Why does my fire pit spark but not light?
If your fire pit sparks but won't light, the ignitor is working — so the problem is gas not reaching the burner at the moment of the spark. Usually it's an empty or closed-off supply, air trapped in the line after a refill, or a valve you aren't opening long enough. The spark is fine; the fuel is the issue.
The spark means your ignition is fine
There's good news buried in the bad: a spark means your ignition system is doing its job. The battery, the electrode, and the gap are all fine. So the question isn't 'why won't it spark' — it's 'why isn't there gas at the burner when the spark happens.'
That narrows things a lot, and most of the causes are simple supply problems you can reason through in a couple of minutes.
Follow the fuel
Start at the source. On a propane pit, is there actually gas in the tank, and is the tank valve open all the way? A tank valve that's barely cracked can starve the burner. On a natural-gas pit, is the supply valve open? Then work forward: open the fire pit's key or control valve fully and hold it while you spark — some people click the ignitor for a split second and give up before gas has even crossed the burner.
The big one is air in the line. After a tank refill, a new hookup, or the first light of the season, the line is full of air, and it can take a good ten to twenty seconds of holding the valve open before real propane reaches the burner and catches. Keep it open and keep sparking.
When the fuel is flowing and it still won't catch
If gas is clearly getting there — you can hear it hissing at the burner — and the spark still isn't lighting it, the spark and the gas aren't meeting. Corrosion, spiders, or debris may be blocking the burner ports right where the electrode sits, so gas escapes elsewhere but not at the spark.
On propane, a regulator that tripped because the tank valve was opened too fast will choke flow to a trickle; shut everything, open the tank valve slowly, and try again. If it's still stubborn, we install and service gas fire pits and can pressure-check the line and clear the burner properly. Call (828) 545-0525.
Related questions
- Why won't my gas fire pit ignitor spark?
- Why won't my gas fire pit stay lit?
- Why does my propane fire pit flame shrink or die even with a full tank?
- Why does my gas fire pit light with a whoosh or small explosion?
- Why is the key valve on my gas log set or fire pit stiff or stuck?
- Why won't my gas fireplace turn on at all?
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