If earlier gas stoves were designed without a piezo ignition function, which was simply considered unnecessary, today this is an integral part of every new model of technology. Such innovations have brought into the user's life not only new opportunities, because now, from time to time, you have to face a situation when the piezo ignition on a gas stove does not work, and you do not know at all what with to do this.
You must admit that it is somewhat impractical to call a master for each electric ignition breakdown, moreover, such repairs do not require special skills. In this case, it is important to accurately determine the cause of the malfunction and learn how to repair equipment with your own hands.
Despite the improvement of each new model of the gas stove, the piezoelectric element may fail from time to time. The reason can be both in the elementary absence of a spark, and in damage to the insulation of the wire or burnout of the transformer. Further in the article, the most common types of electric ignition failures will be presented, and you can familiarize yourself with the step-by-step piezo ignition repair depending on the type of malfunction.
The content of the article:
- The principle of operation of the piezoelectric element
- Signs of a malfunction of the electric ignition
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Causes and remedies
- There is no spark on all cooking zones.
- Only one cooking zone does not ignite
- The electric ignition does not work on two cooking zones
- Conclusions and useful video on the topic
The principle of operation of the piezoelectric element
The electric ignition function is used only on gas stoves, allowing you to ignite blue fuel in automatic mode, and, thereby, eliminating the need for the user to contact the open fire.
Such, at first glance, a convenient piezo ignition function is considered one of the most capricious and unreliable devices of modern gas stove.
If a malfunction is detected, you should not try to turn on the system with the burners removed, as this can provoke a breakdown to the body
The electric ignition system is equipped with special piezoelectric elements that, when you turn a switch on the control panel, produce a spark to ignite the gas flow.
If we consider the principle of operation of the piezo ignition of a gas stove in more detail, then it looks like this:
- when you turn the switch of a certain hotplate, voltage is applied to the area of the capacitor;
- then the capacitor starts charging, after which the level on the thyristor increases;
- as soon as the level reaches the set limit, the capacitor begins to discharge;
- the resulting voltage activates the spark gap, and as a result, the spark ignites the gas.
The process of gas ignition by turning on the electric ignition takes a few seconds, while in new models of stoves, the spark always hits the area of the switched on burner. The piezo ignition device operates on a 220 volt electrical network.
Often, a breakdown of the electric ignition system of a gas stove occurs as a result of a sharp jump in voltage, which may require repair of the device and replacement of failed parts.
Signs of a malfunction of the electric ignition
The electric ignition of a gas stove can break completely unexpectedly, while in the process of use technique, the switch will continue to turn and click, the gas will come out, but the spark will not will appear.
If, when you turn the switch, one or all of the burners do not ignite, but a spark is present, then the problem is most likely not in the piezo ignition system, but in the elementary contamination of the nozzle.
Determine the type of breakdown of the electric ignition, and at the same time detect a failed part, depending on the number of burners that do not ignite
The absence of a spark when at least one burner is turned on already indicates a malfunction in the piezo ignition system. Also, there are often situations when gas burners make noise during operation. You can read more about this issue. here.
However, you can only figure out which part failed on the basis of the following signs:
- when pressing the burner control knob, the electric ignition function does not work;
- automatic piezo ignition functions work properly, accompanied by clicks, however, there is no spark;
- the system does not turn off even when the handle is lowered or the shutdown button is pressed;
- when the device is turned on, the breakout of the circuit breaker in the apartment panel is observed.
Often, the problem of a malfunction of automatic ignition is the complete absence of a spark, or vice versa - continuous sparking even when the device is turned off.
Also, the electric ignition may temporarily fail due to the jamming of the power buttons, provoked by the accumulation of fat on the control panel. You can fix the problem by cleaning and drying all components of the gas stove, including buttons and contacts.
Causes and remedies
Regardless of the age of the gas stove, the electric ignition function can break down at any time, and the cause of the breakdown is far from always the result of improper operation.
Of course, sometimes a piezo ignition malfunction occurs after wet cleaning of the hob, as a result of which moisture, along with the detergent, gets inside the stove. In this case, the breakdown is easily eliminated without repair.
If moisture gets into the inside of the gas stove, it is enough to clean the contacts and dry the candles, after which the electric ignition function will be fully restored
If during the operation of the gas stove one or more of the previously listed signs are observed, then the problem lies precisely in the piezo ignition.
A malfunction of such an important function can occur for any of the following reasons.
- No spark on the electrodes.
- Ingress of moisture or grease into the system.
- The appearance of a crack on the surface of a ceramic candle.
- Damage to the insulation of the wire going to the candle.
- Burnout of the transformer - spark generation unit.
- Oxidation or contamination of the contacts of the power button.
In some cases, repair of a gas stove piezo lighter can be done independently, but for this you will need to carry out a full diagnostics of the equipment, and correctly determine the reason for the termination of work systems. Further in the article, methods of restoring the piezo ignition function will be presented for the most common device breakdowns.
If after pressing the auto-ignition button the burner does not ignite, and at the same time, you noticed that there is no ignition spark, this means only one thing - the electric ignition is out of order. The absence of a spark in one, two or all four burners can indicate different breakdowns, which you can learn in more detail from the following sections of the article.
After removing the top panel of the slab, you should immediately compare each element of the system with the presented diagram in order to understand in which area to look for a breakdown
Based on the presented diagram, you can independently figure out how to properly repair a piezoelectric element in a gas stove without calling a master. Since the auto-ignition function for all gas stoves is arranged according to the same pattern, the recovery process will be the same for all models.
There is no spark on all cooking zones.
If, when you turn on the oven, you notice that the electric ignition does not click, and at the same time no spark appears on any of the burners, then first you need to check if the plug and power cord are working. Only after excluding such malfunctions can it be assumed that a failure has occurred in the auto-ignition system.
In the absence of a spark on all burners, the problem may lie in a malfunction of the ignition unit, while it is often the capacitor that fails first, giving a spark when the button is pressed. The only way out is to replace the ignition unit.
Another reason for the malfunction may be a breakdown of the auto-ignition button (in older models with one button for all burners). In this case, the button itself will be pressed intermittently - too weak or tight. Due to oxidation or mechanical damage to the button, the contacts do not close, which means that the electric ignition does not work.
Mechanical damage to the auto-ignition button can result from prolonged careless use, sometimes in combination with serious contamination.
To fix the problem, you will need to clean the contacts from oxidation, or if the button is damaged, replace it. In specialized online stores, you can choose an electric ignition button for any model of a gas stove, even outdated ones.
Only one cooking zone does not ignite
If, when the piezo ignition function is turned on, a spark does not appear on only one burner, then the first thing you need to do is check the candle for contamination. During operation, water could penetrate into the system, leaving traces of oxidation on the candle, due to which the electric ignition was temporarily out of order. In this case, you will need to wipe the part with a sponge and WD-40 aerosol, and then try to turn on the burner again.
Further lack of reaction to the inclusion of the auto-ignition button may signal a malfunction of the spark plug for a particular burner. Often the reason lies in the breakdown of the power cord going from the ignition unit to the plug, which can be elementary damaged.
If food gets on the cord during operation, it simply sticks to the stove body, because of which it will punch through the settled fat onto the body.
Do not try to twist the damaged section of the cord with simple electrical tape, since it is not designed for high temperatures and may melt over time.
In this case, the only rational solution to the problem would be to replace the power cord together with the ignition plug. If the burner does not work due to the cord adhered to the body, then you will need to disassemble the stove, and then remove the dirt yourself.
Often in expensive models that are equipped with electric ignition buttons built into the handle of each burner, one or more buttons break. This situation can arise due to oxidation of the contacts or damage to the button itself. In the first case, it is enough to clean the contacts, but if the button mechanism is damaged, it will need to be replaced.
The electric ignition does not work on two cooking zones
If the auto-ignition function is out of order only on a pair of burners, then the reason may be a malfunction of the ignition unit. A transformer is installed at the output of the ignition unit, the secondary winding of which consists of two more windings.
The voltage during operation of the first winding of the electric ignition unit is supplied to the right side of the gas stove panel, and while the second winding is responsible for supplying current to the two left burners.
If one of the windings burns out, the autoignition stops working on those two burners for which it was responsible for lighting. To restore the operation of the failed burners, you will need to replace the electric ignition unit.
When the transformer winding burns out, only two right or two left burners stop working, which makes it possible to exclude any other malfunctions
If you have the appropriate skills, you can try to install a new transformer winding yourself, but the simpler option would still be to replace the entire electric ignition unit.
Finding a finished part will be much easier than repairing a broken block yourself.
Conclusions and useful video on the topic
How to repair the piezo ignition of one gas burner yourself can be found in the following video:
How to restore the operation of electric ignition on two gas burners is explained in detail in this video:
Breakdown of the piezo ignition of a gas stove today is not a disaster, because with all the necessary knowledge, now everyone can repair the device on their own. The main condition is to carry out diagnostics of all elements of the electric ignition system to correctly identify a breakdown.
If you have already had to repair the electric ignition of a gas stove yourself, then please share your experience with our readers, and tell us what nuances you should pay attention to in the process repair. In a special block after the article, you can leave a comment, telling your story of the successful restoration of the piezo ignition of a gas stove.