Are you on propane or natural gas? Makes a difference.

LP (propane)

I don’t think it’s just because it’s Blue Star. My Wolf does the same think if the burners have not been used in awhile. Propane is heavier than air so the propane will sink to the bottom of the line. When you first turn it on you have to wait for the propane to get to the top. If it’s been awhile I turn the burner on for about 3 seconds then turn it off then turn it back on again. Those mini explosions will scare you half to death if your not use to it. Natural gas is lighter than air so the gas stays at the top of the line doesn’t sink. When you turn on a stove with natural gas it’s instant on, no Pyrotechnics. Hope this helps.

One other thought. When you bought your new range did you specify propane orifices for the jets in the burners? Most stoves come with orifices for natural gas, if you tell them you are on propane then they will change them out before delivery. This will make a big difference. I don’t know about Bluestar but on my Wolf each burner underneath was labeled for LP. As they changed each burner out they wrote in indelible ink next to each burners orifice. You can’t see this unless you take everything apart for cleaning.

Yes, what others have said: propane is always a little finicky. That's just the way it is. And these "explosions" aren't really a big safety issue, even if they look scary. I remember when I studied chemistry, we always had these giant fire balls, whenever somebody lit one of the bunsen burners. We eventually got used to it.

The problem should be less severe, if you operate the burners regularly.

Having said that, do check that you have the correct orifices. And make sure the burners are adjusted properly. This is particularly important if you live at high altitude (you didn't say; so, just guessing).

Also, from the videos it looks as if the igniters don't always spark even if you hear them clicking. I have had that happen before. It was caused by running the igniter wires too closely to other metal parts. I shifted the igniter wires a little bit and loosely attached them with zip ties, and that fixed things for good.

These are all adjustments that the installer should have made for you.

Oh, and just for the record, my BS is on natural gas and doesn't have this problem. But I have used propane before and it always ignites a little harder -- but maybe not as hard as in your videos.

On a different note, your range isn't installed properly. According to Bluestar's installation manual, you cannot have an island trim if you install the stove directly against the wall. For safety reasons, you should install a backguard.

I will check again tomorrow but I believe there is a visible spark every time there is a click, I think the camera on my phone was just missing some of them...framerate of capture or something maybe?

I ordered this direct from bluestar as a propane rangetop (they dont convert as I understand it but build each item to spec)...is there a way I could check my burners or make sure they gave me the right burners?

It just seems odd to me since there is clearly plenty of gas coming out right away (thus the fireball when it finally ignites) but its more like the igniter is not in the optimal location to light the first gas as it leaves.

RE: Proper Installation:

I spoke with bluestar when designing the kitchen/backsplash and was told that the 6 or 9" of clearance you need at the back before a combustible material is satisfied by having a ceramic backsplash. If I just had a 4" quartz backsplash and then a sheetrock wall I would have needed a backguard. Not trying to say you're wrong but I reached out to bluestar about that exact issue a few months ago before ordering (and having backsplash installed) and they said I would be fine.

appreciate the comments everyone!

If you ordered the stove as a LP model, then it is very unlikely (albeit always possible) that Bluestar sent you an NG model. You could in principle remove the orifices in order to see if they are the correct size, but that's a little tedious to do. You need a deep socket driver, and most people wouldn't have those on hand. For the time being, I would assume the orifices are the correct size.

Adjusting the shutters does make sense though. That's part of the normal installation procedure. Since BS doesn't know which altitude you are at, they can't really do that for you at the factory.

You said that you think the spark doesn't happen in the correct location. Yes, that's possible. I have had to losen the screw on my ignitors, very carefully bend them into the correct location (that can shatter the ceramic insulator; so watch out!), and then tighten the screw again. This really shouldn't be necessary on a new stove, but maybe something shifted in transport? In my case, it was an ignitor that had gotten bent after a couple of years of use.

As this is a new stove, who installed it for you? Did you do that yourself or did you have a professional installer? There are a couple of adjustments that should be made during initial set-up. You have done most of them at this point, but really this shouldn't be on the home owner to do and any reputable dealer should have an installer who checks these things for you.

Things that I can think of:

1. verify that the gas pressure at your house is in the expected range and that the pressure regulator in the range is set properly
2. make sure that grates are level and otherwise adjust the leveling screws
3. make sure that venturi tubes are seated correctly
4. adjust air shutters for ambient air pressure
5. adjust lower end simmer temperature
6. verify that all igniters work
7. verify oven temperature
8. verify that broiler works and ignites reliably
9. verify that convection fan works

There probably are a few other things to check during installation, but this is what springs to mind.

If none of that helps, then maybe it's time for a service call. Since this is a brand-new stove it should still be under warranty. Although it is possible that BS will tell you that this is just expected behavior when using LP.

This is only a rangetop, so no oven or broiler to worry about. I am in Connecticut so altitude shouldnt be an issue.

You know everything I read on these forums about bluestar was that the bluestar installer would run through a checklist and make adjustments and set it up properly etc...walk you through the unit and operation maintenance etc.

There are basically 2 places I could have bought this from..an hour in one direction and an hour in another. One of them is listed as a preferred servicer and the other just a servicer...but still, everyone is selling for the exact same price, neither dealer gave me competitive pricing on the rest of my appliances so I bought them elsewhere...so I was about to flip a coin to decide where to buy my BS from...but I ran into a regional BS rep somewhere, and he told me to go with dealer A....so I did....but no one at the store knew anything about what a bluestar was. I would ask a question and they would open the bluestar order book or whatever and just read it for the first time with me sitting there...so they're bringing no value to the equation. The manager of the store was the one person there who seemed knowledgeable in general, and he was familiar with bluestar products but I get the impression they have only sold a few units.

So I go to place my order and I was expecting some official installation by a bluestar expert who would show me how to drive it and hand over the keys etc...but the manager basically asked if I wanted them to install it or if I had someone who would be installing it...and I said well that depends are you just connecting the propane or do you have like a bluestar certified knowledgeable installer who is going to set it up right etc...and he said it was just a local gas plumber who would come to connect the gas line (IE, no bluestar knowledge to share) so I just had the guy who does the rest of my propane work come over and hook it up...and the appliance store just dropped it off in my living room.

Long story short: I don't feel like I got the proper bluestar experience in terms of my brand new unit being setup and configured properly....not sure why that is (or even whether or not thats related to the way my burners are functioning).

I can't really comment on your local dealers. But it's unfortunate that you didn't get somebody experienced to set up your stove. In principle, it's a super basic appliance that anybody can service, if they spend a little effort reading up. But this is not what you should have to do as a home owner -- especially not if this is a brand new unit.

I am not sure what to tell you. You could yell at BS some more and hope that they'll send out an experienced technician on a service call. But sounds as if there are just not many around where you live. So, this might not be much help. Or you could look on Youtube for instructions on how to make these adjustments yourself. It's decidedly not rocket science, but I hate telling a home owner to do this, when the installer should have done so. So, the following is just for your reference. Proceed as you feel appropriate:

Maybe, I'd start by calling your propane guy and ask him what pressure your house gets. Then verify that this is what BS expects. It's probably OK, but it's an easy thing to check, so why not.

Also, ask him whether he checked that the regulator on your rangetop was set correctly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AddrkTCBd7c If it was already set to propane, I wouldn't worry too much about the rest of the range. But if for some reason it was set to natural gas, then I'd be worried that your dealer messed up and ordered the wrong model for you. In that case, I'd go ahead and verify the orifice sizes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVMXNqCSBmo&t=64s

Off the top of my head, I don't recall the correct orifice sizes for the different BS burners. But hopefully BS's support can tell you. Or you can use a chart such as this: https://andersonforrester.com/conversion-chart/ It might not be 100% the same as what BS uses, but it's good enough to get started. As you can see, for your 22kBTU burners, you should have something around a #43 orifice for natural gas, but about a #54 for propane. The size is usually stamped on the orifice. So, this is easy to check. The only problem is the need for a 1/2" deep well socket driver. If the numbers aren't what you expect, make your dealer come out and fix things.

OK, let's assume you verified that there wasn't any gross mistake made, and you do in fact have a LP model (and I actually suspect that you do), then the next step would be operating the burners without the grates. This allows you to see if there are any sparks in places where you don't expect them. If that's the case, a zip tie can help move the igniter wires away from body of the rangetop. While you are at it, make sure the igniter is plugged in firmly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vl20FO-YLg0

If you think the igniter is not quite in the right position, loosen the little screw that holds it to the burner head and try to adjust things. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lL2CLfnu4v8 You might have to slightly bend things, if there is gross misalignment. But I think with the current (improved) igniter design this is not usually necessary. Also, make sure the screw is actually fastened properly again afterwards. You don't want to overtighten it, as it could strip. But if it isn't fastened hand-tight, you get poor electric connectivity and that can prevent the gas from igniting.

If you are happy with the igniters, then adjust the shutters https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9XxeVtkYNU and the also adjust the flame height https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8uIrzyj7PI

That's about it. Hopefully, it'll help you get less of an explosion upon starting your burners. But as said earlier, you'll probably always have a bit of it. That's just a feature of having propane.

That's a cool adjustment. And that certainly makes sense. I looked at the igniters on my NG range. It looks as if the older igniters were a little lower, but the newer ones seem to be a little higher. I can see how the newer design would work better for NG. Overall, the new igniters seem an improvement and they also seem to stay aligned much better. But for LP these changes could conceivably be a downgrade. So, installing a small spacer sounds like a smart way to adjust things.

Do you all light by turning the burner to HIGH? Or do you turn the burner to low and then gradually to high?

I light them by turning the burner to high.

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Sometimes when I have cleaned my BS range top and I go to start the burners, I will get either clicking with no ignition or a ball of fire. In my case, I discovered that I had slightly dislodged the supply pipe to the burner. Making certain that these metal supply pipes are seated firmly into the burner receptacle solves my problem. They won't work if they a not in proper alignment and completely seated. I just have to remember to do it after cleaning.

As you are standing in front, pull the round metal feeder pipe is pulled toward you all the way forward into the receptacle pipe. You do this with the metal grate and the burner bowl off, the star shaped burner should still be in place.

It's always possible that your ignitor's need adjustment. That's a big possibility. The service guys should know how to do this. It's not hard. There are video's on YouTube that will show you how to do it if you own a screwdriver.

One you get it set up, it's a beautiful unit.

We did have a Blue Star guy out who went over the whole range and adjusted all the burners. We still have one burner that does this. So when I turn that burner on I go to low first to get it lit. We have a propane range. We had a Wolf in previous house and the burners would do the same thing. Click forever and then woooosh would light.

It's always possible that your ignitor's need adjustment. That's a big possibility. The service guys should know how to do this. It's not hard.

That's why I am so sad that Robert didn't get to benefit from professional installation. It is absolutely straight-forward to do initial configuration and only takes a few minutes, if you have done it before. But it's frustrating for a new owner to suffer through all these little issues, if they haven't had the training.

Bluestar builds tanks. They are amazing, they are easy to service, and realistically, once they are set up they don't require much attention. But because of the very no-nonsense mechanical design, they do need initial adjustment upon installation.

When we bought our Bluestar range, Bluestar offered "white-glove service". They would have a factory-certified technician check the range for correct installation about a week after the dealer or contractor installed it. Took less than half an hour of careful checking, and extended the warranty by a year or so. It's too bad they no longer have this program.

I actually have this issue in my front right burner. It is a natural gas unit. I have read all these responses, but I am still confused on what needs fixing. I had the service here and he lowered the gas output to that burner, but now the LOW is so low it doesn't send enough gas to stay lit and it still fills with gas upon lighting, especially after sitting for a few hours unlit. I think I'm gonna adjust it back to what it was before so my LOW setting isn't so low. Also, my simmer burner doesn't light unless I turn the knob to SIMMER. To be clear, I am very happy with the range, these are just some quirks I would like to get figured out.

Hi everyone, I was googling this same thing. I have NG 36” - and especially the power burners in the front tend to light in a ball of fire after a few hours of no use. Sometimes repeatedly.

I had a pro installer but they had never seen a bluestar before. I’m also confused what to check here.

I will also say that even the simmer burner puts out a lot of heat! It’s hard to simmer anything on this bad boy! especially if it’s a small pan.

Just to check back in, I had my propane guy come back out and he ever so slightly adjusted the regulator on the rangetop so that the pressure was exactly what was specified....didnt really help much....and I never got any more feedback from bluestar about what to do so my stove is still like this to light. I just deal with it. Scares the crap out of my wife and mother in law which is not ideal but I suppose its not ACTUALLY burning the house down it just SOUNDS like its going to.

I also have the same experience with the simmer burner boiling everything when it is set to the lowest setting....definitely disappointing as I was expecting that to be ever so gentle a simmer. I keep telling myself if I monkey around with the air shutter on the simmer burner maybe I can dial it back a little bit so its actually simmering stuff...but havent tried yet...and honestly that burner takes so long to light already seems like it would take even longer if I closed the shutter more.

Buy a flame tamer or simmer plate diffuser. Use it to diffuse the flame. You will get a perfect low simmer. Make sure you run the simmer burner all the way over to the end of the control knob stop. It will keep the flame lit on the lowest possible setting. If you don't go all the way over, it may not stay lit or it will be too high.

I find that even my 15kBTU simmer well enough that I actually completely removed the simmer burner. But then, I use natural gas rather than propane. I am perfectly willing to believe the propane makes everything a little more complicated.

Also, I don't really simmer for extended amounts of time. I usually find there are other techniques that work better. Either I put the pot into the oven where I can control heat super precisely and evenly, or I cook in a pressure cooker which often is faster and also seems to prevent scorching.

What are you all doing that simmering turns out to be so problematic? Maybe, our cooking styles are different and that's why I never had a problem ... or maybe, there really is a difference in how your range behaves compared to mine.

Our month-old Blue Star is LP and it is not like that to light. The higher BTU burners emit a little "poof" when they are turned on or off, but it's smaller and faster and quieter than these videos (which made me say "yikes!" when I watched them). The simmer burner lights slowly and in a circular sequence, which everyone in my house finds sort of cute. I find the simmer will boil if a small pot of something is left on it for a long time, even if it's on the lowest setting. We have worked around this by taking a grate off one of the other burners and stacking it on the simmer burner so the pot is higher up, or just using our griddle as a french top, i.e. to keep hollandaise warm. We are at ocean level, and had a capable installer set up the range, but they had never see a Blue Star before, so read the manual and it all went smoothly. So far so good, anyway. It's only been a month.

robertgoulet:

Be careful with the burner air shutter adjustment. Its purpose is to adjust the air/fuel mixture to the proper ratio to optimize for burn efficiency. Incorrect adjustment can cause unsafe conditions (e.g. carbon monoxide and soot production).

The proper way to adjust the simmer level of the Bluestar burners is by using the set screw located inside the control knob shaft. It sets the minimum gas flow when the valve is at its lowest setting. For lowest simmer setting, turn the set screw so the flame starts becoming unstable and then turn it back so that it just becomes stable enough to not go out with a slight breeze (like when you quickly put a pot down on it).

queen e:

You may already be aware of this, but if you turn the grate on a Bluestar burner by 90 degrees, it raises by 1/4". If you rotate it by 45 degrees, it raises by about 5/8" (the thickness of the grate).

John - interesting, never really thought of doing that With the grates! Good idea.

my lighting experience remains similar on the burners, but I did adjust my lows after reading this thread. Took 5 minutes and I can get a lot lower on each of the burners now! https://youtu.be/N8uIrzyj7PI