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I suspect that my Amana oven may not be working properly, but I don't know for certain. I had food in there for two hours, and the food got warm but not at all hot. I also smelled gas pretty strongly. When I look under the oven (inside the broiler) I see a light, which gets brighter when the oven is on a higher temperature. Should there be any flames there as well?

I turned it on and off a few times, and then to a much higher temperature. It seems to have gotten much hotter, but I still don't see flames. I do see a spot where I would think I would see flames.

Burt
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    All gas ovens I've owned had actual fire on the bottom, lots of small flames. I've never owned a new one so I don't know if new technology hides the fire somehow. But two things are certain, one: if it's gas it should burn, so fire must be somewhere, and two: if it smells like gas it's not burning. Maybe you need to press an additional button to ignite most of the fire? –  Aug 13 '21 at 22:36
  • https://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/134000/gas-oven-not-igniting-but-smelling-gas?rq=1 –  Aug 13 '21 at 22:38
  • @ParibusCeteris Its not new:) There is a spot which seems like there should be a fire. I don't need to press a button though. I've been using the oven for a while already, and this is a new issue. – Burt Aug 13 '21 at 22:39
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    It's not new and you've never noticed if it has or not fire? :-D - Anyhow, the point still stands, the only way to generate heat from gas is through burnination. Specifics may vary. –  Aug 13 '21 at 22:42
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    Technically there can be fuel cells that don't have a flame. Not sure if any run on ordinary natural gas. But I am sure that no ordinary ovens use them. – manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact Aug 13 '21 at 23:08
  • It sounds like there is a row where there should be flame. I am by no means an expert, but did food drip on one or several of the holes. That could clog the holes in the burner and prevent the holes further down the line from igniting. – nickalh Aug 14 '21 at 08:14
  • If you saw "a light that got brighter", did that mean you saw a *yellow* light? In that case, the gas is not mixing with air and burning correctly. The "light" from the burners should be blue, and not very bright. If you did see a yellow flame, the oven need servicing by a professional. – alephzero Aug 14 '21 at 13:43
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    Make sure to report the incident at https://www.saferproducts.gov -- regulators are interested in keeping track of issues like these. – hichris123 Aug 15 '21 at 04:10
  • I would guess that newer models are more than just hiding the flames, but also isolating the flames so the oven and the kitchen and your lungs do not encounter any burn products like carbon monoxide. I envision a heat exchange design of some kind. – Skaperen Aug 16 '21 at 02:32
  • @Skaperen I doubt that, though I could be wrong. I think an oven is a bit different - due to total amount of heat and available space - from a furnace. In any case, while carbon monoxide is a real concern with any gas appliances, if the appliances are running correctly (as generally indicated by a steady blue flame), there should be almost no carbon monoxide produced, though good air flow in & out is still needed for oxygen in/carbon dioxide out. – manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact Aug 16 '21 at 04:23
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    If you can smell gas, it means that gas isn't being burnt. Leave it turned on, and when the gas/air mix is right, with a flame produced by the rest of the burning gas, you won't need to worry about anything any more: you'll be the source of an explosion that killed you. – Tim Aug 16 '21 at 08:53
  • @ParibusCeteris, Re, "the only way to generate heat from gas is through burnination." True, but gas can be burned without making a visible, open flame. I've got a [portable propane-fueled heater](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002G51BZU) with a ceramic burner. There _is_ a flame when it burns, but it's low, and it's spread out over the whole surface of the ceramic plate. The orange-hot glow of the ceramic completely hides the faint blue light of the flame. – Solomon Slow Aug 16 '21 at 11:45
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    IF YOU SMELL GAS, SOMETHING IS SERIOUSLY WRONG! TURN THE OVEN OFF AND CALL FOR SERVICE BEFORE USING IT AGAIN!!!!! – Bob Jarvis - Слава Україні Aug 16 '21 at 15:34
  • @SolomonSlow that's exactly what I said right before that sentence, that there might be new technology that hides the flames somehow. –  Aug 16 '21 at 16:07
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    @manassehkatz-Moving2Codidact but fuel cells generate electricity, not heat. – RonJohn Aug 16 '21 at 21:00

6 Answers6

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TL;DR Danger!

It sounds like it is only partially burning. it can be normal to smell gas when the oven starts. Smelling it for more than a minute is an indication of a leak of some sort.

If the smell goes away after the oven has been off then the problem is within the oven - valves or burners. Given that a gas leak can literally destroy a house (and the people in it), I'd call an appliance repairman.

If the smell does not go away after the oven has been off, call your gas utility if they have a service to check for leaks (mine does and I've called them). If not, or if the smell is very strong or you hear hissing:

  • Get everyone out of the house.
    • Don’t use any electronics (light switches etc.) while doing this.
  • Call 911 (US) or your local fire department. Some countries have specific gas emergency numbers (e.g. 0800 111 999 in the U.K.)
Tim
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manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact
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    I think you should remove this part: *"Unless you feel comfortable learning via YouTube"*. This is a job for a qualified professional only. – kaya3 Aug 14 '21 at 00:06
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    Quite a few videos around showing the unexpected rapid deconstruction of houses by gas boo-boos. – crip659 Aug 14 '21 at 11:44
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    In many countries it is illegal to mess with gas appliances without a license… – Moo Aug 14 '21 at 12:16
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    Regarding gas safety, many countries do *not* have the same paranoia as the USA about electrical safety, but it is a legal requirement that *all* gas work is done by registered gas engineers. For example in the UK, installing a new gas oven yourself is plain illegal, and the engineer who installed it would have checked it was working correctly and safety (and would have used the proper measuring equipment, not just "I can't smell a gas leak so it's probably OK"). – alephzero Aug 14 '21 at 13:54
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    @alephzero I thought the USA was relatively un-paranoid about electrical safety, letting people do their own work. In NZ, to my knowledge, you must have all work on connected wiring done by a licensed electrician! (you can wire up new circuits yourself but then you must get them inspected by an electrician before connecting them to power) – user253751 Aug 15 '21 at 12:28
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    @alephzero Varies quite a bit across the country. But I'd say amateur electricians are a **lot** more common than amateur gasfitters, for a bunch of reasons. – manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact Aug 15 '21 at 13:10
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    @alephzero If US is paranoid about electrical safety (if we are) it's because of electrical fires over the years. I agree with manassehkatz that there are a lot of amateur electricians (like me), but there's a wide variance in how much we try to follow code. I always try to do my work according to code even though nobody will inspect it, but when I was in college, we did electrical wiring inside the walls using light gauge speaker cable. It was a miracle that place never burned down. – fool4jesus Aug 15 '21 at 16:47
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    @alephzero I'm not sure if "paranoia" is an appropriate word considering electrical fires are one of the top five causes of home fires, while natural gas leaks or other natural gas causes (not counting cooking) is not. – Todd Wilcox Aug 15 '21 at 23:56
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Yes, gas ovens light a flame to produce heat. The other answers saying to get this looked at are absolutely correct.

Here's a visual demonstration with my own oven, viewed from the under-oven broiler compartment (though everyone's will be a little different):

Oven before it starts heating (immediately after I set a temperature)

oven without flames The igniter is on but hasn't lit the flame yet

Oven when it's heating (10 seconds or so after I set a temperature)

oven with flames Now we're cooking with gas

According to Wolf Appliances:

Gas oven burners ignite in approximately 30 to 45 seconds [...]

If a gas oven or broil burner is not igniting or if a gas odor is present without ignition, discontinue use until repaired.

TylerW
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    Warning: Do not touch the pretty lights. – Vikki Aug 15 '21 at 01:15
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    I'm glad someone understands what 'enter image description here' means.. –  Aug 15 '21 at 15:46
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    @GWarner: I've never understood those who stand outside the image description without entering. The entrance is so clearly marked! – dotancohen Aug 16 '21 at 06:48
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    In my gas oven the *broiler* flame is clearly visible as in these images but the main oven flame is beneath the oven floor and is not so easy to see, especially if the kitchen lights are on. The igniter is brighter than the flames and you can't make out what's what through the holes in the oven floor. If you turn off all the lights and know what you're looking for, you can tell that the flame is lit. – jay613 Aug 16 '21 at 21:46
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In a properly working gas oven, you will definitely see a pattern of blue flame all along the perimeter of the burner, plus an orange-red glow from the electric igniter. These are very distinct.

If the flame is getting insufficient oxygen, it will burn a smoky yellow.

The igniter is wired in series with the gas valve, so current needs to pass through the igniter in order to open the valve. In the most common failure of the igniter, it burns out like an incandescent light bulb can do; this "opens" the circuit (ie, breaks the current) so the gas valve won't open. A neat fail-safe design.

(And yes, the igniter remains powered and glowing as long as the flame burns; modern gas ovens consume a couple hundred watts of electricity for the igniter, even as the gas burns. It helps heat the oven so it's not wasted. Gas stoves for off-grid use have spark ignition systems that don't need constant power.)

What may be happening to your stove is that the igniter has partially failed so that it is insufficient to ignite the gas but still passing current to open the gas valve. So the igniter may be glowing to some degree, and gas is flowing, but not burning. Very dangerous. Like, quit reading this right now and go turn off the oven.

If your oven is kind-of-warm, it may be owing to some amount of heat coming from the half-working igniter, like there's a 100W bulb keeping thing warm.

Even if I'm off-base about the root cause, if you've got gas flow but no blue flame, you're in danger.

So quit using the oven and get service on it, from a technician certified on this brand, who can do the diagnosis and order the right replacement parts.

If you phone the gas company and report a suspected leak, they are likely to very quickly come and shut off the gas supply at the house...and then tell you to get a gas fitter to fix things and call them back. So you may have no hot water and no heat (perhaps not a problem in August) for days, while this gets resolved. In this case, if there is no suspicion of a leak elsewhere, I think the best advice is to quit using the oven, and get it serviced.

CCTO
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  • `modern gas ovens consume a couple hundred watts of electricity for the igniter, even as the gas burns` This could be an important detail to note for troubleshooting. Thank you! – dotancohen Aug 16 '21 at 06:49
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Gas ranges usually have 2 sets of burners, A low burner under the oven bottom plate for baking and an upper burner at the top of the oven used for broiling. If your oven is not heating it is time to call in a service person to have your oven serviced. If you are smelling gas when it is turned on,then getting it fixed is an emergency situation and the oven should be turned off and isolated until a service person can fix the problem. The smell of un-burned gas is the first sign of trouble and needs to be corrected ASAP.

d.george
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    My oven also would intermittently not light. I thought it was the igniter and cleaned it. That helped with the igniters on the burners on top because they were caked with stuff. In the oven that did not help. I replaced the igniter. That did not help. That is the extent of what I was willing to do with an indoor gas appliance. It turned out to be an electrical issue and required a pro to fix. – Willk Aug 14 '21 at 21:58
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Yes, gas ovens use actual fire to produce heat. The heating flame is typically lit by an electric igniter or a gas pilot light (small, constantly burning flame).

You might need a new igniter.

This happened to my oven recently. There is a panel at the bottom that I can remove to see where the flame burns, and also there is a metal igniter that glows yellow hot to ignite the flame when the oven is starting.

My oven would sometimes release some gas but not light reliably. I discovered that the igniter was old and failing, causing the safety valve to shut the gas off before it lit. It was easy to change and works great now.

izzy
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  • Some modern gas ranges will throw some sort of indication when the igniter fails to light, and will shut off the gas. Similar to gas furnaces, they have a thermocouple that will notice if it doesn't detect flame within several minutes of turning on. That said, the lower burner on many ovens is under a plate and not directly visible. – DaveM Aug 16 '21 at 03:21
  • @DaveM -- the normal sensing system on a gas combustion controller isn't a thermocouple, but a *flame rectifier* sensor. You have the right general gist though – ThreePhaseEel Aug 17 '21 at 01:12
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I only know the type of oven with a hot surface igniter. Basically, the igniter serves two purposes: get hot enough to ignite the gas while dropping the voltage as the resistance increases as it gets hot.

If the igniter is unable to get hot enough, it won't drop enough voltage to fully open the gas valve. You might end up in a situation where it oscillates between sometimes on, or where it is on a threshold of opening the gas valve a little and then eventually getting hot enough to ignite it, but when the oven switches off (it's a bang-bang system) the cycle starts over -- so large swings of temperature as it takes forever to turn on.

The hot surface igniter is cheap enough to replace yourself. You can also check the cold resistance of it with an ohm meter.

rox0r
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