What It Means If There's An Orange Flame On Your Gas Stove

When you're sitting around a campfire, you want the flames to have a nice, cozy orange glow. When you light the burners on a gas stove, though, it's a different story. If your stove's burner produces a bright orange flame, rather than a cool blue one, it usually means that combustion is incomplete, leaving some carbon compounds behind. An orange flame on a stovetop burner can be due to high humidity, grease and grime buildup, or problems with the stove's setup. A blue flame — the color you want when you switch on the burner of a gas stove — means full combustion, good heat, and no soot. 

Getting your stove to burn blue again can be as simple as giving it a good, deep cleaning, including cleaning under the stovetop crevices. However, in some cases, you may need to adjust the stove's orifice, especially if it was converted from natural gas to propane, or the other way around. That's a job to leave to the pros.

When your stove's flame turns orange, first check the humidity levels in your kitchen, as high humidity can change the color of your stove's flame. The moisture content in the air prevents the flame from fully combusting, leading to the orange hue. If that's the case, you may find the pros of using a dehumidifier outweigh the cons and doing so may be enough to fix the issue.

More likely, though, your stove is burning orange because it's in need of a good scrubbing. You'll want to clean your gas stove to get rid of any grime or grease that may be blocking the burners. Remove the grates and the burner caps from the stove top, placing them in a basin or sink full of hot, soapy water. Then, get to work on the burners themselves, using a soft cloth to wipe them clean and a toothbrush or other soft-bristled brush to remove any stuck-on grease or food.

To clean the holes of your burners, gently poke a needle or thin wire through, pushing the grime out. Dry everything thoroughly, then reassemble your burners and place the clean, dry grates back on the stove top. If a good cleaning doesn't turn your stove's orange flames blue, reach out to an appliance repair professional to see if there's an issue with the stove's orifices or gas pressure.