Dec · House shut up for a week
Leaving for the season: what do I do with the range?
Clean it and leave it dry: that is most of the answer. A burner put away damp is the one that ticks and will not catch when you get back, and drying a spill is Wolf's own first suggestion for a burner that will not light. Empty the grease tray if there is a griddle. Anything odd on your return, ring Wolf Repair Denver on (720) 575-1433.
This one is for houses that stand empty a week at a time: ski weeks, a month away, the place up the hill used in bursts. A gas range does not mind being left alone. What it minds is being left wet, and then asked to light the evening you walk in with the shopping.
How to do it
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Take the top apart and dry every piece
Caps, heads and pans washed, then left on a towel until no damp is left on any of them. A house sitting cold for weeks will not finish the drying for you, and that is where the ticking on your return begins.
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Empty and re-oil a griddle if you have one
Scrape into the collection tray and empty it, wipe the plate while it is still faintly warm, then spread a thin film of oil back on with a paper towel. An empty tray is one less thing standing in a shut house.
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Know which valve feeds the range
The supply carries a shut-off valve near the range, and it should be somewhere reachable. For a long absence some owners close it. If you are not sure which valve is which, or it will not move easily by hand, leave it and ask.
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Come back to it before you cook on it
Put everything back as it came apart, then light each burner and watch the flame rather than the pan: blue, steady, no yellow at the tip. The first may take a second longer than you remember.
Past that point it is a tool-and-meter job. Call Wolf Repair Denver on (720) 575-1433 and we will bring the parts that fault usually needs.
Asked about this one
Should I turn the gas off at the wall for a week away?
For a week most people simply leave it. Closing a valve you cannot easily reach, or cannot confidently identify, makes its own trouble on the night you arrive back in the dark. For months rather than days it is fair enough, if the valve is accessible and turns by hand. Wolf Repair Denver can point yours out.
