This checklist is for anyone who manages a kitchen equipment budget. I've used it for our hotel's fourteen gas cooktops, and it applies whether you have one appliance or forty. It's five steps, plus the mistakes I've made so you don't have to.

Use this when a burner clicks but won't light, or when it doesn't click at all. If you smell gas, close the valve and call a professional before trying anything.

I'm a procurement manager at a 155-person hospitality company. I oversee a $260,000 annual facilities equipment budget, and I've documented every repair order in our cost tracking system for the past six years. I'm not a technician. I'm the person who approves repair invoices. After enough invoices, you learn which repairs are real and which are convenience fees.

This isn't a typical gas cooktop review looking at flame spread or finish. It's the review that matters over time: the igniter is usually the first clue about how much a cooktop will cost to own.

Step 1: Confirm it's actually the igniter

What does the burner actually do?

  • No clicking at all: possible electrode, wire, module, or switch.
  • Constant clicking when off: usually moisture, a dirty switch, or a loose connection.
  • Clicking but no flame: check gas flow and the electrode gap.

Don't order anything yet. Here's something vendors won't tell you: many 'bad igniter' calls are not the igniter. In my experience, six out of ten turned out to be a dirty electrode, a loose wire, or a burner cap sitting crooked.

Everything I'd read about gas igniters said to replace the spark module at the first sign of trouble. In practice, cleaning the electrode fixed six out of ten cooktops in our building. Cleaning costs nothing.

Clean the electrode with a soft brush and rubbing alcohol. Dry it. Check the gap between the electrode tip and the burner base. Don't hold me to the exact spec—it varies by model—but 3 to 5 mm is a safe starting point. I keep a feeler gauge in our maintenance kit; a folded paperclip also works.

Checkpoint: if cleaning and adjusting the gap fixes it, you're done.

Step 2: Find the exact part number

If cleaning doesn't fix it, then you're looking at one of four culprits: spark electrode, spark module, wiring, or switch. In that order.

Don't trust the brand name alone. Manufacturers change suppliers mid-production, and the same cooktop can have two different electrodes. Flip the electrode or module and find the stamped part number. Photograph it.

When I called four parts suppliers for a single Cuckoo electrode, two didn't want the small order. The third said 'just buy online.' The fourth took ten minutes to pull the part from his cabinet and asked what else we needed. That supplier has since handled more than $23,000 of our kitchen equipment orders. Small doesn't mean unimportant—it means potential.

Checkpoint: confirmed part number, connector type, and wire length before you pay.

Step 3: Turn off gas and electricity

This sounds obvious, but I've paid for the extra time when it didn't happen. Turn off the gas supply to the cooktop, then unplug it or switch off the breaker.

If the shutoff is behind the unit, you may need to pull it forward slightly. If you feel any hesitation about doing this, stop at this point and call a technician. Use the rest of this checklist to understand whether their quote is fair.

What you'll need for the repair itself:

  • Replacement electrode or module
  • Soft brush and rubbing alcohol
  • Socket set or nut driver
  • Feeler gauge or paperclip
  • Flashlight and patience

Step 4: Remove the old part, inspect, compare

Remove the burner cap, grate, and burner head. The electrode is usually clipped or screwed to the burner box. Unscrew it gently—the porcelain base can crack if you twist it.

Before installing the new part, compare it against the old one. Connector shapes and wire lengths vary. Lay them side by side. If the new electrode has a different angle, it's the wrong part.

Inspect the wire too. A charred or melted wire will kill a new igniter. If the insulation is damaged, replace that cheap wire at the same time. Skipping it is how you end up taking the cooktop apart twice in one week. I know that from a Tuesday in 2024.

Checkpoint: old and new part match; wire is not damaged.

Step 5: Install and test

Install the new electrode and tighten the screw by hand, then a quarter turn more. Over-tightening is a common mistake. Attach the wire firmly, not forcefully.

People think an expensive electrode will last longer. Actually, the electrode's life depends more on the gap and the wire condition. The causation runs the other way: a reliable install makes the part last.

Before reassembling, test the burner. Then test all burners, not just the one you repaired. A spark module can feed several burners; if a second one fails now, the module is the likely problem.

There's something satisfying about hearing that first click-and-light after a fix that cost less than a meal. The best part is recording it in your maintenance log—when you know which parts fail and how fast, the next repair becomes predictable.

Step 6: Run the TCO numbers

Now the cost-controller part. People think the cheapest repair is the one with the lowest service call fee. Actually, the cheapest repair is the one that fixes the root cause and doesn't need a callback.

In January 2025 I compared two local service quotes and checked online parts listings. A spark electrode was $8-$25. A spark module was $30-$80. A service visit was $80-$180 before parts. Doing it yourself often lands under $30. A technician visit with parts lands around $150-$250. For a busy commercial kitchen, paying the service fee can be worth the time. For a single cooktop, the DIY math is hard to ignore.

But this is also where you treat the repair as a gas cooktop review from the bottom up. If the cooktop is old, the burner valves are sticky, or the technician finds a cracked manifold, a replacement can be smarter. My rule of thumb: if the repair estimate is more than 40% of the cost of a comparable replacement cooktop, replace instead.

Checkpoint: compare repair cost to replacement cost as a percentage, not in dollars alone.

Mistakes I've made so you don't have to

  • Ordering 'the igniter' without a part number. It was the wrong connector type.
  • Not checking the gas valve before the technician arrived. That cost us a truck roll fee.
  • Skipping the wire inspection. The new electrode worked for one day, then died from the same melted wire.
  • Replacing the electrode instead of cleaning the switch. The switch was $18, but the diagnostic fee was $120.

To be fair, there are cases where a service call is the correct move. If you smell gas, don't DIY. If the unit is under warranty, keep the warranty intact. If you manage a busy kitchen, downtime may trump the $20 difference.

And if you're a vendor reading this: don't dismiss the customer who needs one part. They're the same person who might need twenty cooktops next year. The same goes for a small aroma diffuser order, a single igniter, or a first-time inquiry: small doesn't mean unimportant.