Gas Hob & Cooker Repair
No Spark, Won’t Light, Flame Goes Out (2026)

First: if you can smell gas

A hob that will not light is an inconvenience. A hob that smells of gas is a safety problem, and it comes first. The gas smell guide sets out the order: turn off the gas at the cylinder or the isolation valve, do not touch any electrical switch or light a flame, open doors and windows, and leave until the smell has cleared; do not use the cooker again until the system has been checked.

It also notes where most kitchen leaks come from: the rubber hose, its clamps, the regulator, or a burner left on. None of the checks below should be done while there is any smell of gas.

Symptoms and what they usually mean

No spark, or a click with no flame

Many built-in hobs sold here light with a battery-powered igniter; the battery sits in a holder under the hob or behind a panel on the front. When the clicking becomes weak or stops at every burner at once, that battery is the first thing to change. If the hob is mains-powered, check that it is plugged in and that its socket has power.

If only one burner will not spark, look at its electrode, the small white ceramic pin beside the burner. After a boil-over it is often wet or crusted with food. Let it dry completely, clean the tip gently with a dry brush, and try again. A cracked ceramic insulator lets the spark jump to the wrong place and needs the part replaced.

Sparks but will not light

A burner cap that has been lifted off for cleaning and put back slightly askew is the most common reason a burner sparks but does not catch. Seat each cap squarely so it sits flat. Then look at the small ports around the burner head: grease and food block them, and the gas cannot mix and reach the spark. Clean them with a brush or a pin, never a wooden toothpick that can snap off inside, and dry the burner fully before refitting.

If none of the burners will light and all of them spark, the gas is not arriving. The cylinder may be empty, the valve on it closed, or the regulator faulty. Changing a regulator or a hose is a gas job; the hood and hob guide says gas hose connections should always be done by a certified gas fitter.

The flame goes out when you let go of the knob

Good gas hobs have a flame failure device on every burner. ClickBina's kitchen hood and hob guide explains that it automatically cuts the gas supply if the flame goes out, and recommends always specifying it. It works through a small probe, the thermocouple, that sits in the flame and has to warm up before it holds the valve open.

That is why you must hold the knob pressed in for a few moments after the burner lights. If the flame still dies when you let go after a longer hold, the probe may be dirty, bent out of the flame, or faulty. Cleaning and repositioning is simple; replacing the thermocouple is a job for a technician who works on that brand. Never try to wedge a knob in or bypass the device: it is the part that stops gas flowing into a kitchen when a pot boils over and puts the flame out.

Yellow, weak or uneven flame

A healthy LPG flame is mostly blue. A yellow, lazy flame that leaves soot on the bottom of pots means the gas is not burning cleanly: usually a dirty or misaligned burner, sometimes a supply problem. Clean and reseat the burner parts first. If the whole hob burns weakly, the cylinder may be running low or the regulator failing.

A hob moved from piped gas to LPG, or the other way, needs the correct parts for that gas; a hob running on the wrong set-up burns badly. That conversion, and any work on the regulator, hose or fixed piping, belongs with a competent gas fitter.

Cracked glass tops and worn knobs

Tempered glass tops look clean but can crack from an impact or from a very hot pan set down in the wrong place. A cracked top should not be used: liquid can reach the valves and wiring underneath. Depending on the model and the age of the hob, a replacement top may be available, but on an older hob it often makes more sense to replace the hob.

A knob that has become stiff usually has grease in the valve spindle. Pulling the knob off and cleaning around the spindle can help; a valve that stays stiff or will not turn off fully is a technician's job, not a DIY one.

Repair or replace: the arithmetic

A hob is usually worth repairing when the fault is a battery, an electrode, a thermocouple or a regulator, and worth replacing when the valves are worn, the top is cracked, or the hob is old. ClickBina's hood and hob guide says a quality hood and hob should last 8 to 15 years with proper maintenance. These are the related ClickBina figures (indicative 2026, Klang Valley):

If the new hob is a different size from the old one, the countertop cut-out may need to change. The countertop repair guide explains what can and cannot be done to a stone top around a hob cut-out, and the custom kitchen cabinets page covers a new kitchen if the whole run is due for replacement.

Keeping a hob working

• Wipe spills as soon as the hob is cool, before they bake onto the burners and electrodes.
• Lift the burner caps and clean the ports every few weeks if you cook with a wok daily.
• Keep the ignition battery fresh; weak clicking is the early sign.
• Replace the rubber hose and clamps when they look cracked, hard or swollen, and keep the hose clear of the hob's heat.
• Fit an LPG detector mounted low, as the gas smell guide recommends, because LPG is heavier than air and pools low.

How ClickBina can help

WhatsApp us your job details for a quote: the symptom, the hob type (built-in or freestanding), the brand, and whether you are thinking of replacing it. ClickBina is an experienced KL & Selangor contractor for whole-house refurbishment and trade coordination, and custom kitchen cabinets are part of that work, so a new hob, its countertop cut-out and the gas connection by a competent gas fitter can be sequenced as one job. We reply within the hour, and the price agreed is a flat price with no hidden charges.

Sources & methodology

• ClickBina kitchen hood and hob guide — hob prices, installation, flame failure device, gas hose connections, lifespan.
• ClickBina gas smell guide — what to do first, where kitchen leaks come from, LPG cooker point price, detector position.
• ClickBina countertop repair guide — hob cut-outs in stone tops.

Methodology: prices are ClickBina indicative 2026 Klang Valley ranges from the guide named beside each. Gas connections are work for a competent gas fitter.