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Gas Fireplace Clicking But Not Lighting: Diagnostic Guide
If your gas fireplace is clicking but not lighting, the ignition system is at least partly working: something is making sparks, but the gas is not catching. On a standing pilot fireplace the click is the piezo button you press; on an electronic (IPI) fireplace it is the control module sparking on its own. The fix depends on which one you have and on whether you can actually see a spark at the pilot.
First: What Kind of Ignition Do You Have?
- Standing pilot (millivolt): the valve has a knob marked OFF / PILOT / ON and there is a red or black piezo button next to it. You light the pilot by hand and it burns all season. Common valves are the SIT 820 Nova and Robertshaw 700 series.
- Electronic ignition (IPI): no pilot knob; the pilot sparks and lights only when you turn the fireplace on with the switch or remote. A control module runs it: SIT Proflame 2 boards run on 120 V with a battery backup (4 AA), and Heat & Glo's IntelliFire Plus uses a 6 V DC transformer.
- Mertik Maxitrol GV60: a battery receiver drives a motor on the valve and sparks the pilot. See our GV60 beep codes guide.
Not sure? Our millivolt vs electronic ignition guide shows the difference.
Which Clicking Problem Is It?
- Clicks, you can see a spark at the pilot, no flame: no gas reaching the pilot, air in the line, a blocked pilot orifice or the wrong orifice.
- Clicks but no spark at the pilot: a worn piezo, a loose or shorted igniter wire, a cracked electrode insulator, an electrode gap that is too wide, or a poor ground.
- Pilot lights but keeps sparking and the burner never comes on: the control is not sensing the pilot flame (IPI only).
Turn off the room lights and watch the pilot while it clicks; that one look tells you which list to work from.
Standing Pilot: The Piezo Clicks but the Pilot Won't Light
These checks come from Heat & Glo's standing pilot troubleshooting table and from Empire's and SIT's lighting instructions:
- Hold the knob in while you click. Turn the knob to PILOT, push it all the way in and keep it in while you press the piezo; the knob opens the pilot gas. Empire's caution: never hold the knob in at PILOT without pressing the piezo at least once every second.
- Check the gas supply. Every shutoff valve between the fireplace and the gas main must be open (there can be more than one), and on propane, the tank must not be empty.
- Allow for air in the line. After the gas has been off, SIT says to keep the knob pressed at least 30 seconds until the air vents and a strong pilot flame appears, and Empire says the first lighting can take a few minutes of purging.
- No spark at the electrode? If the electrode wire is properly connected and there is still no spark, Heat & Glo says to replace the piezo igniter.
- Spark but no flame? Heat & Glo's service check is to light the pilot with a match (where your manual shows a match-lighting procedure). If the pilot then also lights from the piezo, the mixture was the problem and a longer purge fixes it. If it still will not light from the piezo, set the gap between the electrode and the pilot to 1/8 in; if the gap is right, replace the pilot assembly.
If the pilot lights but goes out when you let go of the knob, that is a different problem: see pilot light won't stay lit.
Electronic Ignition: Sparks but the Pilot Won't Light
An IPI system only gets a limited time to light. SIT's Proflame 2 board sparks once per second with a 60-second safety time, makes 2 ignition trials with a 30-second wait between them to purge unburned gas, and then shuts the gas off and locks out. Heat & Glo's IntelliFire Plus sparks for up to 60 seconds before it locks out with 3 flashes. Heat & Glo's checks for "pilot sparks, but pilot will not light" (from its original IntelliFire table), plus SIT's advice on lockouts:
- Gas supply: the incoming gas ball valve is open and inlet pressure is within limits (Heat & Glo: no more than 14 in W.C.).
- Igniter gap: about 0.17 in or 1/8 in from the igniter to the pilot hood.
- Ground: the module is securely grounded to the metal chassis.
- After a lockout: SIT's Proflame 2 board has already made its second try, after a 30-second purge, before it locks out. Reset it once (below). SIT says the cause of a lockout has to be found, so if it locks out again, call a technician rather than cycling it over and over.
Electronic Ignition: Clicks but No Spark
From Heat & Glo's IntelliFire table ("the ignitor/module makes noise, but no spark"):
- Reversed wires: the white "S" (sensor) and orange "I" (igniter) wires must be on the right terminals at the module and the pilot. Swapped wires can make the sparking noise with no spark at the pilot hood.
- Loose connections or shorts: check under the pilot assembly that nothing touches the chassis, pilot enclosure or screen. On these pilots the rod closest to the hood is the igniter.
- Cracked insulator or shorted spark wire: inspect the ceramic around the electrode.
- Module: a technician can pull the "I" wire and hold a ground wire about 3/16 in from the "I" terminal with the switch on. No spark there means a bad module.
- No noise and no spark at all: on the original IntelliFire, Heat & Glo checks the transformer, which should read 2.8 to 3.2 VAC under load at the module. IntelliFire Plus uses a 6 V DC adapter instead.
Pilot Lights but Keeps Sparking and the Burner Won't Light
If the pilot keeps sparking after it lights, the module has not proved the flame. The pilot flame carries a small current through the sensor rod to ground (flame rectification), and the burner opens a few seconds after that works: 5 seconds on SIT's Proflame 2, 4 to 8 seconds on IntelliFire Plus. Heat & Glo's fixes:
- Clean the sensor rod with emery cloth to remove buildup.
- Check that the ceramic insulator around the sensor rod is not cracked or loose, and that the sensor wire is connected.
- Make sure the flame engulfs the sensor rod. A wrong pilot orifice (common after a gas conversion) or too high an inlet pressure can lift the flame off the hood and break the circuit; our gas orifice size chart helps confirm the orifice.
- Confirm the module is grounded to the chassis.
Do not test with a lighter wand at the sensor: Heat & Glo warns a false flame puts the module into lockout. On a standing pilot fireplace with the pilot lit but no burner, the cause is the thermopile, the switch or the valve; our thermocouple and thermopile testing guide covers those readings.
Lockout and Blink Codes
| System | LED flashes | Meaning | What to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| SIT Proflame 2 IFC (red LED) | 3 flashes | Lockout (failed ignition trials or a flame problem) | Gas supply, spark and sensor checks above, then reset |
| SIT Proflame 2 IFC (red LED) | 2 flashes | Pilot flame detected at startup when there should be none | Sensor rod and wiring for a short |
| SIT Proflame 2 IFC (red LED) | 1 flash | Low battery | Replace the 4 AA backup batteries |
| IntelliFire Plus | 3 flashes | Pilot sparked up to 60 seconds but the main valve did not open | Inlet pressure, pilot leads, clean sense rod, igniter and hood |
| IntelliFire Plus | 2 flashes | Not enough voltage from the ignition coil to the igniter | Clear the lockout and retry; replace the module if it repeats |
| IntelliFire Plus | 1 flash | Fuel-type selector in the wrong position or damaged | Selector setting (NG or LP) |
Resetting a Proflame 2 lockout: SIT says to turn the main switch (or the remote) OFF for at least 2 seconds, then ON for at least 2 seconds; the IPI/CPI switch does not clear it. Full code lists are in our SIT Proflame 2 error codes guide and IntelliFire troubleshooting guide.
Parts for a Fireplace That Clicks but Won't Light
Match the part number in your owner's manual or on the old part before ordering. Pilot assemblies and valves come in natural gas (NG) and propane (LP) versions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my gas fireplace clicking but not lighting?
If you see a spark at the pilot, gas is not reaching it: a closed shutoff valve, an empty propane tank, air in the line or a blocked or wrong pilot orifice. If there is no spark at the pilot, the piezo or module, the igniter wire, the electrode or the ground is the problem.
Why is my fireplace igniter not sparking?
On a standing pilot, a worn piezo or a loose wire; Heat & Glo replaces the piezo if the wire is connected and there is still no spark. On IPI, check for reversed sensor and igniter wires, a short under the pilot, a cracked insulator, a poor ground and the transformer.
How do I reset a gas fireplace that keeps clicking and locks out?
On SIT Proflame 2, turn the main switch or remote OFF for at least 2 seconds and back ON for at least 2 seconds. If it locks out again, find the cause before resetting again; repeated lockouts need a technician.
Why does my gas fireplace make a noise after I turn it off?
On IntelliFire Plus, Heat & Glo notes the valve's stepper motor makes an audible noise when it adjusts the flame and when the flame is turned off, which is normal. Steady sparking with the fireplace off is not: turn it off at the switch and have it checked.
When to Call a Professional
- You smell gas: leave, do not touch switches, and call your gas supplier from outside
- The module locks out again after a reset
- Inlet pressure, module voltage or wiring checks are needed (the makers write these steps for qualified technicians)
- You have replaced the igniter or pilot and it still will not light
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