Monday, October 26, 2009

Oven Flame Question

I’m having a problem with my range in my RV. The oven has probably never been used. When you turn it on, the pilot lights immediately. The problem is the flame on the main burner stays at full fire. Whether you set it for 200-degrees or 500-degrees there is no change in the burner flame. It is not adjusting. Is this something stupid that we can fix or do we need a professional?
Peter, (Rockland, MA)


Peter, what you've described actually sounds normal. The main burner flame will be the same size regardless of what temperature you set the thermostat to. The burner flame remains constant until the set temperature is finally reached, then it simply shuts down, leaving only the standing pilot flame lit. But the flame will look identical no matter what setting you choose. It just goes off faster at the lower temp.

Now if the main burner flame remains on well past the set temperature, then the thermostat could indeed be faulty. If this is the case, before condemning the thermostat, clean the flame sense probe located in the upper rear portion of the oven, (see photo). It is usually suspended in clips of sorts. It should not be touching the oven sides. If the flame sense probe has a layer of oven cleaner or cooking oils, etc., it will not properly sense the temperature accurately. If, after cleaning the sense probe, the oven still will not shut off when the temperature has been reached, it will be necessary to replace the complete thermostat.