Troubleshooting A Deck Oven That Doesn't Stay Lit

QUESTION FROM: Terry in NH

”We’ve had a Bakers Pride double brick oven for a few years and every once in a while the top oven won’t stay lit.

Two techs have been out to look at it and said we should ask the gas company to increase our gas pressure.

Both the gas company and our plumber came out and jacked it up a bit but We don’t want to increase it too much. So it lights most of the time now but it goes out at random times during the day.

Any idea for a solid fix?”


HH ANSWER:

How old is the unit? If it’s five years or younger you may still be covered by warranty so give the manufacture or supplier where you purchased a call before you do anything.

Is the pilot light on?

If it is and the burner is still going out it could very well be the thermostat. Have they checked that yet

Although I’ve never replaced one myself I know many people have. I believe it’s just two wires you need to connect/disconnect and then the valve and probe would need to be mounted.

If the pilot is not staying on then it most certainly is the thermocoupler. At least that’s what seems to account for a majority of deck of an issues.

The heat from the pilot warms the thermocouple, creates a small electric current that powers a magnet to keep it open for the gas to flow to pilot. If those parts aren't working right, the magnet will close the valve and shut off the pilot.

You should be able to have that replaced for around $500 or less.

If the pilot is not staying lit, another possible cause (albeit a much less frequent one) could be a draft coming in through the exhaust or an inability for the air to get out of the exhaust.

In both of those cases you would want to make sure your flu/chimney is cleaned and make sure the end of the vent isn’t near a unit blowing air or exposed to high winds.

Now that I think about it… If you have and in adequate amount of supply air or negative air pressure in the kitchen, I suppose that could cause the pilot to be blowing out as well. For a deeper dive on that check out this article:

The only other cause I could imagine would be a small/tiny leak in the gas line at a coupling point. In some ovens. there are two nuts where the lines come in that can, over time, loosen. If they are not tight, some gas could be released at that junction which could start another flame and trigger the oven to turn off.

If you were in the Philadelphia area I would recommend a great equipment whisper but since you are not I can only recommend the above steps, some prayer and a great deal on a new piece of equipment with a great warranty.

Hope that helps!

Let me know how it works out…

Josh Sapienza | Managing Partner

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