Pilot Won't Stay Lit on a Fryer, Griddle or Steamer on the Line
A commercial kitchen pilot won't stay lit when a fryer, griddle, charbroiler or steamer pilot lights and then dies as the knob is released, or burns for a while and goes out during service.
Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm
- 5 checks before you book
- 5 questions that narrow it
- 6 causes, cheapest first
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What it
usually means.
Many gas appliances on a restaurant line still use a standing pilot, a small flame that burns all day and lights the main burners on demand. A safety device, a thermocouple on most griddles and charbroilers or a thermopile on many fryers, sits in that flame and produces a small current that holds the gas valve open. If the pilot goes out, the current stops and the valve closes the gas. That is why a pilot that will not stay lit is a safety system working, not a leak. The causes are simple to list. A draft from a hood running hard, a door or a fan blowing across the pilot, pushes the flame off its sensor. Relighting with the knob held down for too short a time never lets the thermocouple warm up. Grease and carbon clog the pilot's tiny opening so the flame is too weak to reach the sensor. The thermocouple tip wears thin, or is bent out of the flame. A thermopile on a fryer weakens with age. Line pressure can dip when every burner on the line is lit at once. Anyone who smells gas goes straight to the gas smell page instead.
The 6 causes, cheapest first
Answer these first
Does the pilot go out as soon as the knob is released, or burn for a while and then die?
Is it one appliance or several on the same line?
Is there a strong draft from the hood, a door, a fan or an air conditioning vent near it?
Is the pilot flame blue and steady, or small, yellow and lazy?
Is there any gas smell with the pilot out?
Check these
before you book.
Commercial kitchen pilot won't stay lit: 5 checks, and none of them costs anything.
If you smell gas, stop, close the gas at the appliance or the main and follow the gas smell page.
Look for a draft across the pilot: the hood speed, an open door, a fan or a vent nearby.
Relight exactly as the lighting instructions on the appliance say, holding the knob for the full time they give.
Also worth checking
- Look at the pilot flame: note whether it is blue and steady or small and yellow.
- Never take a fitting apart, bend the thermocouple or open the gas valve; those are done on a visit with the gas off.
How soon does it need a visit?
A pilot that will not stay lit takes one appliance off the line, so most kitchens book within a day. Any gas smell makes it urgent at once and moves it to the gas smell page.
The causes,
cheapest first.
6 things pilot won't stay lit on a fryer, griddle or steamer on the line turns out to be, from draft from the hood or a door blowing it out to safety valve worn or line pressure sagging.
The cost guide-
01 no repair
Draft from the hood or a door blowing it out
A hood turned up high, a propped back door or a floor fan can push the pilot flame off its sensor. Moving the fan or closing the door usually solves it.
-
02 no repair
Knob released too early on relight
The thermocouple needs time in the flame before it can hold the valve open. Holding the knob for as long as the lighting instructions on the appliance say lets it catch.
-
03 low
Pilot opening clogged with grease or carbon
Grease from the cooking line clogs the small pilot opening, weakening the flame. The pilot assembly is cleaned and the flame adjusted to cover its sensor.
-
04 low
Thermocouple worn or out of the flame
A tip that has burned thin or has been bent out of the flame produces too little current. It is replaced and set in the flame where the maker places it.
-
05 low to moderate
Weak thermopile on a millivolt fryer
Fryers that run their controls on a thermopile's current fail when it weakens with age. The output is measured and the thermopile replaced if it is low.
-
06 moderate
Safety valve worn or line pressure sagging
A valve magnet that no longer holds, or pressure that drops when every burner is lit, lets the pilot die mid-service. The valve is replaced or the supply pressure is measured at the manifold.
What else
it could be.
Most often confused with commercial kitchen gas smell along the cooking line: clear the room first, then commercial fryer not heating or slow to recover between baskets.
All problems
The makes
it happens on.
35 makes on this site; pilot won't stay lit on a fryer, griddle or steamer on the line can show up on any of them. Each mark opens that make's own page.
All 35 brandsPilot Won't Stay Lit on a Fryer, Griddle or Steamer on the Line,
where we come out.
9 metros, each with its own page.
All service areasTampa BayFL · 31 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
Questions about
pilot won't stay lit on a fryer, griddle or steamer on the line.
The griddle pilot goes out every time the hood is turned up. Is that a repair?
How long should the knob be held when relighting a pilot?
How many relight attempts are reasonable before the line calls for service?
Several pilots on our line go out at once. What does that point to?
Back to your everyday
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