An igniter that starts clicking rapidly without producing a flame, right after a spill, a boil-over, or a burner cap that has just been washed, is one of the most common calls that turns out not to need a part at all. Moisture on the igniter electrode or inside the burner head interrupts the spark or the flame it is meant to ignite, and the fix is often nothing more than letting everything dry out properly before trying again.
Why Water and Ignition Do Not Mix
The electrode that generates the spark needs a clean, dry path to the burner to ignite gas reliably. A film of water, cleaning solution, or grease across that path can ground the spark before it reaches the gas, or coat the burner ports enough to disrupt where the flame catches. This is exactly why La Cornue’s own care instructions call for rinsing and drying burner caps thoroughly before putting them back after cleaning, rather than reassembling them still wet.
What to Try Before Booking a Repair
With the burner knob off, remove the cap and grate, and dry the cap, the burner head beneath it, and the igniter electrode itself with a clean cloth. Give everything extra time to air-dry fully, particularly around the electrode tip and the small gap between it and the burner, since that gap is where residual moisture does the most to interrupt a spark. Reassemble only once everything feels completely dry, then try lighting the burner again.
When It Points at Something Else
If the clicking continues well after the burner and its parts are thoroughly dry, or if the same burner has developed a pattern of clicking with no obvious spill behind it, the cause has likely shifted from moisture to the igniter electrode itself or the spark module behind it. A burner that clicks continuously after it has already lit, rather than while trying to light, points at a different problem — the module reading a lit flame incorrectly — and is worth describing separately when you call.
Safety Comes First
If you ever smell gas while working through this, stop immediately: leave every control exactly where it is, do not flip any switch nearby, ventilate the room by opening windows, and call from outside the house rather than continuing to test the burner. Repeated clicking with no ignition is a nuisance; gas that keeps flowing without lighting is not something to keep testing on your own.
One Burner or Several
A single burner clicking after a spill lands specifically on it is exactly the pattern described above. If several burners start clicking without lighting at the same time, with no spill or cleaning involved, the cause has likely shifted away from moisture entirely — toward the shared spark generator that serves multiple burners on many La Cornue cooktops, or toward a gas supply issue reaching all of them at once. Noting whether the problem is confined to one burner or spread across several is worth doing before you call, since it changes where the technician starts looking.
If a burner keeps clicking without lighting even after it has had time to dry out, a La Cornue cooktop repair visit tests the igniter and spark module directly rather than assuming moisture is still the cause.