GGN36

What we most often repair on units like this

1. At a gas smell, close the supply first, then examine the igniter and burner ports, because open burners like these catch more boil-over debris than sealed ones
2. As the burners are not sealed to the top, spilled food can work into the burner base, and a burner with unreliable lighting frequently calls for cleaning of the base and the igniter
3. If a Cook'n'Vent (GGNCV) unit pulls less air, a dirty filter is the usual cause, not a dead blower

Before Thermador moved to sealed burners, the Traditional Series offered open ones, and the GGN36 belongs to that earlier generation. Its burners range from about 950 to 6,500 BTU/HR, noticeably gentler than the sealed SGN and SGS burners, and they light electronically rather than from a standing pilot. A downdraft version, the GGNCV36, was also available.

Open burners leave a path from the top into the burner base, and over the years food finds it. A burner that lights poorly or burns unevenly is much more likely to need the base and the igniter cleaned out than to need a valve or regulator, so we begin by lifting the burner and looking underneath.

If the cooktop has the Cook’n’Vent option and the downdraft seems weak, the filter is the place to look before anything mechanical is condemned.

Key features

• Open-burner gas cooktop, 36 inches wide, from the Traditional Series, without sealed burners
• Burner output runs from about 950 to 6,500 BTU/HR, lower than what sealed SGN and SGS burners deliver
• Ignition is by electronic spark
• Cook'n'Vent downdraft ventilation was optional (the GGNCV36)
• Optional Griddle'n Grill accessory