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A close side view of a black gas stove's front burner in a US home kitchen, burning with a tall, lazy yellow-tipped flame beside another burner with a small, crisp blue flame, both under empty grates.

Stove
Flame Too High or Too Low

A gas burner's flame roars higher than it should, sits so low it will not boil water, turns yellow and lazy, or will not stay lit on the lowest setting.

(844) 415-7620

Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm

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

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Three short steps, about a minute.

or call (844) 415-7620

What it
usually means.

A healthy gas flame is blue with a small, even cone at each port, and it gets smaller or larger smoothly as you turn the knob. The size is set by a small hole called an orifice at the base of each burner, matched to the kind of gas your home uses, plus an adjusting screw for the lowest setting. When a stove set for natural gas is fed propane, or the other way round, every flame is wrong: too tall and yellow, or small and weak. When just one burner acts up, the cause is usually on that burner: a cap sitting off its base, ports clogged by boil-overs, or a low-setting screw that has drifted. A yellow flame that leaves soot on pans is also worth fixing for the air in the kitchen, because it burns less completely.

A technician's hands set a clean round burner head back onto its base on a freestanding gas stove in a US home kitchen, the grate lifted aside. The 6 causes, cheapest first

Answer these first

01

Is it one burner or every burner on the stove?
02

Is the flame blue, or yellow and floppy with black marks on pans?
03

Does the burner go out when you turn it to the lowest setting?
04

Has the stove been moved to a new home, reconnected or converted to propane?
05

Did it start after cleaning, when the burner parts were taken apart and put back?

Check these
before you book.

Stove flame too high: 5 checks, and none of them costs anything.

01

If a flame suddenly grows tall and will not turn down, or you smell gas, turn the knob off; if the smell stays, leave the house and call the gas utility from outside.

02

With the stove off and cold, lift each cap and head, check that each is the right one for its burner, and seat it flat.

03

Clean out the burner ports and let the parts dry before you light them again.

Also worth checking

  • Watch the flame from the side: note whether it is blue or yellow and whether it is even all around.
  • Tell us whether the stove has ever been converted or moved between natural gas and propane.

How soon does it need a visit?

A flame that is slightly too high or low can wait for a visit. A flame that will not turn down, a flame that reaches up the sides of the pan or a gas smell needs the knob off at once, and a smell that stays means leaving and calling the gas utility.

The causes,
cheapest first.

6 things stove flame too high or too low turns out to be, from burner cap or head put back wrong to gas pressure problem.

The cost guide
  1. 01 no repair

    Burner cap or head put back wrong

    After cleaning, a cap that is off center, upside down or on the wrong burner makes an uneven or oversized flame. Match each cap to its burner and set it so it sits flat.

    No repair: check it yourself
  2. 02 no repair

    Ports clogged with spills

    Food in the ports shrinks the flame on one side or all around. Wash the burner head, clear each port with a straightened paper clip and let it dry completely.

    No repair: check it yourself
  3. 03 low

    Low-setting screw drifted

    Behind each knob sits a small screw that sets the lowest flame. If it has moved, the burner can go out on low or refuse to simmer gently.

    Fixed by stove burner repair On a gas stove
  4. 04 moderate

    Orifices for the wrong kind of gas

    A stove moved from a natural-gas home to a propane home, or the reverse, needs its orifices and regulator changed. Until then every flame is too large or too small.

    Fixed by gas and power hookup check On a gas stove
  5. 05 moderate

    Worn burner valve

    A valve that has worn inside may no longer turn down smoothly, jumping from low to high or not reaching a true low setting.

    Fixed by stove burner repair On a gas stoveSee stove burner stays on high
  6. 06 varies

    Gas pressure problem

    If every gas appliance in the home has weak or oversized flames, the problem is in the supply or the regulator. That is work for the utility or a gas professional.

    Fixed by gas and power hookup check On a gas stove

The makes
it happens on.

32 makes on this site; stove flame too high or too low can show up on any of them. Each mark opens that make's own page.

All 32 brands

Stove Flame Too High or Too Low,
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 grandparent and a child stirring a pot together on a white gas stove in a lived-in family kitchen
For the heart of your home.

Questions about
stove flame too high or too low.

Why is my stove flame yellow instead of blue?
The burner is not getting enough air, usually because its ports are dirty or its cap is crooked. It can also mean the stove is set for a different gas than your home uses. A little orange flicker from dust is normal; a steady yellow flame is not.
Should I turn the small screw behind the knob myself?
The manual for some stoves shows how, but a flame set too low can go out and let gas escape. If you are not sure, leave it to a technician.
My burner goes out when I turn it to low. What is wrong?
Usually the low setting is set too low, or the ports are part blocked. A burner that goes out should be turned off right away so unlit gas does not keep flowing.
Does a yellow flame make carbon monoxide?
It burns less cleanly and can raise carbon monoxide. Have a working CO alarm near the kitchen, run the fan over the stove while cooking, and get the burner fixed.

Back to your everyday

Still seeing stove flame too high or too low?

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

Schedule a repair Call (844) 415-7620
(844) 415-7620 Schedule a repair