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Oven Flame on One Side Only
Oven flame on one side only: one igniter or one run of burner ports is not lighting, so half the oven lags. Viking Repair Redmond, (425) 585-2373, finds which before ordering parts.
- ApplianceGas wall oven or range
- SeverityBook a visit
- DIY-safeYes — the checks below
Check, in this order
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Set bake and look through the window at wherever your oven shows its flame.
pass flame along both sides: go on to step 3 fail one side stays dark: go on to step 2
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On the dark side, is an igniter glowing with no flame beside it?
pass no glow either: that igniter has failed or lost power fail glowing, unlit: switch the oven off, see the stop list
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Where flame does show, is it blue with crisp inner cones, not yellow or lifting?
pass crisp and blue: the lit side is burning cleanly fail yellow, lazy or lifting: note it for the visit
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Bake at 350°F with thermometers on the left and right of the centre rack.
pass within a few degrees: heat evens out, still book it fail one side far cooler: note both readings for the visit
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Still failing? Stop there and call Viking Repair Redmond on (425) 585-2373 — $89 diagnosis, credited to the repair.
Why one side can stay dark
Viking’s 36-inch VGSO166 gas wall oven bakes with a left and a right bake igniter and a dual bake valve. When one igniter weakens or fails, its side can stay unlit while the other side keeps baking.
Viking’s free-standing gas ranges can show the same picture. Their service manual lists a burner “lighting only one side” among the signs of a weak igniter or low gas pressure, and traces left-to-right temperature differences to the burner’s air shutter and orifice.
Stop and call if
- Any whiff of gas: go outside first, then call the gas utility or 911.
- An igniter glows on the dark side and that side never lights.
- Flame burns yellow and sooty, or lifts off the burner.
- Lighting comes late with a thump or a puff of flame.
Also asked
Will the oven still bake if only one side lights?
It heats, but slowly and unevenly: the lit side runs hot, the dark side lags, and the thermostat calls for heat longer than it should. Turn pans halfway if you must use it for a day or two, and book it with Viking Repair Redmond on (425) 585-2373.
Is a yellow flame on the lit side a separate problem?
Often, yes. Viking's gas range manual wants a sharp blue inner cone with no yellow tipping; yellow or lifting flames point to the air shutter, the orifice or the gas pressure, all set by a technician. Mention it when booking, since it may explain the uneven heat as well.
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
