If your gas oven does not heat up, then you might need a new oven igniter. Replacing an oven igniter is not nearly as scary or dangerous as it sounds. In fact, if you can assemble an entertainment center, a grill, or something similar, then you can replace an oven igniter. How do I know? A few weeks ago, and for the second time in three years, the igniter in my gas oven stopped working, and I replaced it myself.
What is an Oven Igniter?
The oven igniter does exactly what you might guess. It has a metal and ceramic element that gets very hot when you start the oven. When it reaches the proper temperature, a sensor triggers a switch that allows natural gas to flow into the burner tube. The natural gas then ignites due to the hot igniter, creates the flame, and the oven begins to warm up.
If the igniter is not hot enough or doesn’t get hot at all, the sensor will not allow gas into the burner tube and the result is the oven stays cold. A nice safety feature, don’t you agree?
Here is a picture of my old, burned out igniter.
The good news is that replacing an oven igniter is relatively easy.