Oven igniter glows bright orange but gas won't turn on
A glowing igniter that fails to open the safety valve usually means the igniter is too weak to draw the necessary electrical current, even though it still gets hot. This prevents the gas from flowing, leaving the oven unable to heat up despite the visible glow.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- People have been saying this in most months since September 2026.
- This comes up 48.9× more often in r/appliancerepair than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
Oven igniter glows bright orange but gas won't turn on
- 1Replacing the igniterDid this help you?
- 2continuing to use the appliance while unsure if it is safeDid this help you?
- 3Disconnecting the module wires to check resistance and voltage across the terminals.Did this help you?
- 4Using cheaper aftermarket or compatible spark modules found online instead of expensive original parts.Did this help you?
- 5Calling an HVAC technician and waiting days for an appointmentDid this help you?
- 6Checking if the external and internal gas line valves are openDid this help you?
- 7Checking the furnace control board for diagnostic LED fault codesDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Inspected and found that the igniter has a big crack in it so I ordered a new one, installed it and while the igniter will warm up and glow bright orange it never kicks the gas on to light the oven.”source ↗
“bottom baking element would have these really quick sparks (looks inside the element, not outside).”source ↗
“it would happen when the oven is on and mostly when I quickly open the oven door.”source ↗
“a few weeks later it is STILL sparking.”source ↗
“I have an old Viking VGSU161-6BSS that went from all eyes sparking when one knob was turned, sparking continued on all eyes after burner turned on was lit to now no spark at all.”source ↗
“Ive tried to find service manual and diagnostics but can’t find anything.”source ↗
“trying to figure out if its the spark module or the switches at the knob.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 5How to light the pilot light on an old furnace
- 9Why won't my water heater pilot light stay lit or spark?
- 2Furnace making popping sound and flame flickering
- 18Furnace lights up then immediately goes out
- 3Why does my stove burner go to maximum heat on low?
- 5Furnace lights up briefly then hums and shuts off