--- title: "Natural Gas to Propane: What Converting a Range Really Involves" description: "Why a natural gas range cannot burn propane as shipped, the regulator and orifice changes, pressures, the conversion sticker and who does the work." url: "https://rangerepair.center/guides/converting-a-range-to-propane/" date_modified: "2026-09-25" --- Installation and setup # Natural Gas to Propane: What Converting a Range Really Involves To convert a range to propane, a qualified installer or the gas supplier switches the range's pressure regulator to propane, replaces every burner orifice with the propane orifices supplied for that model, sets the oven air shutter and low flames, leak-tests the work and labels the range as converted. Lighting an unconverted range on propane can cause high flames and toxic fumes. By [RangeRepair.center technical team](https://rangerepair.center/authors/technical-team/) Published September 25, 2026 ## At a glance. The GE and Whirlpool gas ranges whose instructions we checked both leave the factory set for natural gas. In a home fed from a propane tank, that range has to be converted before a single burner is lit, and the conversion is a short, exacting job for a qualified installer, not a setting on the control panel. Read the whole guide ### Factory setting Natural gas The rating plate lists which gases the model can use at all. ### What changes Regulator, orifices, air shutter, low flames Every burner, top and oven, gets its own propane orifice. ### Propane inlet pressure 11 in. water column minimum GE sets the maximum at 13 in., Whirlpool at 14 in. ### Who does it A qualified installer or the gas supplier Not the owner, and never skipped to save a visit. In this guide 1. Why a natural gas range cannot just run on propane 2. What a qualified installer changes 3. Pressure, leak testing and the first flames 4. The sticker that tells the next person 5. The owner's part in a propane conversion 6. Step by step 7. Questions ## Why a natural gas range cannot just run on propane A burner is sized for one fuel. Its orifice, the small brass jet that meters gas into the burner, is drilled for natural gas at the factory, and the regulator is set to the pressure natural gas needs. On propane, GE's conversion charts set the burners for 10 inches of water column and call for different, marked orifices. GE warns that running the burners on bottled propane before the regulator and orifices are converted can cause high flames and toxic fumes that seriously injure someone. The rating plate decides which gases a model can use in the first place. Whirlpool puts its plate on the oven frame behind the top left side of the oven door, tells owners to check with the gas supplier if their gas is not listed, and says no conversion should be attempted without consulting the supplier. A model whose plate does not list propane is not a candidate. ### Buying a range for a house on a propane tank Whoever delivers and connects a new range in a propane home needs to know about the tank before delivery day. In the instructions we checked, the conversion parts travel with the range: GE ships its propane orifices in a small box on the back, and Whirlpool packs its orifice spuds in a cardboard holder with the literature inside the oven. That lets the conversion happen at installation instead of on a second visit. Source: [GE Appliances — Propane Conversion Instructions (31-2003392)](https://images.salsify.com/image/upload/s--d5Y_-EQ1--/38d1b96893f57706b06d5549e20cf7def3596199.pdf) — Running on propane before converting the regulator and orifices can cause high flames and toxic fumes; propane orifices shipped in a box on the back; regulator cap turned to the gas type; orifices marked L and color coded; oven cannot be converted by adjusting the orifice; air shutter and low flame adjustments; propane rated at 10 in. W.C.P.; yellow tips normal on propane; keep old orifices; fill in and apply the propane sticker near the regulator; [Whirlpool — Installation Instructions, 30-inch Freestanding Gas Ranges (W10658550B), archived whirlpool.com copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20250817103740/https://www.whirlpool.com/content/dam/global/documents/201508/installation-instructions-W10658550-RevB.pdf) — Factory set for natural gas; rating plate behind the top left of the oven door lists usable gases; consult the gas supplier before converting; conversions by a qualified installer; numbered, color-dotted propane orifice spuds in a cardboard holder in the literature package; keep natural gas spuds in that holder; propane inlet 11–14 in. water column; propane suppliers usually determine pipe sizes and materials ## What a qualified installer changes To convert a range to propane, the installer works from the manufacturer's own conversion sheet for that model. Power is disconnected at the breaker and the manual gas valve is closed before anything is opened, and each part is finished before the next begins. As GE and Whirlpool describe it, the job has five parts: - The range's regulator, mounted at the rear, is switched to propane by turning over a cap or insert so the new gas type shows; the regulator itself is never removed. - Every top burner orifice is replaced with its matching propane orifice; GE marks its propane orifices with an L and a color code, and Whirlpool stamps each spud with a number, adds a color dot and cuts a groove in the hex. - The oven burner orifice is replaced too, because GE says its ovens cannot be converted by adjusting the orifice, and the broil burner is checked the same way. - The oven burner's air shutter is set for propane so the flame is neither yellow nor blowing off the burner. - Each top burner's low flame is adjusted, GE's way with the other burners running on medium, so it does not go out when the others are turned up. ### Keeping the natural gas orifices Both makers ask for the removed natural gas orifices to be kept: GE's go back in the box on the rear of the range with the instructions, and Whirlpool's into the cardboard spud holder that the propane spuds came in. Without them, a later move to a house on natural gas means ordering parts before the range can be used. ### High altitude is a separate kit GE's installation instructions add one more change above 6,000 feet: a separate high-altitude kit, one version for natural gas and one for propane, installed per its own instructions. In a mountain home, raise it when the range is ordered. Source: [GE Appliances — Propane Conversion Instructions (31-2003392)](https://images.salsify.com/image/upload/s--d5Y_-EQ1--/38d1b96893f57706b06d5549e20cf7def3596199.pdf) — Running on propane before converting the regulator and orifices can cause high flames and toxic fumes; propane orifices shipped in a box on the back; regulator cap turned to the gas type; orifices marked L and color coded; oven cannot be converted by adjusting the orifice; air shutter and low flame adjustments; propane rated at 10 in. W.C.P.; yellow tips normal on propane; keep old orifices; fill in and apply the propane sticker near the regulator; [GE Appliances — Installation Instructions, Gas Range (31-2001181)](https://images.salsify.com/image/upload/s--908c05QS--/f3ee5a7cd364e8da504dd855094d7730a19cf416.pdf) — Factory set for natural gas; conversion by a qualified propane gas installer; orifices on the back of the range; high-altitude kit above 6,000 ft; propane inlet pressure 11–13 in. water column; [Whirlpool — Installation Instructions, 30-inch Freestanding Gas Ranges (W10658550B), archived whirlpool.com copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20250817103740/https://www.whirlpool.com/content/dam/global/documents/201508/installation-instructions-W10658550-RevB.pdf) — Factory set for natural gas; rating plate behind the top left of the oven door lists usable gases; consult the gas supplier before converting; conversions by a qualified installer; numbered, color-dotted propane orifice spuds in a cardboard holder in the literature package; keep natural gas spuds in that holder; propane inlet 11–14 in. water column; propane suppliers usually determine pipe sizes and materials Close on a small labeled cardboard holder of spare brass burner orifices lying on a range top. ## Pressure, leak testing and the first flames The propane supply has to be within limits before any conversion can work. GE asks for an inlet pressure to the range's regulator of 11 to 13 inches of water column on propane, and Whirlpool 11 to 14. Whirlpool also notes that propane suppliers usually decide the pipe sizes and materials in a propane system, which is one more reason the supplier is part of the conversation. Once the parts are changed, every joint the installer disturbed is leak-tested with liquid detector, then each burner is lit and watched. GE's flame chart shows some yellow tipping on the outer cones as normal for propane, where a natural gas flame should be soft blue; flames that are yellow throughout mean an air shutter or orifice still needs attention. Source: [GE Appliances — Propane Conversion Instructions (31-2003392)](https://images.salsify.com/image/upload/s--d5Y_-EQ1--/38d1b96893f57706b06d5549e20cf7def3596199.pdf) — Running on propane before converting the regulator and orifices can cause high flames and toxic fumes; propane orifices shipped in a box on the back; regulator cap turned to the gas type; orifices marked L and color coded; oven cannot be converted by adjusting the orifice; air shutter and low flame adjustments; propane rated at 10 in. W.C.P.; yellow tips normal on propane; keep old orifices; fill in and apply the propane sticker near the regulator; [GE Appliances — Installation Instructions, Gas Range (31-2001181)](https://images.salsify.com/image/upload/s--908c05QS--/f3ee5a7cd364e8da504dd855094d7730a19cf416.pdf) — Factory set for natural gas; conversion by a qualified propane gas installer; orifices on the back of the range; high-altitude kit above 6,000 ft; propane inlet pressure 11–13 in. water column; [Whirlpool — Installation Instructions, 30-inch Freestanding Gas Ranges (W10658550B), archived whirlpool.com copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20250817103740/https://www.whirlpool.com/content/dam/global/documents/201508/installation-instructions-W10658550-RevB.pdf) — Factory set for natural gas; rating plate behind the top left of the oven door lists usable gases; consult the gas supplier before converting; conversions by a qualified installer; numbered, color-dotted propane orifice spuds in a cardboard holder in the literature package; keep natural gas spuds in that holder; propane inlet 11–14 in. water column; propane suppliers usually determine pipe sizes and materials ## The sticker that tells the next person GE's conversion instructions end with a step that is easy to skip and valuable later. Once the conversion is confirmed, the installer fills in a propane sticker with their name, organization and the date, and fixes it on the range near the regulator. Anyone who works on the range afterward then knows what gas it is set for, and the sticker comes off if the range is ever converted back. Ask to see that sticker, or a written record, after the job. When a range in a propane home burns with tall, noisy or sooty flames, the first question is whether it was converted at all. These are the signs that it was not, or not completely: - Tall, lazy or yellow flames on the top burners. - Soot on the bottoms of pans or inside the oven. - An oven burner that roars or whose flame lifts off the ports. - Abnormal flame colors after the burner caps have been checked, which Whirlpool's own troubleshooting links to an improper conversion. Source: [GE Appliances — Propane Conversion Instructions (31-2003392)](https://images.salsify.com/image/upload/s--d5Y_-EQ1--/38d1b96893f57706b06d5549e20cf7def3596199.pdf) — Running on propane before converting the regulator and orifices can cause high flames and toxic fumes; propane orifices shipped in a box on the back; regulator cap turned to the gas type; orifices marked L and color coded; oven cannot be converted by adjusting the orifice; air shutter and low flame adjustments; propane rated at 10 in. W.C.P.; yellow tips normal on propane; keep old orifices; fill in and apply the propane sticker near the regulator; [Whirlpool — Burner Flames Abnormal Colors, LP Gas](https://producthelp.whirlpool.com/Cooking/Wall_Ovens_and_Ranges/Ranges/Cooktop_Concerns/Gas_Cooktop/Flame_Concerns/LP_Gas_(Converted)/Burner_Flames_Abnormal_Colors_-_LP_Gas) — Abnormal flames on an LP range may mean it was converted improperly; normal LP flame is blue with slightly yellow tips ## The owner's part in a propane conversion The owner arranges the conversion and confirms it was done; the owner does not do it. Whirlpool's instructions say conversions between natural gas and propane must be done by a qualified installer, and GE's installation instructions name a qualified propane gas installer. The propane supplier or a gas appliance technician is the person to ask. Until the conversion is finished, the range stays unused, even for a quick test of one burner. If you ever smell gas during or after the work, leave the house and call the propane supplier or 911 from outside. Source: [GE Appliances — Installation Instructions, Gas Range (31-2001181)](https://images.salsify.com/image/upload/s--908c05QS--/f3ee5a7cd364e8da504dd855094d7730a19cf416.pdf) — Factory set for natural gas; conversion by a qualified propane gas installer; orifices on the back of the range; high-altitude kit above 6,000 ft; propane inlet pressure 11–13 in. water column; [Whirlpool — Installation Instructions, 30-inch Freestanding Gas Ranges (W10658550B), archived whirlpool.com copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20250817103740/https://www.whirlpool.com/content/dam/global/documents/201508/installation-instructions-W10658550-RevB.pdf) — Factory set for natural gas; rating plate behind the top left of the oven door lists usable gases; consult the gas supplier before converting; conversions by a qualified installer; numbered, color-dotted propane orifice spuds in a cardboard holder in the literature package; keep natural gas spuds in that holder; propane inlet 11–14 in. water column; propane suppliers usually determine pipe sizes and materials ## Where to stop Do not change orifices, turn the regulator cap, adjust air shutters or connect a range to a propane line yourself, and do not light an unconverted natural gas range on propane, even briefly. Every step of the conversion is gas work for a qualified installer or the propane supplier. Written by [RangeRepair.center technical team](https://rangerepair.center/authors/technical-team/). The range technicians who come out for the visits booked on this site. Their articles draw on ranges they have pulled away from the counter to check burners, elements and oven parts, read side by side with the maker's installation and owner's manuals where those exist. Sources: [GE Appliances — Propane Conversion Instructions (31-2003392)](https://images.salsify.com/image/upload/s--d5Y_-EQ1--/38d1b96893f57706b06d5549e20cf7def3596199.pdf) · [GE Appliances — Installation Instructions, Gas Range (31-2001181)](https://images.salsify.com/image/upload/s--908c05QS--/f3ee5a7cd364e8da504dd855094d7730a19cf416.pdf) · [Whirlpool — Installation Instructions, 30-inch Freestanding Gas Ranges (W10658550B), archived whirlpool.com copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20250817103740/https://www.whirlpool.com/content/dam/global/documents/201508/installation-instructions-W10658550-RevB.pdf) · [Whirlpool — Burner Flames Abnormal Colors, LP Gas](https://producthelp.whirlpool.com/Cooking/Wall_Ovens_and_Ranges/Ranges/Cooktop_Concerns/Gas_Cooktop/Flame_Concerns/LP_Gas_(Converted)/Burner_Flames_Abnormal_Colors_-_LP_Gas) ## Step by step. Four steps, in the order worth doing them. 01 ### Check the plate Read the rating plate or the manual to confirm the model can run on propane. 02 ### Find the orifices Before delivery day, locate the propane orifices shipped with the range and keep the literature with them. 03 ### Book the right person Arrange for the propane supplier or a qualified installer to convert the range as it is installed. 04 ### Ask for the proof Look for the conversion sticker near the regulator and confirm the leak test before the first meal. For the heart of your home. ## Questions owners ask. ### Can a converted range go back to natural gas? Yes, by reversing the same steps with the original natural gas orifices, which is why both manufacturers ask for them to be kept with the range. The propane sticker is then removed. ### What if the propane orifices are missing? The manufacturer or the dealer can supply the correct parts for the model number on the rating plate. Do not use orifices taken from another range. ### Why are my propane flames a little yellow at the tips? GE's chart treats some yellow tipping on the outer cones as normal on propane. Flames that are yellow all the way through, or soot on pans, point to a conversion or adjustment that needs checking. ### Does the oven need converting, or only the burners on top? Both. GE says its oven cannot be converted by adjusting the orifice; the bake orifice is replaced and the broil burner is checked the same way. ## The problems behind it. Each has a page of its own: what it usually means and the causes in the order worth checking. [All 17 problems](https://rangerepair.center/problems/) Problem ### Uneven Range Burner Flame 6 causes, cheapest first Problem ### Range Burner Won't Light 6 causes, cheapest first Gas, fire or electrical risk ### Range Gas Smell 6 causes, cheapest first ## When it needs a technician. The repairs on the right are where this guide ends when the checks do not settle it. ### Burner and igniter repair Gas burners that will not light, keep ticking or burn with a weak, yellow or uneven flame, traced to the igniter, the spark switch, the module or the burner itself. ### Oven igniter and gas valve repair A gas range oven that is slow to light, never lights or will not broil, traced to the glowing igniter, the oven safety valve or the burner. ### Diagnostic visit A visit that runs the burners, the elements and the oven in front of you and names the failed part before anything is ordered. ## More in installation and setup. The gap between the cabinets, the outlet and the circuit, the gas connection, the anti-tip bracket, and converting a range from natural gas to propane. [The whole section](https://rangerepair.center/guides/installation-and-setup/) Set up to last ### Behind a Gas Range: What a Sound Connection Looks Like The valve, connector and regulator in order, why the connector is always new, sealing and torque, how leaks are tested and what the owner can check. Set up to last ### The Outlet and Circuit Every Kind of Range Needs A 120-volt outlet for gas, a 240- or 208-volt circuit for electric and induction, three-wire against four-wire, dual-fuel needs and supply problems. Guides ### All 18 guides Six sections, by what you are trying to find out. --- **[Read on the site: Natural Gas to Propane: What Converting a Range Really Involves](https://rangerepair.center/guides/converting-a-range-to-propane/)** **[Book a visit with RangeRepair.center](https://rangerepair.center/schedule/)**