Gas Oven Sounds Like A Blowtorch: Incredibly Simple Fixes​

Gas Oven Sounds Like A Blowtorch? Incredibly Simple Fixes

Cooking with a gas oven is almost second nature to most of us who prepare our meals at home. There’s always a regular low humming that is almost imperceptible, which is why no one ever pays any attention to it. However, what if your gas oven sounds like a blowtorch?

Is that cause for concern? What is causing it to sound like that?

These are the most common reasons why a gas oven sounds like a blowtorch or produces unusual sounds:

  • Defective ignitor
  • Ignitor is not aligned correctly
  • Defective Flame Supervision Device (FSD)
  • Faulty regulator valve
  • Inconsistent gas pressure

There could be plenty of reasons and factors why this can happen, and in this article, I will be covering some of the most common sounds made by a gas oven and how to fix them. If you have encountered the following sounds before, you might want to read on and find the solution:

  • Blowtorch sound
  • Puffing sound
  • Roaring noise
  • Whooshing sound
  • Popping noise when heating
  • Clicking noise
  • Loud boom noise
  • Making noise when off
  • High pitched noise

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gas oven making strange noises

A gas oven basically works by letting a controlled explosion to take place in the burner. When you turn the knob of a gas oven, the gas valve allows a small amount of gas to flow through a burner tube. After that, an igniter ignites the gas causing it to light up in flames. Noise coming from the gas oven can frighten many people.

Gas ovens can naturally produce some distinctive sounds. But gas oven sounding like a blow torch is not a natural sound. Gas oven making this type of sound indicates some kind of mechanical malfunction with the oven. There are many crucial parts in a gas oven. As a result, it is very difficult to determine which part is responsible for the noise.

In this article, we will discuss and find solutions to why a gas oven makes a noise similar to a blowtorch.  We will also discuss and solve other noise problems of gas ovens as well.

How does the Gas Oven work?

There are a few parts that make up the gas oven. Without going into an exact breakdown of the parts, you should know that what happens when you turn on a gas oven is that a controlled explosion takes place with the burner.

Below the gas oven lies a valve that allows gas to flow into the burner tube that leads to the burner. When you turn on the gas knob, an ignitor interacts with gas and gets lit up. As the amount of gas supplied to the burner is very low and controlled, you will not experience a huge flame, thus making them safe for home cooking.

Some gas ovens even allow you to control the temperature of the flame. Pretty cool isn’t it?

What is the Air Shutter of a Gas Burner?

On gas stoves, there lies a metal collar, also known as the air shutter, right behind the burner gas valve. It can be either a sliding plate or it could be a piece of tubing that covers the burner air vent.

Its job is to regulate the amount of oxygen that gets mixed with the gas, and is a critical component of a gas stove since the fire is dependant on air to keep burning.


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How to fix gas oven noises

Before you start trying to fix the problem on your own, please consider if you fully understand how you should go about doing it. Some things are best left to the professional technician who would have the knowledge and equipment. However, if you wish to DIY and fix up your gas oven, take note that your warranty might be voided if you decide to send it in for repairs later on.

With that out of the way, do read on to find the most common sound problems of gas ovens and the solutions.

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Problem: Gas Oven Sounds Like a Blowtorch

The main problems causing a gas oven to sound like a blowtorch are a damaged ignitor, a defective Flame Supervision Device (FSD), and faulty regulator valve.

If the problem lies with the ignitor, you can easily replace it by checking with the manufacturer or getting an aftermarket model. Check out the choices over here. You can check if the ignitor is glowing red by opening the broiler drawer. Make sure to turn off any electrical power before doing so! On the same note, the ignitor can sometimes be just dirty. In this case, use a soft brush to get rid of any debris and the problem should be solved.

If you have a defective FSD, it can be very dangerous. The FSD is what cuts off the gas supply in the event the flame is put out. This ensures that the gas does not continue to enter the environment and become an explosion hazard. While you can change this on your own, I highly recommend hiring a professional.

The same goes for the regulator valve, which regulates the amount of gas that is sent to the burner. Too much and you will have an uncontrollable flame. Assuming you have the manual, you can attempt to adjust the regulator valve. If you are unsure, get a repair technician to fix it instead.

Problem: Gas Oven Makes Puffing Sound

This is another one of the most common noises people complain about when it comes to gas ovens making noises. 

In the event that there is too much gas coming out of the bake burner before ignition, a puffing sound can be heard below the oven floor. So this relates the the gas valve not working properly, and you will either need to get it replaced or hire a professional to check it. Alternatively, you can try to adjust the air shutter to get this problem fixed on your own.

Problem: Gas Oven Making Roaring Noise

Again, this relates to too much gas getting into the oven. Two main things could cause this to happen, either the tube that supplies gas to the oven is too wide, or the pressure is too high causing an oversupply of gas.

You can try to use the regulator valve to lower the amount of gas being used, or to closing the air shutter slightly to reduce the amount of secondary air (related to the burner’s venturi tube) but if this does not fix the problem, the wise thing to do is to call the technician.

Problem: Gas Oven Makes Whooshing Sound

Inside of your gas oven lies a tiny part known as the glow bar ignitor. This glow bar needs to be heated up sufficiently in order to ignite the gas, but when it does not happen, there is a waiting time before it is hot enough to start ignition and gas builds up.

The whooshing sound happens because of this, which is like a sudden small explosion took place.

The solution to this is to replace the glow bar ignitor, which you can either contact the manufacturer (especially if it is still under warranty), or you can do it yourself by buying the parts here.

Problem: Gas Oven Making Popping Noises when Heating

This is a pretty serious problem that you will need to fix immediately with the help of a trained professional. The presence of popping noises can signify severe damage to parts of the gas oven which might lead to explosion. Here are the most common reasons for it happening and there could be a simple fix, and as always, proceed with caution:

  1. Oven burner cap is askew and not properly aligned
  2. If you cleaned your stovetop recently or spilled liquid over it, the burners could have gotten wet. In this case, lift them up to inspect and dry them if necessary. In some rare cases, water due to condensation in the gas piping may cause this. 
  3. It is common to have dirt and debris build up in and around the burner orifices. You can attempt to scrub them off.
  4. Damaged igniter or igniter wire or food or other debris fouling the igniter causing it to shut off early.
  5. There is an improper air mix supplying combustion air to the burner. You can observe the color of the flame. Blue flames mean it is operating correctly, but if you see orange flames, that is an indication the air supply is too much. You can try to tighten the air shutter.
  6. Metal parts are expanding, which causes a popping noise. This is quite normal and expected.
  7. Flashback extinction pop: occurs at the time a burner is turned off or 2-3 seconds later, typically caused by a combination of hot burner components and left-over gas fuel in the supply to the burner.

Problem: Gas Oven Making Clicking Noise

This is actually quite common to hear the gas ignitor continue to make clicking noises even after ignition. It is likely a burner cap that is misaligned or just some debris blocking the ignitor. Always try to ensure that the area on your stovetop is cleaned regularly to prevent build up. 

If these methods do not work, you should consider changing the ignitor or ignitor switch, in which case you will need a professional. 

Problem: Gas Oven Makes Boom Noise

Similar to the situation described above about whooshing sound, a boom noise can often be heard when there is a delay in ignition.

The simplest way to fix this problem is to clean the ignitor thoroughly each time after using so that dirt and grime does not build up.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is it normal for a gas oven to make noise?

Most gas ovens will emit a small amount of sound but they should not sound very unusual like the ones described above. When you encounter strange noises, it is time to inspect your gas oven. Always ensure that it is detached from the electrical output before conducting any checks. Also, you should try to keep your gas oven as clean as possible as dirt is a common reason why problems arise.

2. How do I know if my gas oven igniter is faulty?

It is not immediately clear to see that an ignitor is damaged or faulty. You will need to open up the gas oven to locate the ignitor to determine that. Most of the times, you will find it in the rear of the oven plate. 

In conclusion

I hope this article has helped you in identifying the different types of noises a gas oven can make. While there are some basic and easy fixes that you can try out yourself, please leave the heavy work to a professional. It is simply not worth it and end up with more problems. 

Also, if at any point you smell gas when you are cleaning or repairing the gas oven, immediately stop. Make sure all valves are turned off and call a technician immediately.

The bottomline is, if you hear any unusual noises coming from your gas oven, please take action to rectify them, not wait till the problem becomes a big one!

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Bryant
Bryant

Bryant Littlewood is the Chief Editor behind SoundproofingHacks. He shares all the lessons he has learned in turning his home and office into quiet sanctuaries across the blog posts here. Bryant is also a part-time audiophile, and some of the posts here will reflect that passion of his too. Connect with him on LinkedIn or read more on the about page.