Gas Oven Preheats Slowly

[kahaen]

I have a Frigidaire FGF374CCTC oven that takes over 20 minutes to preheat to 400. Is this normal to take that long? Once up to heat, it cooks just fine. I see flames on the top, and a glow on the bottom. The top burner only stays on for the first couple minutes. I can't tell if there is actually a flame on the bottom, but the oven stays at temperature and cooks fine, so it must work.

[HayZee518]

This diagram gives a general layout of the oven/broiler layout. The oven plate or shelf is removable exposing the deflector plate which is held in place by a nut or wingnut. Underneath this is the main burner. If there is an obstruction to the venturi then the flame would be blue with yellow tips instead of a pure blue flame. If the thermostat was faulty then the main burner would cycle on off until it reached the set point being, satisfied. Look for sharp twists or kinks in the capillary tube from the capillary bulb to the "stat." The capillary tube is filled with a gas that expands on temperature increase and mechanically opens the main valve.

[Dan O.]

** oven takes over 20 minutes to preheat to 400. Is this normal to take that long? **

I wouldn't think so.

How long do the oven burner(s) take to actually light when the oven is first turned on?

Dan O.

https://www.Appliance411.com/parts/?ref411=Frigidaire_Range

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[JCA1]

As Dan said, check the igniton system, if it's a pilot then the capillary is probably out of place or the safety valve is going bad, if it's electronic igniton with hot surface ignitor then the ignitor is probablygoing bad. Either of which will cause delayed igniton and slower pre-heat times, and if electronic, this can lead to more problems. It should take about 30 to 45 seconds normally for the burner to lite after the temp. is selected.

[kahaen]

I took it apart to see the main burner, and this is what i found (plus a very black metal spoon):
Set oven to preheat 425.
After 20 seconds, top igniter turns orange.
After another minute, the top burner lights.
The burner stays on high for 30 seconds, then starts pulsing from high to low every 4 seconds.
After a minute or two, it stops pulsing.
After a total of 5 1/2 minutes, the top burner goes out, and the bottom ignitor turns orange.
After 30 seconds (6 minutes total) the bottom burner lights.
It hits 425 degrees in a total of 10 minutes, which is the fastest I have very seen. This was without the deflector or the bottom plate.

I waited for it to cool off and put it back together. Reassembled it preheated in 15 minutes, which is still faster than before. Cleaning out the bottom burner area, including the spoon, might have helped. I also found I can reach 425 faster if I just set it to bake, instead of preheat. It turns on the bottom burner right away, and reaches temperature faster.

Is 15 minutes to preheat normal? Shouldn't both burners be on at the same time, during preheat?

[Dan O.]

The burner stays on high for 30 seconds, then starts pulsing from high to low every 4 seconds. After a minute or two, it stops pulsing.

The 'pulsing' doesn't sound right to me. Does the bake (lower) burner do the same thing? Both should act basically the same.

Is 15 minutes to preheat normal? Shouldn't both burners be on at the same time, during preheat?

I would think it should preheat in less time than that but I'm afraid I do not know how the control on your model is designed to operate the burners during a preheat cycle. Manufacturers are doing some funny things with preheat features to get lower energy usage ratings. You may have to check with Frigidaire or one of their *factory authorized* service depots (see the following link) to see if they can tell you. Sorry.

LINK > Frigidaire Factory Servicer Locator

Dan O.
www.Appliance411.com
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