Fixing the Everyday Kitchen Stove, Gas or Electric

Look at the top. Four or five gas burners under metal grates means a gas stove, and nearly all modern ones have sealed burners with electronic spark ignition. Exposed spiral metal coils that plug into sockets mean an electric coil stove. A smooth black or white glass surface is either radiant electric or induction; if a magnet sticks to your pots and the glass doesn't glow red, it's probably induction.

On a gas stove, turning any knob sends power to a spark module that clicks all the igniters at once. Each burner has a small ceramic electrode beside it, and the flame lights from a spark to the burner ports. Older stoves may use standing pilot lights instead, which stay lit and need occasional adjustment. On a coil stove, each element plugs into a receptacle and is controlled by an infinite switch that cycles power to set the heat. Glass-top stoves hide ribbon elements under the glass and use the same kind of switches or an electronic control.

The oven below a stove works exactly like any other oven, so bake, broil and self-clean faults are covered on our oven page. This page is about the cooking surface and the stove as a whole in an everyday kitchen.

Igniters, spark modules, burner switches, coil elements and receptacles are among the least expensive repairs in any kitchen, and they're nearly always worth doing even on an older stove. Glass tops and electronic controls cost more, and on a basic stove that's already seen years of hard use, replacement can be the better value.

Landlords and property managers often weigh a repair against a quick swap for a new unit. We'll give you the repair price and a candid view of the stove's condition so the decision is an easy one.