14/44 Burners
Viking Brass Burners: Pitting and Care
Gold-coloured burner parts: coated brass that burns fine dull but fails once pitting reaches the ports.
- Written by
- Hollis Yamada
- Works on
- Service technician — refrigeration and cooking
- Experience
- 21 years in the trade
- Published
Which burners are brass
Some Viking ranges carry gold-coloured burner parts in place of the usual finish. In Viking’s use-and-care guide for its Professional freestanding gas self-clean ranges, brass appears as a special-order option, and the guide says those brass parts are epoxy-coated. That coating keeps them looking right, and it is exactly what careless cleaning removes.
How it fails here
Brass gives way slowly in Issaquah, mostly through the sink. Well water leaves a crust after a boil-over, salty pasta water does the same, and the habit that ruins brass is scrubbing that crust off with polish or a pad. Once the coating goes, spills pit the bare metal, first round the ports and on the seat under the burner cap. Expect that pattern in Olde Town kitchens. Pitted brass often arrives alongside tired valves, a pairing weighed in stiff valves and pitted brass.
Signs and thresholds
| What you notice | The line it crosses | What happens next |
|---|---|---|
| Brass dull, blotchy or darkened | Burner lights evenly and the cap sits flat | Cosmetic only; keep cooking and clean it gently. |
| Coating lifting, bare metal showing | Flakes on the cooktop or near the ports | Replace the affected cap or burner before flakes reach the ports. |
| Pits round the port openings | Ports misshapen or the flame uneven on a clean burner | Burner replaced; pitted ports cannot be restored. |
| Cap rocks on a pitted seat | Any rock once cap and seat are clean | Whichever part is pitted, cap or head, is replaced. |
What you can do yourself
- Knobs off, cooktop cold: wipe the brass with hot soapy water and a soft cloth, then dry it.
- Skip brass polish, abrasive powders and scouring pads; Viking's guide warns they damage brass parts.
- Wipe salty spills as soon as the burner has cooled rather than leaving them overnight.
- Stop there. Anything past this is a job for Viking Repair Issaquah — call (425) 920-9484.
When to call
Ring when coating flakes toward the ports, when pitting has changed the shape of a port, or when a clean cap no longer sits flat.
Call (425) 920-9484Asked about the brass burners
Should I polish my Viking brass burners to keep them bright?
No. On the Viking ranges whose guide covers brass options, the brass is epoxy-coated, and brass polish or abrasive cleaners attack that coating. Hot soapy water and a soft cloth are enough. Brass does not need to shine to burn properly. Viking Repair Issaquah can look at a dull burner; call (425) 920-9484.
Do pitted brass burners affect cooking?
Only once the pitting reaches the ports or the cap seat. Then flames come out uneven, or the cap rocks and the ring breaks up. Pitting elsewhere is cosmetic, however it looks. Viking Repair Issaquah can tell which kind you have and replace the part if it matters; call (425) 920-9484.
What is the white crust on my brass burner?
Usually dried minerals or salt from a boil-over, heavier on the well-water side of Issaquah. Soften it with hot soapy water and wipe it away with a soft cloth; do not scrape with metal or scour. If it has left pits in the ports, Viking Repair Issaquah can replace the burner; call (425) 920-9484.
