Reading, no code · 10
Igniter Glows Orange but the Burner Never Lights
Igniter glows, no flame: the glow proves power, not enough current to open the gas valve. Turn the oven off and call Viking Repair Redmond, (425) 585-2373.
- ApplianceGas oven or range
- SeverityStop using it
- DIY-safeYes — the checks below
Check, in this order
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Look and listen as the oven starts: a steady orange glow, or rapid clicking?
pass orange glow: a glow-bar oven, go on to step 2 fail clicking: spark ignition, read about ignition lockout
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On a range, light one cooktop burner with its own knob as usual.
pass lights normally: gas reaches the range, go to step 3 fail no flame there either: suspect the gas supply first
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Try bake, then broil, one at a time, and note which one stays unlit.
pass only one fails: the fault sits on that side fail both fail: note it for the visit, go to step 4
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Watch the glowing igniter: does flame appear late, or not at all?
pass late but steady: a weakening igniter, book it fail not at all: switch the oven off and leave it off
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Still failing? Stop there and call Viking Repair Redmond on (425) 585-2373 — $89 diagnosis, credited to the repair.
Why the glow is not proof
On Viking’s glow-bar gas ranges the igniter and the oven gas valve share one circuit. As the igniter heats, its resistance falls and current climbs; at roughly 3.2 to 3.6 amps a heated bi-metal arm in the valve bends and lets gas through.
An aging igniter can glow bright orange and still fall short. Below about 3.2 amps, the manual says, the valve only partly opens, and a glowing igniter may still be defective.
For the slow version of this fault, see the guide to a Viking oven that is slow to preheat.
Stop and call if
- Never hold a match or lighter to the oven burner while the igniter glows.
- Gas smell in the kitchen: get everyone out, then ring the gas utility or 911 once outside.
- The burner lights with a bang or a roll of flame.
Also asked
Is it dangerous to leave the oven on while the igniter glows without lighting?
Switch it off. Viking's gas range manual lists gas odors among the signs of a weak igniter, because a valve that opens only part way can let a little gas through. Leave the oven off, and if you smell gas, leave the house and call from outside.
Is a new igniter always the fix?
It is the first suspect, not a certainty. Viking's troubleshooting table also names low gas pressure, an igniter mounted too far from the burner and a dirty orifice. A current reading settles it before any part is ordered; Viking Repair Redmond takes the booking on (425) 585-2373.
Cost Every repair band is printed on the homepage price table, quoted and agreed before any work.
- Checked by
- Hollis Yamada
- Bench role
- Service technician — refrigeration and cooking
- At the bench
- 21 years in the trade
- Revised
