- Appliance
- Viking professional range
- Symptom
- Gas smell at start-up, oven drifted off temperature
- Resolution
- Oven igniters replaced, current draw checked
- Location
- Broadmoor, Seattle
What the customer reported
A smell of gas when the oven started, and food coming out under-done because the oven drifted off temperature during the cycle. Both complaints came from the same underlying fault.
What we found
The igniters were drawing too little current to open the safety valve on time. Gas was being released ahead of ignition — hence the smell — and every maintenance cycle after that ran late, which is what caused the drift.
What we did
Replaced the igniters, verified current draw and light-up timing from cold, and watched several maintenance cycles to confirm the oven now holds its setting.
Why this happens
When a gas smell and temperature drift appear together on the same oven, weak igniters explain both. Treat the smell as the urgent half — the drift is only ruining dinner, the delayed ignition is releasing unburnt gas into the cavity.