44/44 Electrical and chassis
Viking Leveling Legs and Casters
The threaded legs, and on some ranges wheels, that set the range level and at the right height.
- Written by
- Hollis Yamada
- Works on
- Service technician — refrigeration and cooking
- Experience
- 21 years in the trade
- Published
Why level matters
In Olde Town’s older houses the floor under a range is seldom dead flat, and a heavy range shows every degree of it. Viking’s service manual for its self-clean gas ranges levels the range on the screw threads of its legs, and adds that the body has no rigid frame, so turning one leg shifts the whole body and the oven doors with it.
How it goes wrong
Legs seize after years in grease and damp, wheels on the models that have them flatten, and floors settle. The fix is careful levelling, not force: a range dragged across a floor can pull away from its anti-tip bracket and strain its connections. In a tight galley, fitting and levelling a new range has limits of its own, covered in a 30-inch range in an Olde Town galley. Local notes for the district are on the Olde Town page.
Signs and thresholds
| What you notice | The line it crosses | What happens next |
|---|---|---|
| Oil pools at one side of the pan | Pools the same way on every burner | Range checked with a level and the legs adjusted. |
| Cakes bake higher on one side | Same slope with the rack sitting flat | Level set front to back and side to side. |
| Oven door sits crooked or rubs | Gap uneven from top to bottom of the door | Legs adjusted first, before any hinge work. |
| Leg seized, wheel flat-spotted or cracked | Will not turn or roll without force | Leg or wheel replaced; range moved by two people. |
What you can do yourself
- Set a spirit level on a rack in the cold oven and on a flat pan on the grates, front to back and side to side.
- Note which way it slopes and whether the oven door gap looks uneven, then leave the legs alone.
- Stop there. Anything past this is a job for Viking Repair Issaquah — call (425) 920-9484.
When to call
Call when the range is visibly off level, when the doors sit crooked, or before anyone tries to move the range.
Call (425) 920-9484Asked about the leveling legs and casters
Why does it matter if my Viking range is not level?
Viking's service manual says a range out of level can burn erratically, bake batters at an angle and pull the oven doors and drip tray out of line, because the body has no rigid frame. Level it with the legs or shims. Viking Repair Issaquah sets it correctly; call (425) 920-9484.
Can I roll my Viking range out to clean behind it?
It is best not to. Whether yours has wheels depends on the model, the range is heavy, and it sits on a gas connection and an anti-tip bracket. Dragging it can damage the floor, the legs or the connection, so leave the move to a technician. Viking Repair Issaquah can help on a visit; call (425) 920-9484.
My floor slopes. Can the legs make up for it?
Only up to a point. Viking's service manual says a sloping or uneven floor may need metal shims, because the adjustment can run past the thread available in the legs. Viking Repair Issaquah checks the level and shims where the legs run out; call (425) 920-9484.
