34/44 Range oven cavity
Viking Infrared Broiler Burner
The gas broiler at the oven top that heats a metal screen until it glows, then radiates down.
- Written by
- Hollis Yamada
- Works on
- Service technician — refrigeration and cooking
- Experience
- 21 years in the trade
- Published
What glows up there
An all-gas Viking oven’s broiler shows no row of flames. Viking’s Use and Care guides describe a burner that heats a metal screen until it glows, with the heat radiating downward; the recent guides call it the GourmetGlo infrared broiler and have you broil with the door closed. On propane, as the plate beside says, the broiler has its own fixed orifice and a history of slower lighting.
How it fails
The screen is the weak point. Viking’s service manual warns that any tear or puncture in it, or an opening in a welded seam, lets the flame flash back towards the venturi, heard as a pop or roar and seen as a patchy glow. A pan knocked against it on the top rack can do it. Slow lighting or no glow at all points first to the broil igniter, the thermostat or the broil valve. The bake burner under the floor is a separate part. If an older range’s broiler is no longer made, what to do when a Viking part is no longer made covers that turn; testing is part of an oven repair.
Signs and thresholds
| What you notice | The line it crosses | What happens next |
|---|---|---|
| Glow patchy, with dark areas on the screen | Same pattern after several minutes of broiling | Screen inspected for tears; a damaged broiler is replaced. |
| Popping or roaring from the broiler | Any sign of flame flashing back | Broil switched off until checked; a torn screen means a new broiler. |
| No broil while bake works | Knob set exactly on Broil, not past it | Thermostat contacts, broil igniter and broil valve tested in turn. |
What you can do yourself
- Make sure the temperature knob sits exactly on Broil; Viking lists turning it past that point as a reason broil will not work.
- Never brush, scrape or spray the screen; it tears more easily than it looks.
- Stop there. Anything past this is a job for Viking Repair Issaquah — call (425) 920-9484.
When to call
Call when the glow comes up in patches, when the broiler pops or roars, when it lights slowly or not at all, or when you can see a split in the screen. Leave broil off in the meantime.
Call (425) 920-9484Asked about the infrared broiler burner
Why does my Viking broiler glow in patches?
This broiler heats a metal screen until it glows, so dark areas after warm-up point to a damaged screen or uneven gas flow. A torn screen can also let flame flash back inside the burner. Viking Repair Issaquah inspects the screen and tests the ignition; call (425) 920-9484.
What is the GourmetGlo broiler on a Viking range?
It is the name Viking's recent Use and Care guides give the infrared broiler at the top of the gas oven: a burner behind a metal screen that glows and radiates heat down onto the food, used with the door shut. Viking Repair Issaquah repairs it; call (425) 920-9484.
Does the broiler need changing for propane?
Its orifice does. Viking's service manual shows the infrared broiler's fixed spud being physically swapped when a range changes gas, and that is not work for an owner. If your broiler lights slowly on propane, Viking Repair Issaquah can find out why; call (425) 920-9484.
