Gas Burner Igniter Electrical Grounding FAQs

Q&A on ground wiring for igniter circuits

General Gas Igniter Electrical Grounding

Tip: a bad, missing or broken electrical ground at a gas cooktop at the igniter or at the igniter control module can cause any of several igniter problems, including

• Burner won't ignite
• No Spark at one or more burners
• Random spark at one or more burners
• Continuous sparking at one or more burners

We detail these in the diagnostic table given at GAS COOKTOP or STOVE IGNITER REPAIR.

Watch out: improper or damaged electrical wiring for power or for electrical ground at a gas appliance can, in addition to causing the problems listed avove, also cause stray currents and even dangerous shock hazards. Details are at IGNITER STRAY CURRENTS & SHOCKS

Is it Ok to add a missing ground at GE gas burner igniter

Okay to install if ground wire connection is missing on the OEM replacement part for a GE model#JGP636WED2ww part#WB13X32509? On 2022-01-20 by Arnold -

by Inspectapedia Com Moderator - proper ground connection is an important safety step

@Arnold,

If an appliance expects a ground it is, at the very least, less safe, and in some installations unsafe, without providing that ground connection.

And some igniter systems won't work unless the appliance is grounded; the spark is jumping from the igniter to a metal component on the appliance that in turn accepts the spark because the appliance is grounded. Without that connection ignition of burners could be iffy or could fail entirely.

You will see that missing or bad electrical grounding is cited at the very first trouble-shooting line in the gas igniter troubleshooting table found on this page.

Finally take a look at the installation manual for your GE Range

GE 36-INCH GAS COOKTOP INSTALLATION MANUAL [PDF]

where on page 1 and again on other pages (1, 2, 8 and other pages) we have

Note—This appliance must be properly grounded.

GE Gas cooktop photo courtesy of https://www.geappliances.com/

Gas Cooktop Igniter Wire Test

Tip: we often recommend swapping igniters and igniter wires between burners that are working properly and burners that are not. That can identify a wet or damaged wire or a bad electrical connector or a bad igniter.

But remember to inspect wires and connectors carefully even before moving or swapping parts.

The second photo down from top of this page shows an example [Image] of what you might find: a previously-wet electrical wire connector shorted and burned, causing that igniter to fail to spark.

Dacor ERD30S06CH range igniter clicking problem on 2 burners: Test the Igniter Wires by Swapping

I have a Dacor ERD30S06CH range with a 4-burner gas cooktop. I'm having the "igniter clicking" problem, but only with the 2 burners on the right side of the cooktop.

Specifically, if I use just one of the right side burners then I get the clicking problem; but, if I use both right side burners the clicking stops.

It doesn't matter if I start with the front or back right side burner: I don't get clicking if both right side burners are on, but I do get clicking if only one of the right side burners is on. The 2 left side burners work normally, without clicking.

I've gone through your checklist, inspected and cleaned the igniters, burner rings, etc. Can you suggest a likely cause for the problem I'm having? On 2022-01-02 by Blake -

by Inspectapedia Com Moderator - bad igniter wires cause varying troubles - try wire swapping to diagnose the problem

@Blake,

I agree the troubleshooting these igniter problems can be tricky. Often bad wire can cause a behavior that varies depending on how many burners are turned on.

If you've double checked that the wires are dry and appear intact, the next thing to try would be swapping some of the wire connections at the control module.

If the problem moves to a different burner, then you figure the problem is the control module itself.

Also diagnostic: when did this clicking igniter problem first show up? What had you done to the gas range just before that?

by Blake - swapping wire connections at the control module correctly diagnosed gas burner igniter trouble

I just wanted to confirm that your "try swapping some of the wire connections at the control module" suggestion was right on the money.

I swapped the wire connections to the two problematic igniters and presto--problem fixed. Thank you very much.

[Some readers may wonder how my "igniter clicking" problem could have arisen in the first place. It's my own fault: I disassembled the cooktop in order to replace a defective relay control board (RCB).

Although I carefully labelled the dozens of wires connected to the RCB, I didn't do that for the igniter wires; I just disconnected those wires and moved them aside so I could get at the RCB.

The "clicking" problem showed up after I replaced the RCB.

Lesson learned: label the igniter wires so you can be sure to connect each wire back to its corresponding igniter (at least that's necessary for my Dacor range).]

by Danjoefriedman (mod)

@Blake,

Thank you so much for taking time to give us that feedback on wire swapping as an igniter diagnostic procedure. That will help other readers.

All the Jenn air countertop gas range igniters began sparking after one burner was lit

I have a Jenn air countertop gas range (model JGc9536BDS). Five burner.

Recently, the igniters began sparking after I had ignited a burner. I replaced the igniter ignition switch on what appeared to be the offending knob.

Now, the clicking will stop when that particular burner is lit, but would not stop if I ignited any of the other four burners. I replaced the igniter control module, thinking that it might be faulty. The clicking continues.

Clicking only stops when previously mentioned burner is lit. Igniting any of the other four burners will not cease clicking. I have thoroughly cleaned the burners, four of which were replaced. All igniters are new. am at my wits end!! Any suggestions would be appreciated. On 2023-01-10 by Eric Nippard -

by InspectApedia Publisher - check for wet or damaged igniter wires

@Eric Nippard,

I've also seen that problem happen when there's an igniter wire that's wet or shorted.

Have you changed your Ignitor wires? Are any of the wires burned or has their insulation been damaged?

by Eric Nippard - some wiring is discolored

@InspectApedia Publisher,

I haven’t replaced any wiring but, now that you mention it, do recall seeing some discoloured wiring when the glass top was removed. I will give the replacement a try. Many thanks!

by InspectApedia Publisher

@Eric Nippard,

Do let us know if that solves the problem with your stove igniters - as that will help other readers.

Daniel

JennAir gas stove trouble: Switched cartridges but the same gas burner won't ignite

We have a Jennair that has two cartridges, two burners per cartridge, making it the total of 4 burners. One of them does not spark time to time. When a lighter is used, it works.

When the cartridges are switched between the two, the burner that does not ignite follows. (Say the top left corner is the faulty one. When the left and right cartridges are switched, the faulty one becomes the top right corner one.)

With this, we think it's something in the cartridge that's faulty.

But when the ignitor are switched, or wires are switched, or when the burners are switched, it's still the same spot that the burner does not ignite. (Same top left corner). What could it be? On 2023-03-25 by Nicole -

by InspectApedia Editor - diagnose one non-igniting burner

@Nicole,

When there is one particular gas burner that won't ignite when using the normal burner control and igniter components, and when you've swapped out wires, control modules, and igniters and they all work in the other positions, the two most-likely trouble spots are

1. Check the igniter wires:

you swapped cartridges but you may not have tested or swapped wires.

2. Clean the burner spark contact area:

there could be food or debris or burned oil etc. on the surface of the non-igniting burner near the igniter: clean that area thoroughly.

3. Check the burner control knob & connections:

there could be a defect in the burner control knob whose job it is to both open the gas supply AND (on most newer stoves or range tops) to switch on the igniter: look for an electrical wire between the burner control and the igniter module and try cleaning contacts or replacing the wire; if that fails and if step 1 above has made no difference you may need to replace the burner control.