PC486GL

What we most often repair on units like this

1. A gas smell, or a burner or grill that keeps blowing out, means closing the supply first, then checking that the reignition igniters are clean and sparking
2. When the grill refuses to light or cooks unevenly, suspect a ceramic igniter caked with residue or flame ports along the grill burner tube that need clearing on both sides
3. During an outage the non-ExtraLow burners can be lit with a match, and one that still drops out probably has a gas supply or valve problem

Before sealed Star Burners arrived, Thermador’s Professional Series used open burners, and the PC486GL is a 48-inch example with six of them and a grill module. On HI the standard burners put out 15,000 BTU/HR and on LO 2,100, and the grill adds its own ceramic igniter and a lift-out grate. Griddle and wok versions existed in the same PC family.

Everything here is mechanical. No control board and no touch interface exist anywhere on the cooktop, so repair work is about igniter cleanliness, flame height and color, and the automatic system that sparks again whenever a burner or the grill loses its flame.

The grill gets particular attention. A ceramic igniter coated with grease, or a burner tube with clogged ports, explains most grills that will not light or cook unevenly, and cleaning both sides of the ports is part of our routine on it.

Key features

• Professional Series gas cooktop with six open burners and a grill, 48 inches wide
• On the standard burners, HI gives 15,000 BTU/HR and LO gives 2,100 BTU/HR
• A grill module is built in, with its own ceramic igniter and a grate that lifts out
• Automatic reignition for a burner or grill that blows out
• Forerunner of Thermador's later sealed-burner PCG rangetops