Why piezo ignition on a gas stove does not work: causes of breakdowns and methods for eliminating them

If earlier gas stoves were designed without the piezo ignition function, which was simply considered unnecessary, today this is an integral part of every new model of equipment. Such innovations have brought not only new opportunities to the user’s life, since now, from time to time, you have to deal with a situation when the piezo ignition on a gas stove does not work, and you absolutely do not know what to do about it.

Agree, it is somewhat impractical to call a specialist every time the electric ignition breaks down, and besides, such repairs do not require special skills. In this case, it is important to accurately determine the cause of the malfunction and learn how to repair the equipment yourself.

Despite the improvement of each new gas stove model, the piezo element may fail from time to time. The reason may be either a simple lack of spark, or damage to the wire insulation or burnout of the transformer. Further in the article, the most common types of electrical ignition failures will be presented, and you will be able to familiarize yourself with the step-by-step repair of piezo ignition depending on the type of malfunction.

The principle of operation of the piezoelectric element

The electric ignition function is used only on gas stoves, allowing blue fuel to be ignited automatically, thereby eliminating the need for the user to come into contact with an open flame.

This, at first glance, convenient piezo ignition function is considered one of the most capricious and unreliable devices of modern technology. gas stove.

If a malfunction is detected, you should not try to turn on the system with the burners removed, as this may cause a breakdown on the housing

The electric ignition system is equipped with special piezoelements, which, when turning the switch on the control panel, produce a spark to ignite the gas flow.

If we consider the principle of operation of piezo ignition of a gas stove in more detail, it looks like this:

• when you turn the switch of a certain burner, voltage is applied to the capacitor area;
• then the capacitor begins charging, after which the level on the thyristor increases;
• as soon as the level reaches the set limit, the capacitor begins to discharge;
• the resulting voltage activates the spark gap, and as a result, a spark ignites the gas.

The process of igniting gas by turning on the electric ignition takes a matter of seconds, while in new models of stoves the spark always hits the area of ​​the switched-on burner. The piezo ignition device operates from an electrical network with a voltage of 220 volts.

Often, a breakdown of the electric ignition system of a gas stove occurs as a result of a sharp jump in voltage, which may require repairing the device and replacing failed parts.

Signs of electrical ignition malfunction

The electric ignition of a gas stove may break down completely unexpectedly, while while using the appliance, the switch will continue to turn and click, gas will come out, but a spark will not appear.

If, when turning the switch, one or all burners do not ignite, but a spark is present, then the problem is most likely not in the piezo ignition system, but in elementary contamination of the nozzle.

You can determine the type of electric ignition failure, and at the same time detect a failed part, depending on the number of burners that do not ignite

The absence of a spark when at least one burner is turned on already indicates the presence of a malfunction in the piezo ignition system. There are also often situations when gas burners make noise during operation. You can read more about this problem Here.

However, you can figure out which part failed only based on the following signs:

• when you press the burner control knob, the electric ignition function does not work;
• automatic piezo ignition functions work properly, accompanied by clicks, however, there is no spark;
• the system does not turn off even when the handle is lowered or the power button is pressed;
• When the device is turned on, the circuit breaker in the apartment panel is knocked out.

Often the problem of automatic ignition malfunction is the complete absence of a spark, or vice versa - continuous sparking even when the device is turned off.

Also, electric ignition may temporarily fail due to jamming of the power buttons, caused by the accumulation of fat on the control panel. You can fix the problem by cleaning and drying all components of the gas stove, including buttons and contacts.

Causes and troubleshooting

Regardless of the age of the gas stove, the electric ignition function can break down at any time, and the cause of the breakdown is not always a consequence of improper operation.

Of course, sometimes a malfunction of the piezo ignition occurs after wet cleaning of the hob, as a result of which moisture, along with the detergent, gets inside the stove. In this case, the breakdown can be easily eliminated without repair.

If moisture gets into the inside of the gas stove, it is enough to clean the contacts and dry the spark plugs, after which the electric ignition function will be completely restored

If during operation of a gas stove one or more of the previously listed symptoms are observed, then the problem lies precisely in the piezo ignition.

Failure of such an important function may occur for any of the following reasons.

1. No spark at the electrodes.
2. Moisture or grease entering the system.
3. The appearance of a crack on the surface of a ceramic candle.
4. Damage to the insulation of the wire going to the spark plug.
5. Burnout of the transformer - spark generation unit.
6. Oxidation or contamination of the power button contacts.

In some cases, you can repair the piezo lighter of a gas stove yourself, but this will require a complete diagnosis of the equipment and correctly determine the reason for the system stopping. Further in the article, we will present ways to restore the piezo ignition function in case of the most common device failures.

If after pressing the auto-ignition button The burner won't ignite, and at the same time, you notice that there is no ignition spark, then this means only one thing - the electric ignition has failed. The absence of a spark in one, two or all four burners may indicate various breakdowns, which you can learn about in more detail in the following sections of the article.

After removing the top panel of the slab, you should immediately compare each element of the system with the presented diagram in order to understand in which area to look for a breakdown

Based on the presented diagram, you can figure out on your own how to properly repair the piezoelectric element in a gas stove without calling a technician. Since the auto-ignition function for all gas stoves is designed according to the same pattern, the process of restoring operation will be the same for all models.

No spark on all burners

If, when you turn on the oven, you notice that the electric ignition does not click, and a spark does not appear on any of the burners, then first you need to check whether the plug and power cord are working. Only after eliminating such faults can we assume that the failure occurred in the auto-ignition system.

If there is no spark on all burners, the problem may be a malfunction of the ignition unit, and often the capacitor that produces a spark when the button is pressed is the first to fail. The only solution is to replace the ignition unit.

Another cause of malfunction may be a breakdown of the auto-ignition button (in older models with one button for all burners). In this case, the button itself will be pressed intermittently - too weakly or too tightly. Due to oxidation or mechanical damage to the button, the contacts do not close, which means the electric ignition does not work.

Mechanical damage to the auto-ignition button can occur as a result of prolonged careless operation, sometimes in combination with serious contamination

To fix the problem, you will need to clean the contacts from oxidation, or if the button is damaged, replace it.In specialized online stores you can select an electric ignition button for any model of gas stove, even outdated ones.

Only one burner does not light up

If, when you turn on the piezo ignition function, a spark does not appear on only one burner, then the first thing you need to do is check the spark plug for contamination. During operation, water could penetrate into the system, leaving traces of oxidation on the spark plug, causing the electric ignition to temporarily fail. In this case, you will need to wipe the part with a sponge and WD-40 spray, and then try to turn on the burner again.

Further lack of response to turning on the auto-ignition button may indicate a malfunction of the spark plug of a specific burner. Often the reason is a breakdown of the power cord running from the ignition unit to the candle, which can be simply damaged.

If food gets on the cord during operation, it will simply stick to the body of the stove, which is why it will break through the settled fat onto the body.

You should not try to twist the damaged section of the cord with simple electrical tape, since it is not designed to withstand high temperatures and may melt over time.

In this case, the only rational solution to the problem is to replace the power cord along with the spark plug. If the burner does not work due to a cord stuck to the body, then you will need to disassemble the stove and then remove the dirt yourself.

Often, in expensive models that are equipped with electric ignition buttons built into the handle of each burner, one or more buttons break down. This situation may arise due to oxidation of the contacts or damage to the button itself.In the first case, it is enough to clean the contacts, but if the button mechanism is damaged, it will need to be replaced.

Electric ignition does not work on two burners

If the auto-ignition function fails only on a couple of burners, then the reason may be a malfunction of the ignition unit. A transformer is installed at the output of the ignition unit, the secondary winding of which consists of two more windings.

During operation, the voltage of the first winding of the electric ignition unit is supplied to the right side of the panel of the gas stove, while the second winding is responsible for supplying current to the two left burners.

If one of the windings burns out, the auto-ignition stops working on the two burners it was responsible for igniting. To restore the operation of failed burners, you will need to replace the electric ignition unit.

If the transformer winding burns out, only two right or two left burners stop working, which eliminates any other malfunctions

If you have the appropriate skills, you can try to install a new transformer winding yourself, but a simpler option would still be to replace the entire electrical ignition unit.

Selecting a ready-made part will be much easier than repairing a broken unit yourself.

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

You can learn how to independently repair the piezo ignition of one gas burner from the following video:

How to restore the operation of electric ignition on two gas burners is explained in detail in this video:

A breakdown of the piezo ignition of a gas stove today is not a disaster, because with all the necessary knowledge, now anyone can repair the device on their own.The main condition is to carry out diagnostics of all elements of the electric ignition system to correctly identify the breakdown.

If you have already had to independently repair the electric ignition of a gas stove, then please share your experience with our readers and tell us what nuances you should pay attention to during the repair process. In a special block after the article, you can leave a comment telling your story of successfully restoring the operation of the piezo ignition of a gas stove.