutoff Before Buying Anything

A manual shutoff left closed upstream of the range gives the same symptom: a glowing igniter and no gas at the burner. Back-track the supply line from the range before you condemn any part.

1. Trace the gas line from the range back to its manual shutoff and confirm that shutoff is open.
2. Watch the igniter once, for a full 90 seconds, and note whether the burner lights.
3. Stop if you smell gas. Don’t run the test again.

If the shutoff is open and the burner still won’t light, the amp-draw reading is the next step.

The Amp-Draw Test and Why Ohm Readings Mislead

An amp-draw reading is the one test that settles whether the igniter is at fault. An ohms reading doesn’t.

An igniter can pass a cold continuity test and still fail to draw enough current to open the safety valve. One documented case read 95 ohms, ‘in range’, on an oven that still wouldn’t light. Resistance only tells you the igniter isn’t open. It says nothing about the current the valve needs.

This test runs with the power on and the gas circuit live, and the igniter is far too hot to touch while it glows. It needs a clamp-on amp meter and someone trained to use it at the valve. If that isn’t you, this is where to hand the job over. The steps and figures below are what a technician reads and compares:

1. Set the oven thermostat to 177°C (350°F).
2. With power on, clamp the meter around one leg of the wiring at the bimetal safety valve.
3. Watch the reading as the igniter warms over 30 to 60 seconds.
4. Compare it with the spec for your model. Published bands are 3.2 to 3.6 amps for flat igniters and 2.5 to 3.0 amps for round ones, and the valve needs at least 2.9 amps to open.

If the reading is under 2.9 amps while the igniter glows, replace the igniter. If the draw is right and the valve opens in roughly 30 to 60 seconds, the igniter is fine. If the draw is right and there’s still no flame, the fault is further along, and the last section covers it.

Round or Flat: Matching the Replacement Igniter

Match the replacement to your oven’s model and its amp rating, not to how the old one looks. The two common styles don’t draw the same current, and the valve is matched to that rating.

Shape alone doesn’t settle it. A flat igniter with a powder-blue ceramic body carries the round band of 2.5 to 3.0 amps. Verify the part by rating, not silhouette.

Silicon nitride igniters have higher fracture toughness than silicon carbide. They tolerate vibration, thermal shock and handling during installation better, and they reach ignition temperature at a lower current.

Replacing the Igniter Without Cracking It

Treat a new igniter as fragile. How you handle and mount it decides how long it lasts.

1. Turn the oven off and let it cool completely. Unplug the range or switch off its breaker, and shut off the gas to the range.
2. Remove the oven floor panel first. Don’t work through the gap, because mounting screws drop into the burner area.
3. Find the igniter beside the burner tube, held on two screws. Its wire connector is commonly at the rear of the cavity or reached by pulling out the warming drawer, not at the igniter itself.
4. Disconnect the wire connector, remove the two screws and keep them in your hand or a cup.
5. Hold the new igniter only by its metal bracket or ceramic base. Skin oils on a flat element can bake in as hot spots and shorten its life. If you touch the element, wipe it with rubbing alcohol on a lint-free cloth and let it dry completely before restoring power.
6. Mount it with the glowing face aimed at the burner ports. Tighten the screws finger-tight plus about a quarter turn. Over-tightening cracks the ceramic.
7. Reconnect, restore gas and power, and watch the oven light. If it doesn’t light, stop there.

When to Stop and Call a Technician

Stop and call for oven repair if you smell gas at any point. Stop too if you don’t have a clamp meter, or if the amp reading is within spec and the burner still won’t light.

In that case the igniter is doing its job, and the suspect is the gas safety valve. Where gas is confirmed at the valve but none reaches the burner, the valve is at fault, and its coils get checked for continuity with a multimeter. Valve work is gas work.

Contact us and tell us what you saw: the igniter glows, how long you waited, and the amp reading if you have one. That tells us whether the igniter, the valve or the supply is the next thing to check.