23/44 Gas delivery
Viking LP Conversion Kit: What Actually Changes
The regulator setting and orifices that are changed to run a natural-gas range on propane.
- Written by
- Hollis Yamada
- Works on
- Service technician — refrigeration and cooking
- Experience
- 21 years in the trade
- Published
What actually changes
Viking’s service manual for its older free-standing gas ranges lists the steps. The built-in regulator has a cap marked for natural gas that is reversed to read LP. Surface, griddle, grill and oven burners have orifice hoods that are turned snug onto an internal propane pin; that orifice is what meters gas into each burner. The oven burner may shift on its bracket, and the infrared broiler’s spud is swapped outright, with the old one kept for going back.
A half-done job
Miss one of those and the range shows it: one burner roaring yellow while the rest look fine. Whether to convert or buy a propane range is weighed in convert to propane or buy an LP range. Diagnosing burners that misbehave afterwards falls under range repair.
Signs and thresholds
| What you notice | The line it crosses | What happens next |
|---|---|---|
| Tall, lazy, yellow flames on every burner | Began after a move or a conversion | Conversion checked part by part; do not keep cooking on it. |
| Simmer too high on propane | Every burner, with clean caps | Orifices and low-flame settings checked for the fuel. |
| Oven or broiler lights harshly or smells | Only since the fuel changed | Oven orifice, burner position and broiler orifice checked. |
| Nobody knows which fuel it is set for | Any doubt at all | Do not light it until it has been checked. |
What you can do yourself
- Before first use in a new home, find out whether the range was set up for natural gas or propane.
- Keep any spare orifice or conversion parts that came with the range; they may be needed later.
- Stop there. Anything past this is a job for Viking Repair Issaquah — call (425) 920-9484.
When to call
Call when flames change after a move or a fuel change, or when nobody can say which fuel the range was set for.
Call (425) 920-9484Asked about the lp conversion kit
Does Viking Repair Issaquah convert ranges to propane?
No. Viking's own manual puts conversion in the hands of the dealer, a qualified plumber or the gas company. Viking Repair Issaquah diagnoses a range that burns badly after a conversion and repairs its parts; call (425) 920-9484 and mention which fuel the house uses.
Is a Viking LP conversion just a bag of orifices?
Not on the older free-standing ranges in Viking's service manual. Most orifices there are hoods turned down onto a built-in propane pin, the regulator cap is reversed, and only the infrared broiler takes a separate spud. Other generations may differ. Viking Repair Issaquah reads your model number first; call (425) 920-9484.
Why is my simmer too high after switching to propane?
Propane carries more heat for the same flow, so every opening that sets flame size has to change with it. If the lowest setting now runs tall, something was missed or set wrong. Stop using the cooktop until it is checked. Viking Repair Issaquah traces the fault; call (425) 920-9484.
