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A gas range top in a US home kitchen with one burner lit in a lopsided ring, tall yellow tips on one side and short blue cones on the other, an empty grate above it.

Uneven Range Burner Flame

A gas burner flame is taller on one side, has gaps, burns yellow or orange, lifts off the burner, or roars instead of burning quietly.

(844) 875-7576

Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm

  • 5 checks before you book
  • 5 questions that narrow it
  • 6 causes, cheapest first

Book a visit

Three short steps, about a minute.

or call (844) 875-7576

What it
usually means.

A healthy flame on a range burner is mostly blue, with small even cones all the way around the head and a steady, quiet burn. Uneven or yellow flames mean gas and air are not mixing or leaving the burner as they should: ports blocked on one side, a cap off center, a head not seated after cleaning, or a burner set up for a different gas. On a range converted between natural gas and propane, the wrong orifices give tall yellow flames or weak ones that lift away. A lazy yellow flame leaves soot on pans and burns less cleanly, so it is worth correcting.

A technician's hand fits a new white ceramic spark igniter beside a bare burner base on a gas range in a US home kitchen. The 6 causes, cheapest first

Answer these first

01

Is one burner uneven, or every burner on the range top?
02

Are the flames mostly blue, or yellow and orange at the tips or throughout?
03

Do flames lift off the burner or go out on the lowest setting?
04

Is there soot on the bottoms of your pans?
05

Has the range ever been converted between natural gas and propane, or moved to a new home?

Check these
before you book.

Uneven range burner flame: 5 checks, and none of them costs anything.

01

If you smell gas, leave and call the gas utility from outside; if a flame is tall, yellow and wild, turn that burner off and leave it off.

02

Once cool, lift the cap, check that the head is seated, and set the cap back flat and centered.

03

Look at the ports around the head for baked-on food, and clean them only the way your manual describes.

Also worth checking

  • Compare with the other burners: one bad burner points to that burner, all of them to the setup or the supply.
  • When you book, tell us if the range was ever converted between propane and natural gas.

How soon does it need a visit?

An uneven flame is usually a matter of cleaning or setup rather than an emergency. Stop using a burner whose flame is tall and yellow, lifts off, or goes out, and never use one that smells of gas; with any gas odor, get everyone out and call the gas utility from the yard or the street.

The causes,
cheapest first.

6 things uneven range burner flame turns out to be, from blocked ports on part of the burner to low-setting adjustment drifted.

The cost guide
  1. 01 no repair

    Blocked ports on part of the burner

    Spills that bake into the ports leave a gap in the ring of flame or push it to one side. Cleaning the head the way the manual describes restores it.

    No repair: check it yourself
  2. 02 no repair

    Cap or head not seated

    A burner head sitting a little high, or a cap that is not centered, gives a lopsided flame and sometimes a faint hiss.

    No repair: check it yourself
  3. 03 no repair

    Dust or steam in the room air

    Dust from a renovation, a humidifier near the range, or salty steam from a pot can put orange flecks into a flame that is otherwise fine. They come and go with the air in the kitchen.

    No repair: check it yourself
  4. 04 low to moderate

    Wrong orifices for the gas type

    Natural gas and propane need different orifices, and many ranges need a change at the regulator as well. A range left on the wrong setup burns with flames that are too large and yellow, or too small and lifting.

    Fixed by burner and igniter repair On a gas range
  5. 05 low

    Air opening under the burner partly blocked

    On some burners the air that mixes with the gas enters through an opening below the range top, and grease or debris there starves the flame of air.

    Fixed by burner and igniter repair
  6. 06 low

    Low-setting adjustment drifted

    Each burner valve has a low-flame adjustment. After a conversion or with wear, it can be set so low that the flame wavers and goes out on simmer.

    Fixed by burner and igniter repair

The makes
it happens on.

32 makes on this site; uneven range burner flame can show up on any of them. Each mark opens that make's own page.

All 32 brands

Uneven Range Burner Flame,
where we come out.

9 metros, each with its own page.

All service areas

Tampa BayFL · 31 areas

OrlandoFL · 30 areas

Miami / South FloridaFL · 47 areas

New York MetroNY · 75 areas

HoustonTX · 36 areas

ChicagoIL · 50 areas

Los AngelesCA · 95 areas

San DiegoCA · 31 areas

San Francisco Bay AreaCA · 74 areas

A parent and a child stirring a pot on a gas range together in a bright kitchen
For the heart of your home.

Questions about
uneven range burner flame.

Is a little orange in the flame a problem?
Brief orange flecks from dust or a humidifier are harmless. A flame that stays yellow or orange, or leaves soot on pans, is getting too little air or the wrong gas setup and should be checked.
My flames are fine on high but go out on low. Why?
The low setting is adjusted at each burner valve, and after a conversion or with wear it can end up too low for the flame to hold. That is an adjustment for a technician, not a knob fix.
Can I convert my range to propane myself?
No. Conversion changes orifices and often the regulator, and it is gas work that has to be done and tested by a qualified technician or the installer. A mistake shows up as flames that are too big or burners that will not stay lit.
Does a yellow flame give off carbon monoxide?
A flame that burns poorly produces more carbon monoxide than a clean blue one. Run the vent fan while cooking, keep a carbon monoxide alarm in the home, and have a yellow flame corrected.

Back to your everyday

Still seeing uneven range burner flame?

Book with what you checked above — 5 answers save the technician the first part of the visit.

Schedule a repair Call (844) 875-7576
(844) 875-7576 Schedule a repair