Parts Explained 3 of 8
Grill Burners and Venturi Tubes
The burner is the tube with a row of ports that carries the flame under the grates; the venturi is its open front end, where gas from the valve mixes with air before it reaches the ports.
What does a Viking grill burner actually look like?
On a current 5 Series grill the main burners are heavy brass and sit under the briquette trays, with an infrared ProSear burner on some models and an infrared rotisserie burner across the back. Older Viking grills use burners held by clips at the rear, which lift out once the grates and briquette trays are off.
Whatever the generation, each main burner has the same three parts that matter: the open inlet at the front, the tube where gas and air mix, and the row of ports where the flame burns.
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How does a burner fail?
Slowly, mostly. Ports close up with grease and carbon until the flame runs ragged or leaves gaps along the burner. The inlet collects webs and nests over an idle season, and the flame turns yellow for want of air. Heat and damp eventually corrode a burner through, and a hole anywhere but a port gives a flame where none should be.
A burner that is only dirty is cleaned and reset. One that is split, holed or warped is replaced, and the orifice it sits over is checked at the same time.
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Why does it matter how the burner sits?
The inlet of each burner has to sit over the gas orifice at the valve. Viking’s cleaning instructions say so plainly: when a burner goes back in, check that its inlet is over the orifice.
Set down a fraction off, the gas stream misses the tube, and the burner lights poorly, burns badly or does not light at all. It is a common reason a grill burns worse after it has been cleaned.
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What does the air shutter do?
The air shutter at the burner inlet sets how much air is drawn in with the gas. Viking’s troubleshooting answer to a yellow or orange flame is exactly that pair of checks: the burner inlet for obstructions, and the air shutter for adjustment.
The shutter is set for the gas the grill burns. An owner has no reason to move it; a technician sets it by watching the flame on every burner.
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Follow-ups
Can I replace a Viking grill burner myself?
No. Viking's manual shows owners lifting burners out to clean them, but fitting a replacement is visit work: the burner has to match the model and the gas, sit centred over its orifice, and be checked lit on every setting before the grill goes back into use. Woodinville Viking Repair, (425) 321-3414.
What does a new grill burner cost?
There is no published price band for grill burners on this site: the part depends on the model, the generation and the gas. The $89 visit covers the diagnosis, and the part and fitting are quoted after it, before anything is ordered, with the $89 taken off. Woodinville Viking Repair, (425) 321-3414.