US Range Griddle Repair Services

One cold zone on the plate

Most griddle calls from a kitchen sound the same. The left side cooks and the right side does not. Or eggs brown in back and sit pale up front.

A US Range griddle is built in sections. Each section of the plate has its own burner, its own pilot and its own control. So one cold zone means one burner line has a fault. We start at the pilot. On these units the pilot sits at the front right of each burner. If it is out or weak, that burner will not light. A clogged pilot orifice is common on a line that sees a lot of grease.

Say the pilot burns strong yet that section lags. Then the burner ports and the control for that section get a look.

Manual griddles and thermostat griddles

US Range has sold both types. The model number tells you which. A G in the code means manual valves. TG means thermostat control. BG is a broiler and griddle combined. Griddle widths in the restaurant range series run from 12 to 72 inches. US Range also makes counter griddles that sit on a stand or a chef base.

A manual griddle has a simple gas valve per burner. The cook sets the flame by eye. There is less to fail. Faults are worn valves, clogged orifices and weak pilots.

A thermostat griddle adds a sensing bulb under the plate. The bulb sits in a holder on the underside. A thin capillary tube runs from it to the control. The control cuts the burner down to a small bypass flame once the plate reaches the set point. That is more parts, and more ways to drift.

Thermostats that run hot, cold or both

When a cook says the dial lies, there are three things we check in order.

• Bulb seating. If the sensing bulb has slid out of its holder, it reads cool air. The burner never cuts back and the plate overheats.
• The bypass flame. Set too low, the burner goes out when it cuts back. Set too high, the plate creeps past the set point.
• Calibration. We set the dial to 350 degrees and let the control cycle. Then we read the plate with a surface probe and adjust.

A kinked or burned capillary tube cannot be fixed. The thermostat is replaced as a unit. Tubes get damaged when the plate is lifted for cleaning and set back down on them.

Yellow flame, soot and slow recovery

A good griddle burner shows a steady blue flame. Yellow tips and soot under the plate mean the air mix is off or the ports are dirty. Grease drips through the front trough gap and cooks onto the burner. Recovery slows down. The plate takes longer to come back after a full load of cold product.

We pull the burners, clear the ports and set the air shutters. We also check gas pressure at the manifold. If the whole line was added to over the years, the supply pipe may be too small for the load. A griddle at the end of that pipe starves at the dinner rush.

What your crew can check first

• Look for the pilot flame on each section before service.
• Confirm the gas quick-disconnect is fully seated after the unit is rolled back.
• Empty the grease drawer. An overflow runs into the burner box.
• Do not shock a hot plate with ice or cold water. That is how plates warp.
• Note which zone is off and tell us the model number from the data plate.

Service terms for commercial kitchens

A+ is an independent service company. A+ dates to 2015 and one family still owns it. We are not the factory service agent for US Range or Garland. For a business, the diagnostic visit is $149. Once the repair is approved, we waive that $149. The manager gets a fixed griddle quote, labor and parts in one number, ahead of any wrench work. Same-day response is our aim on most calls, since a dead griddle can close a breakfast menu. Griddle dispatch begins at 6 AM and the last truck rolls by 9 PM, all seven days. A griddle tech from A+ is licensed, insured and background checked before going on site. Thermocouples, pilot parts and common valves are on the truck. The repair carries a warranty. Booking is open online.

A steel plate is worth keeping

A griddle is a thick steel plate over burners. The plate will outlast many sets of controls. Valves, thermostats, pilots and burners can all be swapped. We only talk about a new unit when the plate is badly warped or pitted, or the burner box has rusted out.

We repair US Range equipment for kitchens in the Chicago area, listed on our Illinois service area page. Griddle service also reaches kitchens around Houston and Los Angeles, plus Northern Virginia and the District. See the Garland repair page for the sister brand, and Garland griddle repair for that line. General help is on our grill repair page. If you can, schedule us before the plate is fired. We can work faster on a cool griddle.