5 Reasons Why Oven Smells Like Gas When Preheating – Let’s Fix It

If your oven smells like gas when preheating, a hazardous condition indicating a leak may be present. But it’s not always a cause for immediate alarm — a smell could also indicate a faulty seal or a build up of grease or food debris. Before calling a contractor, check the oven door and window seals to see if they’re in good condition. Look for any damage around the seals themselves, as well as along the bottom of the door and under the hinges.

Gas ovens are prized by chefs because they heat quickly, efficiently, and consistently. They’re able to heat quickly and efficiently and they also produce a high, even temperature which is crucial when baking pastries and cooking delicate meals like fish. The downside is that gas burns can be fatal if the gas ignites inside the house, so it’s important to keep your home properly ventilated at all times. But, Nowadays, Gas ovens are very safe to use and adhere to the highest standard of safety.

Oven Smells Like Gas When Preheating – Troubleshoot and Diagnosis

IMPORTANT: If you have a gas leak, get out of your home. Shut off all gas to your home at the meter or regulator if you can do so safely. If you can’t safely shut off your gas, don’t light any matches, candles, or appliances that use natural gas. Don’t smoke or operate any internal combustion engines indoors. If you need to call emergency services, make sure you go outside to do it.

With that being said, here are some of the reasons why your oven may smell like gas.

Burnt Odorant

You know that smell you smell sometimes when you’re running your gas oven? It’s not some kind of horrible odor like you might think, it’s actually the odorant added to natural gas. The odorant makes natural gas smell bad so that people can quickly locate gas leaks. Natural gas released into the air outside of pipelines has no odor, which could make it hard for someone to detect a dangerous leak.

The odorant additive (makes natural gas smell like rotten eggs) is mixed with both natural gas and propane for safety reasons. Many people don’t realize that the gases are odorless until they are mixed with additives like the odorant, but it’s mandated by law. The odorant ensures that gas leaks can be easily detected by smelling them, so leaks can be reported before they pose a danger to anyone.

Depending on the concentration of odorant in your propane tanks, you can receive a wide variety of air scents from a propane delivery. Because of the large range of possible smells, some people may confuse normal scents with a leak.

You’ll know it’s time to refill your water tank when you start smelling the tank. If you have fresh natural gas, however, you may smell gas more often. When your natural gas tank is low, you’ll smell the distinct odor that only comes from natural gas. This is because of an odorant added to the gas itself, which allows anyone to know whether it’s natural gas they are smelling. However, every utility company adds the odorant at different times, so you may notice the smell more at certain times of the year or during busy periods.

Your oven can give off a strong odor when it’s first turned on. The smell will usually dissipate, but it might be concerning if you don’t recognize the smell or if it doesn’t go away.

The gas being released may even have a strong odor, but it should dissipate quickly after the oven lights. If you notice the gas smell again after this happens, or if your oven doesn’t light correctly, don’t ignore it — call a repair professional immediately!

Faulty Igniter

All oven igniters are hidden, even when you’re cooking toast! When food boils over it can get on the oven’s burner and accidentally ignite. This is why all oven igniters are hidden under the serving or cleaning surfaces of the stove. That way if food spills out of the pan, it will never come in contact with your oven’s igniter, preventing a fire.

The stove’s igniter may fail to light up if it has been exposed to airborne food or grease particles. Long-term exposure to these elements can affect the igniter’s performance and should be replaced if found to be defective.

Your gas oven igniters are some of the hardest parts to clean in your oven. It’s because most use the an “open flame” ignition method, which means that there is always heat present on the element, even when your oven isn’t on. This makes it impossible for water to clean off grease and baked on food, making it nearly impossible to clean without harsh chemicals or damaging the igniter.

When the glowing ignitor is not opening fast enough or taking too long, the gas valve will not be activated to open and close as it should. This can cause a small amount of gas to escape from the valve before the flame lights, as well as result in a fluttering flame as the igniter opens and closes.

Before you begin to change the igniter, you will need to shut off the gas supply and disconnect the electricity. Remove the oven racks and unscrew the base plate screws so you can lift it out. It is important to remember where each screw goes back to before removing. This will make sure your new igniter functions properly.

First, find the igniter. This is a small piece inside your dryer that gets hot and creates heat. Once you’ve located it, you can begin the repair by removing the two screws that hold it on. Carefully pull up on the part so you can see the wires. One of these wires needs to be removed before we can continue on.

Like most new products, the initial handling of your new igniter should be done with care. The igniter component is very fragile and can easily be damaged if dropped — this would render the device useless.

Using the wires provided, connect to the igniter. Because it is an electronic ignition, you want to make sure everything is in place before you begin. Once the wires are in place, you can tighten them with a screwdriver or wrench. If your new oven’s igniter needs to be replaced, it is possible that you cannot reuse the old one. This is because of its age; if the igniter has loose wires or has been exposed to high temperatures it may not function properly in your new oven.

Once you’ve cleaned and sanitised the oven, it’s time to replace the racks and cover, and reconnect the power and gas. You’re ready to see if the oven works — make sure everything is on and working as it should be.

It’s healthy and easy to cook with an oven that ignites correctly and runs efficiently. A gas oven with a working igniter will warm up during the first 15 to 30 seconds, and you should smell only a slight hint of gas during this time — if at all.

Listen for the clicks. After turning on your gas, you’ll hear several quick clicks .  These are the pilot lights lighting up. Once they have lit, turn the knob in an anti-clockwise direction until it stops . At this point, you should hear a ‘whoosh’ sound letting you know there is proper ignition. Now you can turn on your burner.