# gas stove electrical sparker continuously ticking (need answer fast!) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 28, 2010, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-stove-electrical-sparker-continuously-ticking-need-answer-fast/551826 "2010-08-28T22:11:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2010, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-stove-electrical-sparker-continuously-ticking-need-answer-fast/551826/1 "2010-08-28T22:11:57Z")
One of the burners of my gas stove has the sparker continuously firing right now. It sparks non stop about twice a second. There’s no gas coming out so its not a fire hazard, but it’s loud and annoying and it must be draining quite a lot of electricity. Of course normally it only fires when you hold down the gas knob, so it must have short circuited. Pressing the kno up and down as hard as I can repeatedly hasn’t stopped it, so its not a simple mechanical jam. I can only stop it by turning off the circuit that the stove is on, but that circuit also has the whole rest of my downstairs on it. Anyone got suggestions? It’s one of those fancy stoves where its sunk into the counter top, I can’t easily see how to get inside it. I’d guess I need to turn the circuit off and then remove the sparker? ---
**Author:** ![CannyDan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cannydan/32/548_2.png) [@CannyDan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CannyDan)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2010, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-stove-electrical-sparker-continuously-ticking-need-answer-fast/551826/2 "2010-08-28T22:17:36Z")
Can’t you unplug it? Yes, I know it’s a gas stove, but the igniters are electrical as you know. There is typically an electrical pigtail plugged into a common receptacle, behind the stove or beneath it if it is a cooktop. ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2010, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-stove-electrical-sparker-continuously-ticking-need-answer-fast/551826/3 "2010-08-28T22:22:19Z")
aha, I thought the stove was wired directly into the mains (they sometimes do that in Australia) but you were right it does have a plug socket in back of a cupboard where I had never noticed it… Now its got no power, Would anyone think removing the sparker from that one burner is a job that could be done easily and safely? thanks ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2010, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-stove-electrical-sparker-continuously-ticking-need-answer-fast/551826/4 "2010-08-28T22:27:43Z")
I think by code the stove must have its own outlet that is accessible, just like it has a gas shut off valve that is accessible. The top should be able to lifted so you can get to the pilot. I’d guess that something got into the pilot and that cleaning out around it would help. Do you have a brand and model number handy? You could look up the specifics for the model online too I’d bet. ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2010, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-stove-electrical-sparker-continuously-ticking-need-answer-fast/551826/5 "2010-08-28T22:30:14Z")
It’s a highland 3 burner gas cooker (separate from the oven, thats Bosch) No model number visible. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2010, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-stove-electrical-sparker-continuously-ticking-need-answer-fast/551826/6 "2010-08-28T22:38:48Z")
[This one?](http://www.highland.com.au/products.aspx) User manual available there. Occasional clicking when off may mean liquid in the mechanism either from a boil over or over zealous cleaning. Remove the control knobs and take a hair dryer to it 5 minutes per knob. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2010, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-stove-electrical-sparker-continuously-ticking-need-answer-fast/551826/7 "2010-08-28T23:07:50Z")
It can also mean that the sparker has been coated with dryed up spaghetti sauce or its like. In that case, clean off the goo with water, and dry. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-stove-electrical-sparker-continuously-ticking-need-answer-fast/551826/8 "2010-08-30T02:46:23Z")
So … did it dry out and start working now?