--- title: "Gas Grill Won't Light: Knob On, Clicking, No Flame: Causes and Fixes" description: "A gas grill won't light when the knob turns and the igniter clicks yet no flame appears, or when one burner catches and the others stay dark beside it." url: "https://bbqgrillrepair.center/problems/grill-wont-light/" --- # Gas Grill Won't Light: Knob On, Clicking, No Flame A gas grill won't light when the knob turns and the igniter clicks yet no flame appears, or when one burner catches and the others stay dark beside it. ## What it usually means. Lighting needs three things at once: gas at the burner ports, air mixed into it, and a spark or glowing tip in the right spot. Miss one and the grill stays dark. On propane the most common reason involves no broken part at all: the tank is empty, its valve is shut, or the regulator's safety device has cut the flow to a trickle because the tank was opened while a knob was already on. That device, often called bypass or excess-flow mode, lets through only enough gas for a faint flame or none, and it resets when everything is closed and reopened in the right order. On natural gas, a shutoff closed during patio work does the same thing. After the gas come the burners: spiders in the venturi, ports sealed with grease and rust, a burner sitting off its orifice, or a crossover channel clogged so flame cannot jump from one burner to the next. Then comes ignition itself, which has its own page. Every failed attempt leaves gas under the lid, so the rule is simple: if a burner has not lit within a few seconds, knob off, lid up, and wait five minutes, or as long as the manual asks, before trying again. The 7 causes, cheapest first Answer these first 01 Do you hear or smell gas at the burner when the knob turns, or nothing at all? 02 Does the igniter click, and can you see a spark? 03 Is it every burner or only one? 04 Does the propane tank feel heavy or light when lifted, and was it opened with a knob already on? 05 Has the grill sat unused under its cover for weeks? ## Check these before you book. Gas grill won't light: 5 checks, and none of them costs anything. 01 If a burner has not lit within a few seconds, turn its knob off, leave the lid up and wait five minutes, or the time in your manual, before another try. 02 Lift the propane tank to judge how full it is, and make sure its valve is open. 03 With all knobs off, close the tank, wait a minute, open it slowly, then light one burner the way the manual shows. ### Also worth checking - Once cold, lift the grates and look along each burner for rust holes, webs or ports caked shut. - With the gas off, press the igniter and look for a spark at the tip beside each burner. ### How soon does it need a visit? A grill that will not light is not urgent unless there is a gas smell, which has its own page. Book a visit when the tank and the regulator reset check out and it still stays dark. ## The causes, cheapest first. 7 things gas grill won't light: knob on, clicking, no flame turns out to be, from propane tank empty or its valve shut to regulator worn out or hose kinked. [The cost guide](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/cost/) 1. 01 no repair ### Propane tank empty or its valve shut A tank that lifts easily, or a valve left closed after the last cook, gives no gas at all. Refill or exchange it and open the valve slowly with every knob off. No repair: check it yourself 2. 02 no repair ### Regulator stuck in its low-flow bypass Opening the tank with any knob on, or opening it fast, trips the regulator's safety device. Knobs off, tank closed, a minute's wait, the tank opened slowly, then one burner lit as the manual describes. No repair: check it yourself 3. 03 no repair ### Natural gas shutoff left closed A shutoff closed for landscaping or a new patio and never reopened starves a built-in grill head. The handle position in the manual tells open from closed. No repair: check it yourself 4. 04 low ### Webs or debris in the venturi tube A tube blocked by a web lets gas through but not enough air, so the burner will not catch or lights with a pop. The tubes are brushed out on a cleaning visit. [Fixed by grill cleaning and safety inspection](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/services/grill-cleaning-and-safety-inspection/) 5. 05 low ### No spark reaching the burner Weak or missing clicks, or a spark that jumps to the wrong spot, mean the gas is fine and the ignition is not. The igniter page covers it. [Fixed by grill igniter repair](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/services/grill-igniter-repair/) [See grill igniter not sparking or clicking weakly](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/problems/grill-igniter-not-sparking/) 6. 06 low to moderate ### Burner ports or crossover sealed with grease and rust When most ports are closed, too little gas escapes to light, and a clogged crossover stops the flame carrying to the next burner. Burners past cleaning are replaced. [Fixed by grill burner replacement](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/services/grill-burner-replacement/) 7. 07 moderate ### Regulator worn out or hose kinked A regulator failing inside, or a hose kinked behind the cart, passes too little gas to light. On propane grills both are changed as one assembly. [Fixed by grill valve and regulator repair](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/services/grill-valve-and-regulator-repair/) 8. What it costs ### Every repair on the site's cost scale, side by side Open the cost guide ## What else it could be. Most often confused with grill igniter not sparking or clicking weakly, then grill low flame: burners stuck at a weak blue line. [All problems](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/problems/) Codes that come with it - [`Igniter keeps glowing while the burner runs` Alfresco · Mode, not a failure](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/error-codes/alfresco-igniter-stays-on/) - [`Dial light orange` DCS · Flame and gas flow](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/error-codes/dcs-dial-light-orange/) - [`Power supply LED off` Fire Magic · Power](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/error-codes/fire-magic-power-supply-led/) - [`Flashing white bezel light` Kalamazoo · Mode, not a failure](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/error-codes/kalamazoo-flashing-white-bezel-light/) - [`Flashing blue bezel light` Kalamazoo · Ignition](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/error-codes/kalamazoo-flashing-blue-bezel-light/) - [`Steady blue bezel light` Kalamazoo · Mode, not a failure](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/error-codes/kalamazoo-steady-blue-bezel-light/) [14 more codes, by make](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/error-codes/) Also related - [**Grill Flashback: Flames Behind the Knobs or Under the Panel** 6 causes · gas or fire at the grill](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/problems/grill-flames-behind-knobs/) ### Grill Igniter Not Sparking or Clicking Weakly 7 causes ### Grill Low Flame: Burners Stuck at a Weak Blue Line 6 causes Gas or fire at the grill ### Grill Gas Smell at the Burners or the Tank: What to Do Now 6 causes ## The makes it happens on. 23 makes on this site; gas grill won't light: knob on, clicking, no flame can show up on any of them. 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A tank near empty can still hiss but cannot hold pressure once a burner draws on it. If a full tank fixes it every time, the old tank was the whole story. ### What is the bypass mode on a propane grill regulator? A safety feature that limits flow when it senses a sudden rush, such as a tank opened with a knob on. It resets when every knob and the tank are closed and the tank is reopened slowly. ### Can the grill be lit by hand while the igniter is out? Many manuals describe lighting with a long match held in a clip through a lighting hole. Follow your own manual's method only, and never lean over the grates to do it. ### One burner lights but the next will not catch from it. Why? Burners usually light each other through a crossover channel. A clogged crossover, or a burner sitting out of line, stops the flame from carrying across. --- **[Read on the site: Gas Grill Won't Light: Knob On, Clicking, No Flame: Causes and Fixes](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/problems/grill-wont-light/)** **[Book a visit with BBQGrillRepair.center](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/schedule/)**