Corner Booth Blog | TundraFMP Restaurant Supply, News & Equipment Blog
If your gas range or oven is down, chances are you’re looking for a way to fix it fast. Luckily, troubleshooting most problems with commercial gas equipment is fairly easy as long as you know how to replace a few key parts. Here at Tundra Restaurant Supply, our goal is to save you a few bucks by helping you troubleshoot any problems so you can fix them yourself.
To learn more, simply click the link below that corresponds to the part or the problem you’re having and get taken directly to the answer.
- I need to replace my burner grate.
- My burner head is clogged and needs to be replaced.
- The top burner pilot has become clogged.
- I need to replace the top burner gas valve.
- No gas is getting to my burner but the pilot is lit.
- The pilot on the oven won’t stay lit.
- The oven won’t get up to temperature.
- The oven gets too hot.
- The oven doesn’t cook evenly or is “running wild.”
- I need to replace my gas safety valve.
- What kind of casters should I buy?
- I want to buy a new commercial gas range!
Remember: whenever you work on gas equipment, turn off the gas first!
FYI, when replacing a burner valve don’t take short cuts and just replace the front portion of the valve. It may save you from future problems by replaceing the whole valve.
On the lighter side of trouble shooting issues, I recently spoke to a customer in the denver area who was positive that his 6 burner convection oven range fan was burnout and not working properly at all. After repeated phone calls back and forth with the customer and the factory numerous emails and part breakdowns, We were able to conclude that the problem was as simple as plugging in the fan for the convection oven. Sometimes it pays to check the simple solutions also!
The best way to ensure that your replacement parts are the correct ones for your unit are with the Mfg., Model & SN. These numbers are generally located in the front of the unit on the inside of kick plate that drops down where you would light the pilot. Happy Repairs all!!!
Very helpful Greg……..thanks!
Don’t be fearful of completing some minor repairs on your own and avoiding a costly service call. There are several fixes for your range which you can tackle yourself. Grab a “Gas Repair for the Hopeless” guide, save some money and learn how to take care of your gas equipment.
http://etundra.com/Gas_Equipment_Repair_Book-P1566.html
When a thermostat fails and is “Running Wild” be very careful this means the thermostat will not shuf-off and is in the WIDE open position. The thermostat controls the gas flow and when not working gas is very dangerous.
When changing out the top burner gas valves some people notice that the two pieces of the valve are held together with two small phillips head screws (on some valves, not all) DO NOT try to replace only half of the gas valve. This is a very serious safty issue and it will more than likely NOT fix your problem, leaving you with two gas valves that do not work. Do it right, and do it once!!
GREAT source of information for all of us and our end users in the field. I had a situation this morning where a customer was needing a thermostat for his Garland range. He was able to provide me a model number but not at serial as the unit was older and the serial number was worn off. I called Garland tech support to verify the item number the customer provided me was the correct thermostat for his range. The tech I spoke to stated that if the customers range was older then 1986 that there was no thermostats available for his range anymore that he would have to purchase a new one. To make a long story short it is so important to get as much information as possible to ensure you are getting the customer the correct part the first time around. In this case the customer did not know exactly how old his range was but knew it was at least 20 years old.
These are very helpful hints on troubleshooting. Since 99% of the restaurants that I work with have a range similar to this, I like to remind my customers of how to find the model and serial number of the unit, especially if I am speaking to them over the phone. It ensures that I get them the right part the first time if we can’t automatically figure it out. The model/serial number is always located on the inside of the kick plate underneath the oven door or on the unit itself once the kick plate is removed. Another helpful tip is to write this information down when you buy a new range so that you will always have it as time wears on and the information wears off.
GREAT INFORMATION MAKES WORKING ON GAS EQUIPMENT VERY MANAGABLE!
Every restaurant owner that knows a little about fixing gas equipment should always keep a back up thermocouple or thermopile for every gas piece of equipment on the line. These items are cheap and will save you from paying next day air charges when your gas equipment goes out on Thursday night.
This information is extremely useful! I printed the articles out for future reference. I don’t have as much experience but I can now at least trouble shoot for the customer and know what questions to ask. Thank you for all the great information!
REMEMBER THAT THE THERMOCOUPLE IS ONE OF THE MOST COMMON AND CHEAPEST FIXES. SO IF YOU HAVE THE TIME TRY THAT FIRST BUT DON’T FORGET THAT IF THAT DOESN’T WORK YOU WILL HAVE TO WAIT A FEW EXTRA DAYS FOR SHIP TIME OR PAY FOR EXPEDITE SHIPPING. IF YOU NEED TO GET YOUR MACHINE RUNNING YOU MIGHT JUST WANT TO COVER ALL ANGLES ON THE FIRST TRY.
Always check that the regulator is connected in the correct direction. Look for the arrow on the underside, it should point into the unit!
A little preventative maintenance never hurts either. Lubricate you burner valves with graphite grease on regular intervals. Nothing worse than a stuck, or hard to turn valve. Also a great up sell that can save your customers a service call.
I have a US Range model u60-6r24rru one side of the lower oven unit does not shut off the gas it keeps heating just by turning the Temperature knob just slightly to ON , the other oven strangely has no gas going through the Pilot line , however when I turn on the Temperature Knob I am able to lite the oven by hand although lets say when set at 350 it shuts off I guess the Thermostat is working on that unit
how can I repair this would appreciate any suggestion you can give me
Thank you!
Hi Fritz,
It sounds like your gas safety valve is defective and should be replaced as soon as possible. You’ll also need to replace the thermostat on the side that you’re having to light by hand.
Until you get this fixed, you should cut off all gas to the range, because if that safety valve is shot you face a very real danger of gas building up and possibly igniting.
You can get replacement safety valves here and replacement thermostats here. Good luck!
Thank you so very much for your helpfull advise, Have a great holiday
Does anyone know if it is possible to convert and old Garland 6 burner with pilots to electronic ignition?
Hi Jim,
Unfortunately it cannot be converted. The main reason is the lack of electrical power. Even if the range had power, there are no electronic gas valves for it.
You could put a separate sparker on each burner but it would require drilling holes into the front panel (6 of them). Then you could shut the pilot valves off and use the sparker to light each burner.
for some reason my convection oven is not working i check the plug and its plugedin. what can i check all the different relays and electrical connections with
Hi Tom,
You can find a continuity tester here: http://www.etundra.com/Continuity_Testers-C3771.html
You can also find all kinds of restaurant equipment parts here: http://www.etundra.com/Equipment_Parts-C125.html
If you need some help troubleshooting your equipment, call the sales staff at Tundra Specialties: 1-888-388-6372
Why is my stove top putting off black soot? Only three of the ten burners do it. How do I fix it?
Hi Beau,
If you have yellow tips on the flames the air shutter on the burner venture needs to be adjusted so that you have a nice blue flame. This will stop the soot problem and give you more heat.
I cook in our church camp and one of our Wolf ovens shuts off ten minutes after startup. The Pilot light also shuts off. The safety valve, thermocouple, and the thermostat have all been replaced. Do you have any suggestions?
Sounds like you may not have the thermocouple in the pilot flame far enough or when you turn it on the burner is consuming most of the gas causing the pilot flame to get too low. This would cause the thermocouple to cool and shut the safety down. The thermocouple needs to be at least three quarters of the way into the pilot flame.
have a wolf range that even after the burners have been turned off the ignitors keep sparking any suggestions?
I have a southbend oven and want to convert it to LP propane what parts do I have to change?
I have a GE range model #EGR2000Ec1BB serial # zzz11041P the broiler works fine the baker not at all no gas
Hi Diane,
Unfortunately we don’t deal with residential ranges like GE. Your best bet is to call the manufacturer for troubleshooting tips…
Good luck!
I have a franklin chef commercial oven. Top burners are working and all pilots are lit including the stove but the burner isn’t coming on
Hi Teddy,
It could either be a defective thermostat or a bad safety valve, more than likely.
If the pilot is staying lit then the thermocouple is good right?
That’s right Teddy. It’s got to be the thermostat or the safety valve.
I have an old Garland (can’t find the model # on the range) but the manual says G280, G30A. The oven will not light and wondering what I need to fix it and if its worth it to invest the money. Thanks for your help.
I have a maytag gas oven wall unit model cwg3100aab and when cooking it will cook for about 30 minutes and then it will give me the f3 error what can I do
Hi Kym,
I recommend calling the nearest Sears Service Center. Just Google it with your zip code.
Unfortunately we do not service residential products. I am sorry I could not be of more help but I hope you get the issue resolved!
The wife found an old 1952 universal gas stove, Everything worked fine when we first got it about a year ago. Now, the oven will not come on, the pilot is lit . Stove part works fine. She loves the thing!!! After reading Teddy’s problem I think mine might be the same. Approximatelyhow much will it cost to fix, is it worth it!!
The Sounds as though the thermostat may be bad. It may not be opening to allow gas to flow through. The only suggestion I can offer is to google either antique or vintage stove parts. There are a lot of sites that provide parts for the vintage units.
Will check into that!! THANX!!!
Why does my Franklin Gas range smoke while the oven is cooking??
Hey Stefan,
That’s going to be a hard one to answer. Have you checked the flue to make sure the is no grease build up in it? If it is smoking from the top of the range have you checked the tray under the top burners? Make sure you don’t have any build on the oven walls or the top of it.
Like I said this is a tough one. One more thing, is this a domestic range? It could be the insulation in the walls of the unit have deteriorated over time and may have some build up in it.
These are some things to check and you may have to do it by process of illumination . Good luck.
I have a 4 burner l/p stove/oven.I can get the 2 front burners and the oven going,but not neither of the 2 back burners.Any suggestions?
Not knowing the brand of the range or if there has been work done on it makes it pretty difficult to determine what is going on. But lets try. If it is a commercial unit have you checked to make sure the air shutters are open on the burner venture?
Check the holes on the burner heads to make sure they are clear. If they are blocked or partially blocked get a drill bit that will fit into the holes and drill them all out.
Also check the burner valves to make sure the orifice is not plugged. Some burner valve orifices are adjustable so may want to make sure they are open.
Try these things and let us know the results.
My 12 year old wolf range/oven pilot won’t stay lit. have replaced the thermocouple and safety valve. won’t light unless i turn on the oven temp a little, then i can light the pilot. hold the button for 30 seconds and the oven lights. then after a few minutes, it all goes out. Any suggestions?? THANKS!
Is the pilot tube attached to the back of the oven thermostat? If so, on the front of the thermostat there is a pilot adjustment screw. Try adjusting it first if it still will not light you will have to replace the thermostat because it is not allowing the pilot gas to get through to the pilot.
Is the thermostat somewhere where I can reach it? Also, why would the oven light up and stay going for a few minutes if there’s no gas getting to the pilot? I’m going to look at it now!! thanks for the lead!
It depends on your electric company’s charges by kilowatt. The cooktop is using approximately 250 watts for an hour and usually that would cost 2-3 cents per hour. Think of it as being a 200-watt light bulb. Induction is about the cheapest form of cooking you can find.
got a garland propane stove the pilot light lights up when you turn it on but its not lighting the burners for the oven what could be my problem?
Jim, it’s either the thermostat or gas safety valve, but make sure thermocouple is in the pilot flame too.
I may be repeating myself but here we go. I took over a kitchen with a propane garland 6 burner 2 oven unit that is putting out an incredible amount of soot on everything especially saute pans and stock pots. It is getting everywhere, and I am being told that its always done that. 26 years I have never seen a burners put soot/carbon on all the pots and pans. Also none of the burners will light when you turn them on even though the pilot lights are lit so I have to light with a lighter every time I want to cook something (which is very often) our cost in lighters alone is killing us. any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Was gonna try and drill out holes and see if that helps but not really sure what to do. is it a oxygen gas mixture problem? again we run on propane and are at 4200 feet, however I worked in a similar restaurant at same elevation on propane and had no problems with soot, Thanks
Nnaddius, is the flame orange? It sounds like the flame is too high. It should be blue. Try turning down the flame and see if that helps.
Hi – my older commercial Wolf range oven sat for 3 months During our kitchen remodel. It was recently hooked back up to the propane and now it seems to be running too hot – black soot is insiide the oven and on the bottom of my pans.
I vaguely remember a similar problem when I first had it installed years ago and there being a way to adjust the gas output via a screw or something?
Do you know where the screw is?
Or is it a different problem?
Thx
Christie, what is the model and serial number for the range? We’ll need that info to determine what pilot valve you have, which should be located behind the manifold. Another suggestion would be to check the regulator.
Have a Wolf ASA 60 Griddle.
Have had trouble lighting one half of unit.
Adjusted Pressure regulator down to increase WC, on occasion burners lighting blows out the pilot. Sometimes with standing pilots the burners will not ignite. I suspect too low gas pressure from municipal but need another opinion.
Jim, it sounds like it’s either the thermopile or thermostat. You can try eliminating the hi-limit by jumpering (or bypassing) it. Also, take a look at this video for DIY repair tips, https://blog.etundra.com/tech-talk/fixing-commerical-fryers/.
very good information about Gas Range and Oven Problems
Wow that was unusual. I just wrote an really long comment but after I clicked
submit my comment didn’t appear. Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again. Anyways, just wanted to say excellent blog!
We monitor our comments before they go live. So, if you write a comment, we make sure it’s relevant to the blog post before posting it. The reason we monitor is to help watch for comment spam. We try to make sure that the comments that go live are relevant and help readers like you learn more about the subject or a different perspective on the subject.
With that said, I didn’t see anything posted in our comments from you though, hmmm.
I have a commercial Sunfire oven and the fan wont run correctly, looking for any advice
Tod, give Manitowoc a call and they’ll be able to help you troubleshoot. They can be reached at 800-424-2411.
Having worked in fast food this doesn’t surprise me. I once found a dead mouse in the drainage pipe of the ice machine while I was cleaning it after we got complains about bugs in the drinks. I don’t work there anymore, but when I go back to eat I don’t get the drinks. And usually if I have a choice between a bottled soda or fountain, I will choose the bottled soda.
Our gas stove is creating a lot of soot and the burners are shooting large blue and yellow flames
Hi Maria,
If you have a lot of soot you may want to clean your stove–this could explain the large flames if you’re burning lots of debris. You may also have a gas pressure issue, which is mostly controlled by the gas valve itself. Give us a call at 888-388-6372 or contact us online for more info. Thanks!
– Tundra Team
hi. I have a ?35+ yrs old commercial 8 burner. 24 in. griddle. 1 lower oven. oven has pilot. has gas. but oven burner will not ignite. only gas build up and ignite out the LP regulator! in front of oven. how can I get the oven to work properly?
Hey Simeon,
It’s tough to say without knowing the make and model of your unit. Given the age of your unit, you might want to call in a service tech or call the factory tech support line.
– Tundra Team
I have a four burner gas stove with a double oven (one bottom traditional size, one upper 1/2 size). When all four burners are being used for cooking, and I try to use either oven, or both at the same time, the oven(s) being used shuts itself off (both will do this simultaneously), and the burners, how ever many are being used, will go out. The flame(s) quickly die(s) out, leaving me with a partially cooked meal. Meaning I get to finish dinner on the grill outside.
The stove is less than 5 years old, with moderate use. Used relatively daily for a small family unit 3 ppl (1 adult, 2 kids), and a family of 4 for one year prior to my inheritance of said stove which used moderately as well.
From above blogs it sounds like it most likely would be safety valves and thermostat problems.
I am a strong believer in fixing appliances myself when possible, I’m quite handy, and follow all laws of basic common sense when it comes to safety in the home, ESPECIALLY with gas.
MY question is THIS:
Is there some handy tool out there (hopefully not terribly expensive) that would allow me to measure, or test the stove at specific points where these are located, so that I could test each safety valve and thermostat; SO I would not have to replace them all, AS WELL as to check my work prior to returning the gas line to the stove?
OR:
Would it be safest to go ahead and just replace ALL of the safety valves and thermostats at the same time, SINCE the issue is occurring ALL throughout the stove, AT the same time?
I do not have any fine adjustment with my knobs on the burners of my stove. There is no flame adjustment from number 7 to number 3 with the burners. The flame does not start to go down from 7 to 3, it goes down at three.
Hey Danny,
If you’re working with a commercial unit chances are you need new burner valves. If you’re working with a residential unit then please direct these questions to the equipment manufacturers. They should have a technical assistance hotline to call.
– Tundra Team
I have a garland residential stove. I have had it serviced, Burners tuned for airflow.
The problem is that when the burners are on cooking something and you turn on the over when the oven starts and is heating up, the Flame on the top burners pull away from the cast iron burners about 1/2 to 1 ” and all the burners igniters start sparking.The seams to me to be some type of pressure or air mixture issue.. the repair person has replaced the Thermostat, Convection Fan, adjusted the burners and now wants to replace the spark module.
Any advise on the possible cause? This is a natural gas stove. Plugged Oven burners? I don’t understand a spark module as being the issue. Am I thinking clearly?
Hi Jeff,
We specialize in commercial supplies and equipment. For your Garland residential stove, we’d suggest contact Garland directly with your questions. Give them a call at 1-877-873-2333 or contact them online at http://www.garland-group.com/minisite/service/residential.
– Tundra Team
We have a Garland Residential stove with the same issues. Have you had any luck getting it serviced? We can’t find anyone and I hate to get rid of such a wonderful stove. Also, any idea of value or who would want to buy it, if we decide to upgrade?
My gas cooker smokes and gives a black smoke cote on bottom of vessels what may be the problem
HELP Please!! I HAVE A HOBART GN9OS Convection oven. Its old but has worked good for years. I just recently cleaned the inside and now for some reason its not working…..I dont know if its coincidence or what?!?
Anyway, the pilots are still lit but when I go to turn it on, I get no burners kicking on. Usually there are only a few things that could be wrong, I’m handy, so I replaced the Thermostat and that didnt help…..then I replaced the gas solenoid valve, same thing……no help…..Any ideas?? Like I said, pilots are lit, just burners dont fire up. Im about to drop back and punt and call in a professional……
Thanks for any help in advance!!
Patrick, the only other thing I think I would check is the wiring and making sure you have power where you’re supposed to have power. Is there power being sent to the gas valve when it’s trying to heat? Those kind of checks…
– Paul
Tundra Team
Paul ,
Thanks for the help! It seems that when I turn the oven on and turn the thermostat there is no power going to the gas valve solenoid as you suggested…..
I have a roper 30 in gas range. every time i go to set the oven temp as i turn the knob to raise the temp it keeps going back. Takes me several minutes to get the temp right. Could it be the thermostat?
Ira,
I don’t know that brand, but it sounds like you’re on the right path.
– Paul
Tundra Team
We have commercial garland 6 burner . We pulled out to clean the back wall . Back of the unit there was some build up on the regulator clean it only outside with damp cloth. and put the unit back. Suddenly there is no flame coming out of any burner. Pilot light will not stay either .
What could went wrong.?