Sears Kenmore Self-Standing 30″ gas stove model number 223 674 132 10 as well as 790-74132, gas burner, cap on, will not ignite and needs cleaning. Igniter is on the right, in white, with a center electrode. Toronto, Canada, Photo by Don Tai
It has been 2.5 years since we bought our Kenmore 30″ freestanding self-clean gas stove from Sears. The stove is item # is 223 674 132 10 as well as 790-74132. Recently the center burner of our 5 burners has become difficult to ignite. Here is how to clean it.
Our natural gas stove is fabulous and very low maintenance. We sometimes inadvertently spill or overflow liquid, as is typical with cooking. Recently the center burner was not igniting. I checked the instruction manual and there was nothing about cleaning the burner or igniter. Bad for Sears Kenmore for not covering this small maintenance tip. Do we really need to call a service tech to clean out some baked on cooking scum? A sucessful Google search ensued.
Gas stoves and BBQs are pretty simple creatures, and I really love them for their reliability. There is a valve that shuts off the gas. There is a metal pipe that allows the gas to go to a specific location at a specific rate. There is the igniter that ignites the gas and you have a flame and therefore heat. There is really not much to go wrong.
If you wanted to be the family fix-it hero of the house, repairing the “scary gas stove burner not igniting” would be top of the list, because it is so easy to do, requires few tools, has a low risk factor, there are no moving parts, only 4 parts in total, is quick to complete and results are immediate. Today you will be the hero.
Level of skill required: 2/10
Time required: 5 minutes, if you are really slow and careful
Tools: 3/16 socket and wrench, sewing needle, maybe old toothbrush to clean out burnt food debris. Note: Do not use your wife’s toothbrush, and if you do, do not tell her.
Sears Kenmore Self-Standing 30″ gas stove model number 223 674 132 10 as well as 790-74132, gas burner, cap on, will not ignite and needs cleaning. Igniter is on the right, in white, with a center electrode. Toronto, Canada, Photo by Don Tai
In our Kenmore gas stove’s case there is a very large outer cover that protects the gas pipe from getting clogged with either spillover or burnt food. There is, however, in the cast iron burner element a small orifice that allows the igniter to meet the gas. It was this small orifice that was clogged. The igniter flame was not meeting the gas and therefore was not igniting. The simple solution is to ensure that the orifice is clean and not clogged. Once I did this the igniter was igniting the gas as usual.
Sears Kenmore Self-Standing 30″ gas stove model number 223 674 132 10 as well as 790-74132, gas burner, cap removed, will not ignite and needs cleaning. Igniter is on the right, in white, with a center electrode. Toronto, Canada, Photo2 by Don Tai
Remove the brown gas burner cover. This exposes the silver burner base. There are 2 x 3/16″ hex bolts to remove. The metric 4mm is too small and the 5mm is too large. Go figure the damn thing is in Imperial! Note that the bolts are not very tight, so when you replace them do not over tighten. Remove the gas burner base and clean. Look for an indentation on the side of the base, which is for the igniter. Inside this indentation there is a hole, a gas orifice. This orifice allows the gas to seep into the igniter area to ignite.
Sears Kenmore Self-Standing 30″ gas stove model number 223 674 132 10 as well as 790-74132, gas burner, burner base removed from stove for cleaning. Shallow indentation at front is the space for the igniter. Inside this indentation is the igniter orifice. Toronto, Canada, Photo3 by Don Tai
Sears Kenmore Self-Standing 30″ gas stove model number 223 674 132 10 as well as 790-74132, gas burner, burner base removed from stove for cleaning, upside down. Shallow indentation at front is the space for the igniter. Inside this indentation is the igniter orifice, clearly visible. Toronto, Canada, Photo4 by Don Tai
Clean the igniter orifice with the sewing needle. The orifice is pretty large, so you can go to town. Use the toothbrush to remove any other debris. When the orifice is clear, reinstall. Do not overtighten the burner base bolts. They were not tight to remove so leave them in the same level of tightness. Reinstall the burner cover, the grill and test. The burner should ignite quickly with the igniter.
Sears Kenmore Self-Standing 30″ gas stove model number 223 674 132 10 as well as 790-74132, gas burner, burner base removed from stove for cleaning, tilted up. Shallow indentation at front is the space for the igniter. Inside this indentation is the igniter orifice, clearly visible. Toronto, Canada, Photo5 by Don Tai
If this fix does not work, then either the igniter is faulty or there is a blockage in the gas tube. Get a BBQ clicker igniter, turn on the gas and try to ignite. If it ignites then the igniter needs replacement. If it does not ignite but the other burners can ignite then your gas pipe is clogged. Call a gas stove tech.
Note that you might be able to clean the igniter orifice from the middle of the burner base, but will need a small “L” shaped wire. You will also not be able to see if the orifice is clean because of lack of light and sight lines. You can also clean the orifice from the outside with the needle, just above the igniter, but you’ll need to have disassembled an igniter base to know what you are doing first. Again you will not be able to see if the orifice is completely clean.
Related: Sears Kenmore 30″ Gas Stove: Review
Addendum 2020 Dec 13: The left top burner, the one we most commonly use, was not lighting on the first click, so I decided to take it apart, removing the two 3/16″ hex bolts holding the silver burner base down. The bolts and the bottom of the silver burner base had a lot of caked on white powder. Not only the orfice, but the space between the blocks and the underside of the silver burner base had a lot of buildup of a white powder, probably a byproduct of the burning of the natural gas. This all had to be cleaned. The orfice can be better cleaned when removed. You can then put a small diameter copper wire through the orfice to completely clean it out. The 5 burners did not take very long, but almost all of them had significant white powder buildup.
