problems with DCS / F&P gas range - igniters won't stop

last year

I have a 16 year old DCS gas range. I got it just after Fisher & Paykel bought DCS. It is a 30" 5-burner model. It has been generally reliable, until recently. Now it seems to have developed a fatal affliction:

It has decided to continually spark the igniters.

I called F&P support, and they sent a tech 180 miles to me. He looked at it, and tried cleaning the jets. But he couldn't do them all because some of the nuts that hold down the top of the burners are seized. He said forcing them could cause a gas leak, and that doing more would require taking the whole top off the range, and would be uneconomic. And he said many parts are no longer available.

It seems that my range is EOL and I should replace it. Should I expect this to be par for the course after 16 years?

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Comments (12)

wdccruise
last year
paul_ma
Original Author
last year
Thanks for those. I have already tried to clean the igniters, but never with solvent. I will give it a try.

Its a pain because to turn off the power I either must pull out the range, or trip the breaker the stove is connected to. And of course that is a circuit with much stuff that is inconvenient to power off. Sigh.
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PRO
THE FRENCH BARN - Lacanche Canada
last year
I am not familiar with DCS, but this sounds to me like a switch that gets stuck, or a defective spark module. I don't see how the jets would cause the igniters to spark.

I DONT KNOW if this part is anywhere close to what your range uses, but it's possible that such a switch can short out, or come loose so that it doesn't turn with the valve shaft like it should, causing it to stay in the "ON" position even though the knob is off.

https://www.reliableparts.ca/product/211804P-Fisher-Paykel-DCS-Range-Burner-Igniter-Switch-1PK
paul_ma
Original Author
last year
I wouldn't know how to check. The F&P tech didn't mention this as a possibility. He was an actual employee of F&P, not a random service tech.
PRO
THE FRENCH BARN - Lacanche Canada
last year
That is likely what he referred to as "opening the rangetop and being uneconomic". Sure, investigating the issue takes some time (= money), but it's still cheaper than replacing the entire unit for what appears to be a very basic problem.

If you know your range's model number, you might be able to google more info.

I also find that some technicians are more interested in "figuring things out" than others, so you might just need to find someone else.
chispa
last year
I definitely agree that not all technicians are created equal. Can you find a local company that services a variety of brands and has a technician willing to figure things out?
paul_ma
Original Author
last year
Several years ago I had service on this range from the local appliance store (well regarded company in the region) where I bought the stove. I was not happy with it. I didn't get the sense that the guy was competent.

Conversely, I got good vibes from this guy. I got the feeling he was giving me the truth even if it would reduce revenue to F&P. But those are just vibes.

This stove is 16 years old. I got it right at the time when DCS was acquired by F&P. So it was mostly designed (and possibly even built) before F&P took over.

The tech said that many parts for this stove are no longer available.
dadoes
last year
"The tech said that many parts for this stove are no longer available."

Have you researched to confirm that?
a1an
last year
Not a DCS but finished doing a overhaul of our Wolf of similar age.

Is there a general consensus (part availability aside - NLA) or cost of repair if one does not do the labor....consensus of any rangetop when one spends 10K +++ on one. I've avoided replacing mine for the last few years, as I would redo the whole kitchen as a whole, changing up the layout for a Induction rangetop, etc...full gut and redo. However, on this redo, I'd also like to plan for futurue potentail replacements if I was a mindreader
clt3
last year
One of the reasons I got rid of my F&P gas cook top was the ignitors sparking continuously. I was told by one repair person it was due to the low profile design.
paul_ma
Original Author
last year
An update: I followed the instructions in one of the videos posted above by @wdccruise to clean the igniters. Unfortunately it made no difference. So I have decided to replace the range. I will start a new thread to discuss that.
wdccruise
last year
The LG LSGL6337F and GE Profile PGS930YPFS earned Recommended ratings in CR's tests of 30" gas ranges.