Gas safety — read this first
Stop and deal with this first
If you can smell gas, stop. Shut the gas off at the appliance and at the cylinder, put out any open flame, do not use the igniter, and leave the lid open until the smell has gone. Do not try to light it again until the leak has been found and fixed.
The gas barbecue will not light
The burner will not catch, which is either an ignition fault or a gas-delivery fault — and one match settles which.
Work out which one it is
Each cause below lists the signs that point at it rather than at the others. Start with the signs, not with the fix.
Gas is arriving; the spark is not.
commonSigns it is this one
- The burner lights with a match, having failed on the igniter.
- No click, or a click with no visible spark at the electrode.
Why it happens: An igniter that has stopped sparking looks identical from the control knob to a burner receiving no gas. Lighting the burner with a match separates them: if it lights, gas delivery is fine and the fault is in the ignition.
What to do
- Use the match while the ignition is repaired; check the battery and the electrode gap first. — during cook, reliable
Next time
- Test the igniter at the start of the season rather than with guests waiting.
Something is blocking the gas on its way to the ports.
commonSigns it is this one
- It will not light with a match either, or lights only at the end nearest the gas inlet.
- Other burners on the same appliance behave normally.
Why it happens: Spiders and insects nest in the venturi section of burner tubes, obstructing flow and pushing gas back out of the combustion path; fouled ports restrict it further. The result is a burner that will not light, lights only near the inlet, or burns low and erratically at the high setting.
What to do
- Shut the gas off, remove the burner tubes and clear the venturi and ports before reassembling. — next time, reliable
Next time
- Clear the burner tubes at the start of each season and cover the appliance between cooks.
Repeated attempts have filled the cook box with gas.
occasionalSigns it is this one
- Several ignition attempts have been made in quick succession.
- There is a smell of gas around the appliance.
Why it happens: Every failed ignition releases gas that does not burn and collects under the lid. Trying again into that accumulation is how a failed light becomes a flashback, which is why the manufacturer instruction is to turn the gas off and wait with the lid open.
What to do
- Turn the gas off at the control and at the cylinder, open the lid and wait five minutes before trying again. — during cook, reliable
Next time
- Wait between attempts as a matter of course, not only after several.