Series 04
A Mile Up
What five thousand feet of elevation does to a burner, an oven and a door gasket — and what to ask a dealer before you order.
Denver sits about a mile above sea level, and every gas appliance in the city is running in air that has less oxygen in it than the one it was designed and tested in. Manufacturers deal with that by publishing altitude settings and conversion parts. Installers deal with it by fitting them, or by not.
These pages are about the difference. They cover what to ask when a range is specified, what a burner can and cannot be expected to do up here, and the quieter altitude effects — a boiling point well below 212°F, and air dry enough to age a door gasket faster than use does.
8 issues in this series
- Burner Output at Altitude: What to Tell a Client Before They Choose What a client should expect from a burner at this elevation, said early. Viking Appliance Repair Denver — call (720) 770-4189. Defines: Input derating
- Ordering a Viking Range for Denver: The Altitude Questions to Ask the Dealer Four questions to put to the dealer before a pro range is ordered here. Viking Appliance Repair Denver — call (720) 770-4189. Defines: High-altitude kit
- Water Boils Near 202°F Here: Setting Simmer and Boil Expectations Water boils below 212°F here, and it changes what a burner looks like it does. Viking Appliance Repair Denver — call (720) 770-4189. Defines: Boiling point
- Will the Gas Meter Carry a Pro Range, a Furnace and a Water Heater? Adding a pro range asks a question of the meter, not just of the pipe. Viking Appliance Repair Denver — call (720) 770-4189. Defines: Meter capacity
- Colorado Dry Air and What It Does to Door Gaskets Dry air ages a door gasket faster than use does. What to look for. Viking Appliance Repair Denver — call (720) 770-4189. Defines: Door gasket
- Closed Winter Houses and Combustion Air A tight house in January and a pro range asking for air is a real conflict. Viking Appliance Repair Denver — call (720) 770-4189. Defines: Combustion air
- Is It the Oven or Is It the Mile? A Viking Range Diagnostic Checklist for 5,280 Feet Denver sits at 5,280 feet, where atmospheric pressure runs about 12.3 psi against 14.7 at sea level, so a Viking range gets triaged against altitude before any part is quoted: boil point, evaporation and leavening are the mile, not the machine. Defines: Altitude derating
- Viking Burners Burning Yellow in Denver? Start With the Orifices Lazy yellow flames and sooted pans on a Viking range at Denver's elevation are usually an air-to-gas mixture problem, not a failing burner. How to read the flame, check whether the high-altitude orifices were ever fitted, and rule out the other three causes. Defines: Burner orifice
Spec check
Confirm each of these before anything is cut, ordered or delivered.
- The site elevation for the address, not "Denver"
- What the manufacturer publishes for that model at that elevation
- Whether the high-altitude parts were fitted at installation, and whether anyone recorded it
- Which fuel the property runs, since the foothills are not all on natural gas
Questions on site? Viking Appliance Repair Denver, (720) 770-4189.
The other series are on the shelf.
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