Gas cooker problems: what you can check, and what needs an engineer
Last reviewed · owner Mike Fellows · general information, not legal advice
If a gas cooker will not light, the safe checks are electrical and mechanical: is the ignition clicking, is it plugged in, are the burner cap and crown seated and dry, and is gas reaching other appliances. Anything beyond that, including any work on the gas supply, must legally be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Yellow or floppy flames, soot, or any smell of gas mean stop using it.
The cooker will not light: what can I check myself?
Four things, none of which touch the gas path. Whether the igniter clicks at all: no click usually means an electrical problem, so check the plug, the socket and the fuse. Whether the burner parts are seated: a cap or crown left slightly askew after cleaning is the single most common cause of one burner failing. Whether they are dry: a boiled-over pan can leave enough moisture to stop ignition until it dries. And whether gas is reaching the rest of the house, because a prepayment meter that has run out looks exactly like a broken cooker. If the igniter clicks and the burner parts are seated and dry but there is still no flame, stop there. That is engineer territory.
Which cooker symptoms mean stop using it?
A flame that burns yellow or orange instead of crisp blue, flames that lift or float off the burner, soot on pans or around the burners, or any smell of gas. These are signs of incomplete combustion or a leak, and incomplete combustion produces carbon monoxide. If you smell gas: do not operate switches, put out naked flames, open windows, turn the gas off at the meter if you can, leave, and call the National Gas Emergency line on 0800 111 999. A carbon monoxide alarm in the kitchen is not optional equipment with any gas appliance.
What does the law say about who works on it?
Any work on a gas appliance or its supply, including disconnecting and reconnecting a cooker, must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer. That includes the flexible hose behind a freestanding cooker, which many people assume is a DIY item; the bayonet fitting is designed for an engineer's use, not for routine consumer disconnection and refitting. Cleaning burner parts, replacing a plug fuse and re-seating caps and crowns are yours. Everything on the gas side is not.
Sources
- HSE, Gas health and safety in the home (accessed 2026-09-05)
- GOV.UK, Find a Gas Safe engineer (accessed 2026-09-05)
This page is general information for property professionals, not legal advice. For a decision that matters, take advice on your specific facts.
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