Care notes · Rangetops
Rangetop Grates and Cast Iron
- Manual shut-off valve — installed in the supply line, reachable in a hurry
- Pressure regulator — built into a rangetop; shipped with a gas cooktop to be fitted
- Manifold — the pipe that feeds every valve
- Burner valve — one behind each knob
- Burner — head, cap and ports where the flame forms
In short
Grates on a Viking 5 Series built-in gas rangetop are heavy-duty porcelainized cast iron. The porcelain keeps the iron sealed, so grate care is really coating care. Viking Repair Sammamish treats a grate that rusts through or rocks as a parts question: (425) 610-8986.
What the grates are made of
Viking’s spec sheet for the 5 Series rangetops calls the grates heavy-duty, porcelainized cast iron, laid out so a pan slides front to back and side to side across one continuous surface. The iron carries the weight; the fused porcelain keeps water and grease off it.
Chips, bare iron and replacement
A dropped or knocked grate can chip, exposing the iron. Kept dry, a small chip stays a blemish; left damp, it rusts, and rust can creep under the coating around it. A cracked grate, or one where rust keeps breaking through, is a replacement part, matched to the model number on the label under the base.
The steps
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Let them cool where they sit
Cast iron holds heat long after the flame is out. Leave each grate until it is cool to the touch, then lift it straight off.
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Warm soapy water and a soft brush
Viking's rangetop guide gives one method: warm soapy water once the grate is cool. We keep steel wool and metal scrapers off the porcelain; a scratch through it is where bare iron begins.
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Dry every grate before it goes back
Viking says to refit caps, heads and grates only once thoroughly dry. Water on a chipped spot is water on bare iron.
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Seat each grate and press the corners
Set each grate in its own place and press each corner. One that rocks or sits proud leaves pans off level over the flame.
Call us when
- A grate has cracked, or a section of it has broken away
- Rust keeps coming back through chipped porcelain
- A grate will not sit flat on a clean, dry rangetop
Past that point it is a bench job, not a care job. Viking Repair Sammamish picks up on (425) 610-8986; the visit and diagnosis are $89, taken off the repair if you go ahead.
Asked about this
What should I do about a chip in the porcelain on a Viking grate?
Keep the grate dry after every wash, because the chip leaves bare cast iron exposed to moisture. A small chip is mostly cosmetic. If rust keeps returning or spreading under the coating, treat the grate as a part. Viking Repair Sammamish, (425) 610-8986.
