Burnt out burners

I’ve been working on a Viking Professional natural gas oven that was not heating properly. It is a simple system that has very few parts or controls. The burners were burnt out and that was the first obvious sign, I bought an igniter thinking that it was the problem too but they were both glowing orange so I figured that they were working. (Typically when they are not working they are  fractured) I was wrong!

Test Amp draw

After replacing the burners I was disappointed that it still had an issue of fluctuating on then off them sputtering so I tapped on the safety switch and that made the frame pop and jump so I figured that the safety switch was bad. The new one behaved identically.

That is when I realized and researched to discover that the igniters fail to allow enough amperage to cause the safety switch to let the gas flow.

A failed igniter would not allow gas to flow. The ones I changed out were in the 2.4-2.6 AMP range. No wonder they were not working properly.

Always Replace the Igniters With the Burners

They cost $25 and although beefy in relation to the same part for furnaces, they must have the proper amperage flow to make the regulator work. You could test it to verify that it does have 3.6-3.8 Amps but they are so cheap it is worth just replacing them with the burners that are prone to burn a hole in them as the igniter is on all the time during the oven is calling for heat.

I Got a Few Meals Out of the Deal

Safety Switch

The upside to fixing the problem slowly is that each time I went to fix it and failed, my effort was rewarded with a nice dinner. I think I’ve milked it long enough. The second new igniter is on the way and that will be that.

The new parts arrived, the old ones were tested and deemed failed. The new parts started quickly and operated like new. I heard that the first symptom was a slow ignition. Perhaps that is the first clue. Next, I would look for burnt-out burners and replace them if you have to ask. The odds of a safety switch failure is very low.

Your comments are welcome. To ask questions or get more information about fixing stuff, click here to email me directly, or call 208-639-1808

I do these things during non-Levco time to be sure it doesn’t interfere with the Remodeling business. Repairing things and understanding homes is just another passion of mine.

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