A gas burner that goes out on low.
A gas burner that lights and then goes out on low is, by the makers’ own answers, a burner to clean, dry and reseat before it is a part to replace. Between them, Wolf, Viking and GE Appliances, the maker of Monogram, name the same few causes: a cap or head not seated, ports or an igniter still wet after a boil-over, moving air, a pan too large for the flame. All three build the burner to relight. Wolf’s igniter sparks again whenever the electrical resistance between it and the burner changes, Viking’s relights while gas is still flowing, and a Monogram’s relights if the flame goes out. Clicking on low is that system at work.
Relighting needs electricity, and the gas does not wait for it. Wolf says gas is delivered as long as the valve is open; GE says a burner blown out by accident still has gas flowing to it. A flame that is out and stays out means the knob goes to off. If you smell gas, do not light anything or touch a switch; leave the house and call Southwest Gas, your propane supplier, or 911 from outside.
On This Page
How Is Each Burner Built to Simmer and to Relight?
Each column is that maker’s own description of its sealed burners. Only Wolf rates a simmer in Btu; Viking and Monogram describe theirs without a Btu figure.
| Wolf | Viking | Monogram | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The burner | Sealed and dual-stacked on dual fuel and GR gas ranges, sealed burner rangetops and gas cooktops: two rings of gas ports, one above the other | Sealed. On the 5 Series, VSH, for VariSimmer-to-high: 15,000 Btu burners, and 18,500 at front right on some models. The 7 Series puts 23,000 Btu in front | Sealed, dual-flame stacked: a small lower ring of flame and an upper one. Current ranges add a multi-ring burner |
| Where the simmer is | On the lower ring. Turn to the detent at the lowest setting, push the knob in and keep turning; on ranges and sealed burner rangetops the simmer then adjusts from high to low | VariSimmer: by the manual, not one setting but a variable range of simmer settings | On the lower flame, which always lights and stays on while the burner is on. The multi-ring burner simmers on its inner ring alone |
| Lowest published figure | As low as 300 Btu on dual fuel; less than 300 on a GR gas range; about 300 on a CG cooktop. Nothing is rated between simmer and high | None | No Btu figure. The manual for the earlier ranges gives a temperature: the lower flame alone can hold delicate food at 140°F |
| If the flame goes out | The igniter sparks at any change, up or down, in the electrical resistance between igniter and burner | The burner reignites automatically if the gas is still flowing | Electric ignition with auto re-ignition: the burners relight |
| With the power out | Surface burners may be lit by hand, a wok burner excepted. There is no automatic re-ignition, and Wolf says to monitor the burner closely | The igniters will not work, and the manual says to make no attempt to operate the range | Burners may be lit with a match. GE’s article on its gas ranges in general notes that no spark is produced, and that a burner blown out keeps its gas |
Wolf’s open burners, on R Series ranges and RT rangetops, simmer from the center cap alone. Every burner rating, range by range · the two tiers of a Wolf rangetop or cooktop burner.
Why does a burner go out on low?
Wolf explains the clicking before the flame. Once a burner is lit, its control reads the electrical resistance between the igniter and the burner, and any change in that reading, up or down, starts the spark again. Wolf calls this normal operation and lists four things that set it off after ignition: gas pressure above or below normal, airflow over the burner above or below normal, a wet electrode or burner, and a burner assembly out of alignment.
For a simmer flame that goes out and pops as it relights, Wolf’s answer has three checks: the burner assembly clean, dry and seated flush, the burner well clean and dry, and the electrode clean and dry. Its list for a flame that is erratic, low, uneven or pulsating runs past the burner to the supply: a spill-over or a dirty burner, how the burner is assembled, the size of the pot, the wrong type of gas, too much supply pressure, a supply that is insufficient or poor in quality, a faulty regulator, a low propane tank, an orifice in need of adjustment, and a downdraft blower moving too much air.
Viking’s 5 Series manual has no troubleshooting row for a flame that dies on low. What it gives is upkeep: clean burner caps, it says, prevent improper ignition and uneven flames. Monogram’s manual for its earlier professional ranges says the burners may spark now and then when wind or a draft blows the flame away from the burner’s flame sensor. GE names two drafts for its gas burners in general: a door being closed and an open window.
What Do the Makers Say to Check First?
Wolf’s order, with Viking’s and GE’s instructions set beside each step. GE’s first step covers all of them: burners off and cool before anything is lifted.
- 01
Dry, after any boil-over
Wolf: if water spilled over or the top was recently cleaned, the igniter may be wet; let it dry, or use a hair dryer on a low setting. Viking asks for the caps to be cleaned after every spill-over and dried thoroughly before they go back. GE says moisture stays in the ignition port and the flame ports after a wash: shake the parts out, then air dry them or give them 30 minutes in a warm oven.
- 02
The cap and head, seated flat
Wolf wants rings and caps centered over the burner head and flat. A cap that screws into the burner head has to be tight; Wolf says only its older products have one, and most made from 2013 on do not. Viking’s burner head goes back with its two tabs on the outside edge of the base, clear of the igniter, and the cap level. GE asks for each cap on the head it belongs to, flat and secure.
- 03
The ports and the igniter
Food in the burner holes comes out with a toothpick on a Wolf, a straight pin and never a toothpick on a Viking, a needle or a paper clip in GE’s article. Wolf cleans the igniter gently with a soft, dry toothbrush and sends one that is cracked, broken or loose to Factory Certified Service. Monogram’s manual asks that the electrode be kept dry and clean. The cleaning rules, maker by maker.
- 04
The pan
A large pot or pan can starve the burner of oxygen, Wolf says, so that the flame lifts and the igniter clicks. Its test is a lower setting: if the sparking stops, the pan may be too large. Wolf puts smaller pans on the left rear burner. Viking recommends a vessel at least 6 inches across and a flame that stays inside the bottom edge of the pan.
- 05
Moving air
With a downdraft, Wolf says a blower moving too many CFM can pull the flames off a burner; try a lower speed. An overhead hood is treated the other way: for a burner that clicks while the charbroiler runs, Wolf has the hood switched on. A tightly sealed base cabinet can create a vacuum where gas and air mix when a door or drawer opens, and the oven door of a GR range can draw air from a burner above it. The flame may go out for a moment and relight.
- 06
The setting, then the breaker
A Wolf burner is built to ignite on High. Turned up from simmer or low, only half the ring may light; Wolf’s remedy is fully to High, then down to the setting wanted. Wolf also has the knob pushed in and released, to see it spring back. Its last step is the home circuit breaker, off for 30 seconds and on again.
If none of it changes the flame, Wolf’s answers end the same way: no further troubleshooting advice, and Factory Certified Service. GE’s end with a repair appointment. A burner that clicks and never lights has a list of its own.
What is normal, and not a fault?
A flame that looks the same on medium and on low. Wolf says its sealed burners change the Btu supplied to the burner, and the flame may change little in size, or not at all. Simmer is another matter: on a sealed Wolf burner the flame should come only from the ring that matches the setting, the lower one in simmer.
A flame that goes out for an instant when a cabinet door, a drawer or the oven door moves, and relights. Wolf calls both cases normal, and the cabinet one no safety or performance concern; for more it refers the owner to the cabinet maker or contractor.
Long clicking at the first light. After a spell out of use a burner may click longer while gas clears the air from the line; Wolf has you turn it off after 10 seconds without a flame and wait a minute before the next try. A Wolf burner lights in about three to four seconds, and one on propane may take slightly longer the first time each day. On a Monogram every igniter sparks and clicks when any one burner is turned on.
When is it the gas, a valve or the regulator?
Wolf’s troubleshooting for a poor flame begins with the gas, ahead of the caps: the correct type, at the correct pressure. The serial tag and rating plate say which gas the appliance was built for, NG or NAT for natural gas and LP for propane, and a converted Wolf carries a sticker beside the tag. GE reads flames that are too high or uneven as a possible sign of a conversion done improperly, and sends the owner to the installer or the gas company. A range on propane in Anthem or New River.
Conversion is not an owner’s job with any of the three. Viking’s manual requires a certified technician for any adjustment or conversion to natural or LP gas. GE recommends a qualified installer or servicer, and Monogram’s manual a qualified technician. Wolf supplies the conversion of a GR range as a kit and recommends that a service technician fit it.
Wolf publishes its pressures. On its dual fuel ranges, gas ranges, rangetops and CG gas cooktops the regulator is inside the appliance. It delivers 5 inches of water column on natural gas and 10 on propane, and needs 7 to 14 inches ahead of it on natural gas, 11 to 14 on propane. That regulator cannot be adjusted for a different pressure, even by Factory Certified Service, so the supply has to arrive inside those limits. A CTxxG gas cooktop ships with its regulator to be installed separately. Wolf adds that a 1/2-inch line in place of a 3/4-inch one may not deliver enough gas with several burners on.
The low flame can be an adjustment at the valve, and it is a technician’s. GE says of its gas burner controls that where the valve has an adjustment, a qualified technician makes it. Wolf’s list for a poor flame includes an orifice in need of adjustment and a faulty regulator. No adjustment is described on this page, on purpose.
Then the parts. Among the causes of clicking, Wolf lists the spark module, the switch, and the electrode or igniter. At retail on October 5, 2026, a burner igniter was $60.45 for a Wolf and $36.95 for a Monogram, and a Viking burner base sold with its igniter was $187.85, parts only. What range and oven parts cost at retail.
That divides the work in two. The burner, its igniter and switch, the valve behind the knob and the appliance’s own regulator are the appliance, and that is service: the maker’s network while its warranty runs, an independent company like ours once it has ended. The gas at the meter or the tank, the supply pressure, the line and any regulator on the line are the supply: a licensed gas contractor, Southwest Gas or the propane supplier. To confirm an installation, Wolf sends the owner to the plumber, installer or gas company who put the product in.
What If the Flame Is Out and the Gas Is Still On?
Turn the knob to off. The makers say why in three ways.
- 01
The gas follows the knob
Wolf: gas is delivered as long as the valve to the burner is open. GE: a burner blown out by accident will have gas flowing to it, so it stays lit or the knob goes to off. Viking’s warning is to make sure the burner you turned on has ignited. With the power out nothing relights a flame, and Viking’s manual says not to operate the range at all.
- 02
A smell of gas while cooking
Wolf says some gas odor is noticed at ignition, more on the first use of a propane product. Past that, its steps are the gas supply shut off at the valve and, if the odor remains, a call to the gas utility. It says not to use the appliance when the odor seems excessive or does not fade, or when a carbon monoxide alarm is activated. If the smell is strong, or does not fade, treat it as the next case.
- 03
A smell of gas, and nothing lit
Viking’s manual: do not light any appliance, touch any electrical switch or use a phone in the building; call the gas supplier from a neighbor’s phone, and the fire department if the supplier cannot be reached. Southwest Gas asks for a call to 911 and to 877-860-6020 from a safe place, even for an odor that is faint or momentary. Our own line is the same: do not light anything or touch a switch; leave the house and call Southwest Gas, your propane supplier, or 911 from outside.
Symptom by Symptom: What to Check, and Who Fixes It
Column three reports what the makers publish; it does not diagnose your range. The split between service and the gas supply is the one drawn above.
| What you notice | Check first, yourself | What the makers point to | Who fixes it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goes out on simmer and pops as it relights | Burner assembly, burner well and electrode: clean, dry, seated flush | Wolf gives those three checks, then service | You, then service |
| Clicks on low under a large pan | A lower setting; a smaller pan | A pan starving the burner of oxygen, so the flame lifts (Wolf) | You |
| Goes out and relights when a cabinet door, a drawer or the oven door opens | Nothing | Air drawn away from the burner; normal, by Wolf’s answers | No one; the cabinet maker, if it persists |
| Flickers or goes out with a downdraft running, or near a door or window | A lower blower speed; the door or window | Too many CFM (Wolf); a draft from a door or an open window (GE) | You |
| Weak or uneven on one burner after a spill or a clean | Parts dry; caps flat and matched; ports cleared | Wet or clogged ports, a cap out of place (Wolf, Viking, GE) | You, then service |
| Only half the ring lit after turning up from simmer | Fully to High, then down | A burner built to ignite on High (Wolf) | You |
| Weak on every burner, or with several burners on | The gas on the serial tag; the level of a propane tank | Gas type, supply pressure, line size, a low tank, a regulator (Wolf); a conversion done improperly, for a flame too high or uneven (GE) | A licensed gas contractor, the utility or the propane supplier for the supply; service for the appliance |
| Clicks all the time with a steady flame | Everything dry; the knob springs back; the breaker off for 30 seconds | The outlet’s wiring and polarity, then the spark module, switch or electrode (Wolf); grounding and polarity, or wet or dirty igniters (Viking) | An electrician for the outlet; service for the parts |
| Flame out and no relight, or a smell of gas | The knob to off; with a smell of gas, leave the house first | Not a troubleshooting step for any of the three | Service, if the burner will not relight; for a smell of gas, Southwest Gas, your propane supplier or 911, called from outside |
What we repair on a Wolf rangetop or cooktop · on a Viking range · on a Monogram.
Where our work stops.
Most of this page is not ours to sell. Cleaning, drying and seating a burner are the owner’s. The gas ahead of the appliance belongs to a licensed gas contractor, the utility or the propane supplier. Inside the maker’s warranty the call goes to the maker first. What each maker’s warranty still names after year two.
Our part is the appliance itself: igniters and spark modules, the switches and valves behind the knobs, burner assemblies. Gas supply lines and new connections are a licensed gas contractor’s work; the voltage at the wall is an electrician’s.
The diagnostic visit costs $119 for the first appliance and $69 for each additional appliance on the same visit, and both are waived if you go ahead with the repair. The repair is one fixed price, labor and genuine OEM parts on separate lines, approved before work begins, never hourly. A Wolf, Viking or Monogram repair made with the genuine parts we supply carries our 12-month warranty on parts and labor. A part that has to be ordered usually reaches us within a week. Some arrive sooner, and now and then one takes longer. The day it arrives we call you, and you choose the time for the repair. The visit, step by step · our work on ranges and ovens.
Questions
Why does my gas burner go out on low?
Wolf, Viking and GE all start with the burner itself. Wolf’s checks for a simmer flame that goes out and pops as it relights are a burner assembly that is clean, dry and seated flush, a dry burner well, and a clean, dry igniter. Past those come a pan too large for the burner and moving air from a downdraft blower, a door or a window. Then comes the gas: its type, the supply pressure, a low propane tank or a regulator. The gas supply is a licensed gas contractor’s or the utility’s work.
Why does my Wolf burner keep clicking on simmer?
It is trying to relight. Wolf says that once a burner is lit, the control reads the electrical resistance between the igniter and the burner, and any change in it makes the igniter spark again. Wolf lists four causes of clicking after ignition: gas pressure above or below normal, airflow over the burner above or below normal, a wet electrode or burner, and a burner assembly out of alignment. A large pan can also starve the flame of oxygen; if a lower setting stops the sparking, Wolf says the pan may be too large.
Why won’t my Viking burner stay lit?
Viking’s 5 Series manual says that if the flame goes out for any reason, the burner reignites automatically while gas is still flowing. Its troubleshooting table has no row for a flame that dies on low; what the manual asks for is upkeep. Burner caps are cleaned after every spill-over and dried thoroughly, ports are cleared with a straight pin and never a toothpick, and the burner head goes back on its two tabs. For a flame that is large, distorted or yellow the table lists clogged ports, the wrong type of gas and air shutters out of adjustment.
Is gas still flowing when a burner flame goes out?
Yes, for as long as the knob is open. Wolf says gas is delivered as long as the valve to the burner is open, and GE says a burner that is accidentally blown out will have gas flowing to it, so it must stay lit or be turned to off. Re-ignition on a Wolf, Viking or Monogram needs electricity, and in a power outage nothing relights the flame. If you smell gas, do not light anything or touch a switch; leave the house and call Southwest Gas, your propane supplier, or 911 from outside.
Can I adjust the simmer flame or the regulator myself?
No. Viking’s manual requires a certified technician for any adjustment or conversion to natural or LP gas, and GE says that where a burner valve has an adjustment, a qualified technician makes it. Wolf says its regulators cannot be adjusted for a different pressure, even by Factory Certified Service: the supply has to arrive at 7 to 14 inches of water column on natural gas, or 11 to 14 on propane. The supply side is a licensed gas contractor’s or the utility’s work.
Sources
- Wolf (Sub-Zero Group), owner support answers, read October 7, 2026: Wolf Gas Surface Burner Operation; Gas Surface Burner Flame Location; Wolf Gas Surface Burner Ignition; Surface Burner Popping Noise during Flame Reignition; Wolf Gas Surface Burner Flame Quality Issues; Wolf Gas Surface Burner Clicking; Wolf Gas Surface Burner Does Not Ignite; the Surface Burners Click or Do Not Ignite answers for the CG gas cooktop, the dual fuel range above serial 17000000, the GR gas range and the SRT rangetop; Sealed Burner Flame Height and Appearance; Burner Flame Does Not Change When Setting Changed.
- Wolf, answers read the same day: Gas Cooktop Flame Goes Out When Door or Drawer Opens; GR Series Burner Flame Goes Out When Oven Door Opens; Light Gas Burners Without Power; Gas Odor When Unit in Use.
- Wolf, answers read the same day: Gas Regulators Included; Wolf Gas Supply Line (5 and 10 inches of water column from the regulator, a minimum of 7 and 11 and a maximum of 14 ahead of it, the 1/2-inch line); Determine If Wolf Gas Product Is Natural Gas or Liquid Propane; GR Series Gas Range Gas Conversion; Gas Burner Simmer and High Btu Ratings; CG Gas Cooktop Simmer BTU; GR Series Gas Range Total Btu Output; and Wolf’s product page for the SRT366 rangetop.
- Wolf documents checked on October 5, 2026 for other pages of this site and not reopened: the quick reference sheet for the DF36650/S/P (up to 20,000 Btu and as low as 300); Wolf Dual Fuel Range Use and Care Guide, 9069899 Rev-A (03/2025): burners, simmer and the power outage (p. 21).
- Viking Use & Care Manual 062678-000C EN (022820), Professional Dual Fuel Ranges, 5 Series, models VDR5304B, VDR5366B, VDR5364G, VDR5488B, VDR5486G and VDR5606GQ, read page by page at ManualsLib on October 7, 2026: a smell of gas, and adjustments and conversions (p. 3); the flame, the pan and ignition (p. 4); power failure (p. 6); VSH, re-ignition, VariSimmer and the 6-inch vessel (p. 10); burner caps, heads and ports (p. 25); troubleshooting (p. 29).
- Viking manuals checked on October 5, 2026 and not reopened: 5 Series dual fuel, 089445-000 (04/2026): re-ignition and VariSimmer (p. 10), troubleshooting (pp. 32 and 33); 7 Series, 066424-000D (10/2022): burner ratings (p. 8), re-ignition (p. 13), troubleshooting (p. 33).
- GE Appliances, support articles read October 7, 2026: Monogram, Auto Re-Ignition; Range Dual-Flame Stacked Gas Burner; Burner or Oven Flame Too High or Uneven; Common Causes for Slow Ignition, No Ignition or Clicking on Surface Burners; Burners Won’t Light; Lighting Electric Ignition Burners During a Power Failure; Degree Rotation and Adjustment of Gas Burner Controls; LP Conversion of Gas Cooking Appliances. The first covers Monogram; the dual-flame article covers GE Profile and Café ranges and compares them with Monogram’s burners; the rest cover GE Appliances ranges and cooktops in general.
- Monogram Owner’s Manual 49-85117-5 (03-14 GE), Professional Dual Fuel Ranges of the earlier design (ZDP304, ZDP364, ZDP366, ZDP484 and ZDP486 models), read at ManualsLib on October 7, 2026: relighting, sparking in a draft, all igniters sparking together, the lower flame and 140°F (p. 10).
- Monogram Owner’s Manual 49-2000662, Professional All-Gas Ranges, as listed at ManualsLib (manual 4539928, marked Rev. 0), read there on October 8, 2026: relighting and lighting with a match in a power failure (p. 10); the dual-flame burner’s lower flame and the multi-ring burner, whose lowest settings light only the inner ring (p. 11).
- Monogram owner’s manuals, Rev. 6, checked on October 5, 2026 and not reopened: 49-2000663, dual fuel ranges ZDP304, ZDP366 and ZDP486 (power failure and re-ignition, p. 11; burners, p. 12) and 49-2000662, all-gas ranges ZGP304, ZGP366, ZGP364 and ZGP486 (conversion, p. 5, checked September 23, 2026; burner parts and electrodes, pp. 35 and 36).
- Southwest Gas, frequently asked questions, read October 7, 2026: a gas odor, 911 and 877-860-6020.
- Retail part prices as seen on October 5, 2026: GuaranteedParts (Wolf igniter 808135), AllVikingParts.com (Viking burner base with igniter PB050081, its “Our Price”) and AppliancePartsPros.com (Monogram igniter WB13T10065).
Written from these sources on (checked again ) by Aphelion Appliance Repair, Phoenix. Sources marked with an earlier date were checked on that date for other pages of this site and carried over. Models and series differ, and the guide for your own model outranks this page. Nothing here replaces the maker’s own instructions, no adjustment of a valve or a regulator is described, and anything involving the gas supply is a licensed gas contractor’s work.
Read Next
- Yellow flames on a gas range, and when they matterThe color a flame should be on natural gas and on propane, and who answers for the supply.
- A burner that clicks and will not lightWolf’s list for a burner that never lights, row by row against Viking’s.
- Range and oven parts, in plain wordsSpark module, electrode, valve switch, regulator: what each does and what it costs at retail.
- Wolf, Viking and Monogram ranges comparedBurners and Btu, simmer, re-ignition and warranties, from the makers’ own manuals.
Still going out on low?
Tell us the make and model, natural gas or propane, which burners go out, and what has already been cleaned and dried. We answer every day, 7am–6pm.