Preventing Gas Range Issues

Gas ranges occasionally experience issues with ignition, uneven flames, and even smoke production. Here's what to do if you're experiencing any of these issues. First, turn off the range and let it cool completely. Burners can stay hot for some time after cooking. Next, ensuring grease, crumbs, and dust aren't causing your issues is always a good idea, so grab a soft wipe, cooktop cleaner, and a soft scraper if necessary to clean your cooking surface. It's important to keep liquids away from the gas igniters and orifices as you clean, and to completely disassemble the burners and clean those separately. Allow the burner assemblies to dry completely before reassembling them on the cooktop. To prevent uneven flames, ensure that the burners are centered on their alignment posts, not crooked, and that the burner caps do not move when touched. If flame issues persist, the gas installation itself may be problematic - large flames, for example, may indicate that the range was not successfully converted to liquid propane, while small flames may illustrate the same issue with natural gas conversion. These issues, and pressure issues such as the burners being affected by the oven turning on, or struggling to remain lit, indicate that a professional is needed. These issues can be dangerous, so should be treated with urgency.