I'm sorry to say that I'm back with another update on my oven floor with the faulty rivets. The issue with the cavity strip at the back of the oven no longer being attached to the oven walls (because the rivets disintegrated) is still outstanding. BS did send me a new cavity strip (2 of them actually), a bunch of rivet sets (there's a casing and then a screw that goes inside) and a rivet gun. I could not, for the life of me, figure out how to get the rivet gun positioned so that the rivets (the casings) could go through the cavity strip and into the oven wall).

A couple emails back to BS service and they explained that the rivets actually go in the oven wall, not the cavity strip, then you line the cavity strip up, insert the screws the holes in the cavity strip and into the rivet casings in the wall. Ok, fair enough but I'm not sure how I was supposed to figure that out without any instructions. So after receiving those instructions I pulled my oven apart again and tried to do as instructed--but the rivets they sent me are too big for the holes in the oven wall! Grr.

I sent a polite but direct email to BS explaining this again, and received a note tell me (again) that the rivets go in the oven wall, not the cavity strip. I responded back to say yes, I now realize that, but the rivets are too big for the holes in the wall. Honestly, this has gone on for months and I have tried to be a really good sport about it, but I don't know how many people who've spent thousands on an oven 4 years ago would be keen to pull it apart and try to enact their own repairs like this multiple times.

The last message I received from BS said "You may need to have a servicer go out and help with this. Unfortunately we do not provide tech support or troubleshooting available for lability purposes." Having read the threads on this post, and the number of BS techs that have been sent out to customers, I call BS (and it doesn't stand for BlueStar this time) on this. So frustrating.

Jennifer,

Do you think that the screws that they sent you will fit securely in the mounted rivet casings? If so, how about reaming out the oven wall holes a little bit so that the rivets can be inserted properly?

Thank you all for posting your BlueStar experiences. We are about to begin building a new home and was looking at something other than Thermador which we had in our last two homes. Think I will be sticking with them!

daobrien -- Have you read the comments on the Thermador thread? They are far worse than the comments on this thread. If you don't want Bluestar, then consider Wolf/SubZero.

Not yet. Our first was a wall oven that Thermador replaced a fan after 3 complaints. The last was a range we had for 3 years with no issues - except the loud fan was irritating. Their bundle pricing is hard to resist. At that time we were advised against either Viking or Wolf—can never remember which.

daobrien -- That would have been Viking. As far as I know, the only issue Wolf has is with the M oven with the blue enamel which has been chipping off for years. Now I've never had any issues with my Bluestar wall oven (2017 purchase. I really like that you can put a full size baking sheet in it, the broiler is just one step down from a real salamander, and the baking stone with temperature probe means that when the preheating is done the stone is at the right temperature--rather than having to guess if the stone is hot enough). The Wolf Induction cooktop has been fine too. Next up is a SubZero fridge.

i love love my Gaggeanu electric wall ovens had them in my old house for like 10 Years never an issue Put them in new house for past 7 years never a problem. I don’t know what kind of rangetop is good any more but I know I wanted open burners with pull out tray underneath for easy cleaning And get the largest burners you can find, you can turn them down but burners that are like 10k btu I find useles. also depends on if you are running gas, LP or electric or even induction I don’t think that any one manufacturer makes a stove that rocks in all those areas. If you have open floor plan consider appliance that are quiet. I’ve seen wall ovens that make more noise than my car.

Jennifer you are an amazingly tolerate person . You should call or write the CEO and tell them that you want a tech to fix that oven at no expense to you. I can only imagine you paid a good amount of money for that product and to be treated that way is unbelievable. Made in America...

We remodeled our kitchen three years ago and bought all BS appliances: built in fridge, 36” free standing range and oven, hood. Last month the fridge had a total failure of the sealed system, basically it would no longer refrigerate. Luckily this ~$6k dollar repair (yes you read that right) was covered by the five year warrant. But I’m still trying to get my $85 inspection fee reimbursed and having zero respinse back from Lindsey at BS. Then about a week ago we realized that the oven was no longer heating properly. Had to get a new igniter installed. Another $480, though after watching some YT videos if that happens again we will replace ourselves. I’m quite surprised and disappointed that something this expensive and of noted quality would have so many issues. Our previous kitchen appliances, all Sears products, lasted for 12+ years and would have kept going except for the remodel.

Has anyone had an issue with their BS Wall Oven screen pixelating and becoming unreadable, therefore inoperable? We have had the oven since 2017, then in 2019 the problem began, we replaced the screen once with our money, and the two replacements after that BS provided, but now it is broken again and they are not offering to replace or fix. Incredibly frustrating.

labod -- Hasn't happened to me--my oven is 2017 too, and used multiple times a week.

I have BS French Door double wall oven - on my 2nd new oven in less than 6 months. BS customer service is "still looking for someone to fix". Thought the 1st oven was a lemon so they delivered 2nd oven only to have the same issue pop up - can't use both ovens simultneously, digital panel rolls then shuts oven off. soooo very frustrating on such an expensive product.

We have double Bluestar ovens. The panel began pixelating, then making strange noises, this went on for months. One night, I woke up to the smell of smoke and found the oven had gone into self clean mode with scraps from dinner in the base. Turns out the motherboard went bad and had to be replaced - our appliance repairman told us this is a known issue!! Thank God I’d woken up or we would have had a kitchen fire in our new home.

This amongst a host of other problems, the rubber lining in one oven sags, even after having the entire door replaced (sagged on first door as well). Door replacement due to the hinges failing and the hot oven door fell off in my hand (again, thank God this was me and not one of my children, who would’ve surely dropped the hot door!). The replacement door came with the wrong custom colors.

Our convection fan on the lower oven just went out today and BS customer service says we’re out fo warrant and must pay out of pocket, we’ve used these ovens for 2 years - they consistently have failed on both mechanical and technical fronts.

BlueStar not only makes a subpar product, they make a product with serious safety concerns and will not adequately address these issue for customers.

Agree with the last poster, unfortunately. I have a Bluestar drop-in gas cooktop. It took 2 years, innumerable service calls and part replacements, finally a full replacement and then several additional service calls and part replacements to get it working correctly. Until I got the attention of someone senior there they kept sending the the same defective parts over and over again. I love cooking on it, but would not have bought it had I known what was in store for me. Not to mention the fact that the senior customer service person, before authorizing the full replacement, asked "if I would ever be satisfied with anything." Yes, with a cooktop that works and doesn't sit cockeyed on my countertop.

I have an 8 burner RNB that I would not buy again. It started when it arrived missing parts. At least 3 burners did not have a second screw on the venturi and had to be completed in the field. They were just dropped off not assembled. After 3 years I just did a deep cleaning and found one more that was incomplete and missing hardware. I got an extended warranty from them and they did cover 1 yr after expiration but let me know there would no more coverage after this. I guess I should have checked everything more closely. Also, like others, I had to replace the igniter on the small oven. Did the non-oem route. I will say the oven are meh with uneven heat and now a loud convection fan. I do like the cooktop and the materials are good but performance and build quality is subpar for such an expensive product. I guess if you like colors and not cooking, its a nice unit. If you expect the build quality, long lasting and good ovens, there are better ones out there.

I have a 6 year old 36" range. The oven igniter is failing for the 2nd time. I contacted the manufacturer and they told me that replacing this every year or so ($300) is normal. Sorry... it's not. While I love the range, it's complete junk. Considering legal action for fitness of merchantability.

Buy the after market part and replace it yourself. Should cost about $30-$50. It's an industry standard consumable service item. You'll find it in many different types of gas appliances. And the nature of the part means that you could have one that lasts 6 months when the next one from the same assembly line lasts 10 years. It's a bit luck of the draw. In many ways it's just like an incandescent bulb. Those also always had wildly unpredictable lifespans. And the technology is actually very similar. So, no surprise

I just had a 36 RNB rang top installed. I was sooo excited having waited during this ungodly remodel. Unfortunately it arrived with 4 round "grates" and nothing else. The gas is working but i can't cook. rather than work thru my Ferguson person I called BS direct. They apologized and UPS the parts to me . I will receive them on Wed and be able to fire up and actually cook.

It was disappointing but my Ovens (not BS) are also missing parts. Seems to be the way things are these days.

My simmer burner doesn't seem to want to light fully. Any ideas from you experienced BS owners. I'm on natural gas. . Where the igniter sits, it lights but then struggles to light the rest of the burner and I smell gas..

Inga

My first guess would be that you need to adjust the shutters. The installer should do that for you, but not all of them are going through the list of adjustments

Also make sure that the burner sits level (relative to earth gravity). Natural gas is lighter than air so will tend to exit burner holes that are higher than the others. This is especially important for the simmer burner since the gas flow is low. My simmer burner lights first at the spark and then the flame propagates from hole to hole, in a circle, until they are all lit.

M and John

Thanks. Will check levelness. Installer is coming back to install fridge will bring it

to his attention. The Crumb tray (not sure what its called) doesn't pull out all the way.

I would think it should? I have that on my list for the installer as well.

Thanks

Inga

I would not adjust the air shutter (unless the tech wants to). I think that's something that ought to be easy to have gotten right at the factory. Our simmer burner is in back, and with the low gas flow it typically takes a little bit to light. You can gently tweak the position of the igniter to get the arc more on the holes if it's going off to the side.

When the original igniters failed, I replaced them with a different style that has a pie-shaped electrode instead of a single wire. That covers the lowest hole on the simmer burner, so it tends to light pretty reliably.

You might also check with a toothpick, skewer, paper clip or similar to make sure that the holes in the burner by the igniter go all the way through to the common space below. And that there isn't junk in there for whatever reason. That would cause problems.

I also just checked ours, and for the simmer burner it takes a second for the flame to propagate from the holes near the igniter around the burner. So, maybe a tiny gas smell is normal. For the big burners, I typ turn well past high to light them b/c there's so much gas coming out and I don't want it to light dramatically (kawhoomp!). That might also work for the simmer burner- a little lower flow lets less gas out before it gets a chance to light.

For what they charge, Bluestar should not arrive where you are missing parts or need to assemble you product yourself. They don't become any easier to deal with after the sale either. They acted like they were doing me a favor sending a screw that was missing from their manufacturing process. Be prepared to replace the igniters when they fail. You will find the schematic behind the panel but using the Robert Shaw igniter will save you vs OEM and it is fairly easy to do yourself. There are some youtube videos but either way, you are on your own or will need to pay $$$ for the BS recommended parts and service people. Really sad.

The crumb tray drawer is not suppose to pull out all the way. Pull it out and you can remove each individual tray.

thanks all for the info.

The flame color is correct no orange or red. Which would indicate shutters air to gas setting

is correct.

They were vary apologetic and sent the parts out the same day. PA is a long way from the SW

UPS shipment will arrive on Wed.

I'm sorry to say, everything I've received from other manufacturers is

missing something. So it's not just BS.

I will look up the robert shaw ignitors thanks for that.

I find it odd that these igniters burn out so quickly. I had a Russel Range with six 15K burners.

In 20 years of use I never had to replace an igniter. Are they just not made the way they used to be?

vinmarks

Not sure what you mean by "pull it our and you can remove each individual" tray. Right now the

the burners are there and nothing else. The crumb tray just comes out about half way. I'd like to line it with foil.

Forgot to add that all the burners are level.

Inga

Inga,

I think the Robert Shaw ignitor reference is for hot surface ignitors. These are used in the ovens of Bluestar ranges. They are not the spark ignitors used for the top burners. Hot surface ignitors glow red hot and eventually burn out just like an incandescent light bulb does. The spark ignitors that you have in your range top burners will last a long time. There were early failure problems with them in previous generations of Bluestar products but, since about 2016, they have been replaced with a corrected version. The old ones had a hollow ceramic top where the spark electrode came out. These would collect hot spilled liquids, causing the ceramic insulator to crack under thermal stress and fail. The currently shipping ones have a solid ceramic top to prevent this problem.

Your slide out tray should have separate, removable stainless steel tray inserts under each column of burners. These can be individually lined with foil and removed for cleaning. Do not try to remove the large slide out tray. I don't think it is designed to be removed and you could break it if you try.

John Thank you

There are stainless panels in my laundry room. I didn't know what they were for. three with a shallow lip. another one deeper for the char broiler I guess.. Are they installed lip up or down.

The stainless is shiny on the lip down side.

I also have the char broiler but honestly, I don't intend to lift that thing in and out. Way to heavy and then finding a place to store it. I'm going to look for a lightweight overlay piece for the few times I want to do pancakes or such and call it a day.

It would be nice if there were directions for these things. My ovens didn't come with directions

either. Spent one evening printing out manuals.

I appreciate your help.

Inga

Inga,

Lip up for catching stuff from above. Lip down (or up, if you prefer) if used as a separator between the other trays. For example, I have a 30" Bluestar range which has four burners. Between the burners is a 5.5" wide cast iron separator that provides a continuous cooking surface. In the slide out crumb tray, there is a 5.5" wide removable tray to match that space between the burners. Its only purpose is to keep the other trays in place. I have that one lip side down since there are no open burners above it.

BTW, my 2016 range came with printed manuals and some spare spark igniters.

No one seems to give you manuals for Anything. With what appliances costs these days you'd think they can throw in a manual. Again thanks for your help. there used to be a place you could click on to say thank you. gone missing along with manuals:))

I’ve been cooking in my BlueStar for several years now. Pros and cons…
Pro: LOVE the burners. Highly efficient, versatile. Different burners (BTU) for different needs.
Cons:

1. Cleaning the cooktop is a pain!!!! Disassemble all pieces, soak and scrub. No easy way around it!
2. Not a fan of the broiler. Only broils in right side. Constantly taking things in and out of oven to get things broiled. I’d give it a ‘D’ for this aspect.
3. Oven/baking. I’ve replaced the starter 3 times in 3 years. It’s expensive. Not sure if I’ll have a Lemon or not. I am not a commercial baker and probably use the oven 3-4/week. I’d give it a ‘D’.
   Overall, give this brand some serious through before purchase. Major kitchen remodel coming up, not sure I’ll go w BlueStar next time around.

You are seriously overthinking the cleaning of the burners. Once they are properly seasoned, you usually just need to quickly wipe them off with a damp towel. This is by far the easiest-to-clean gas range that I have ever seen. And if you want to give it a deep clean, stick all the cast iron parts into the dishwasher. When they come out, lightly spray with some oil, and stick them into the oven at high heat for an hour or more.

Takes some time, so that's why we don't usually do this. But they'll pretty much look like new afterwards. And the initial seasoning that you applied in the oven will help them look nice for a long time.

The broiler only heating on one side sounds like a defect. Ours is very even in how it heats. In fact, the broiler is one of the best things about this oven. We use it constantly to make the best toasts ever. Very good for making tuna melts too. And great for searing meat. If yours doesn't work like that, I would reach out to Bluestar and have them sorts things out.

The oven igniter is a consumable item. It's a little random how long it'll last. Could be as little as one year, could be as long as ten years. It's just the same as with ancient incandescent light bulbs. Nobody can give you a guarantee how long they'll last. But the good thing is that these are industry standard parts. Costs about $30-$40 on Amazon and takes a couple of minutes work with a screwdriver to replace. Try something like https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DM8KVNS or https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ECV2HOA

The last one that we replaced was about 8 years ago, so I think I am about due for a new one. The one on the broiler is starting to act up a little, so I have a spare one in stock, for when it goes out completely.

Stacy - this seems to be your first post and a little more information would be helpful. Which model do you have? What year? Have you called for service?

Maybe I've been lucky but I've had a Platinum for 4 years and a RNB at our vacation home for about 9 months - and so far everything has worked well. DH did adjust the simmer burner but that was easy.

As far as cleaning - I find it relatively simple. I wipe off the top if I splatter something and when it's dirty I lift the parts off the stove, put in the sink, soap and rise, dry and replace. I actually think this is a great design unlike my previous Dacor and GE.

As for the manuals that Inga and John were discussing up thread - my 2017 Blue Star came with a manual, the new one did not. But I called them on the phone and they sent them to me.

I have a 30’Rangetop for about two years now. when it cooks, it cooks brillantly. while I like a nice clean stove I have had to get over that whole clean look. i do throw it all in the dishwasher when I cant stand it anymore. i may try that seasoning suggestion if i ever have an hour to waste. it came with the charbroil and flat grill components. i like the griddle and it cooks nice but the grease drain hole doesnt align to drain on to the pull out try but drains onto the burner. i thought i was missing parts or somethhing but BS said no that was the way it worked. i crafted a work around with aluminum foil. but the griddle is sooo freakn heavy that i rarely dray it out. and then lifting it out to clean it is a huge workout. In short, have a love hate relationship with this thing but trying to come to a preaceful co-existance with ir.

@Maire-Cate. I just bought the 48 inch Nova RNB (coming from a All gas Wolf 8 burner) & now are reading the reviews & I am freaking out. I cook all the time. I LOVED my Wolf & was ready to get a new one, but the salesperson showed me the BlueStar & I loved the open burners, cleaning much easier, etc. But now I am reading comments that their customer service is terrible, several posters commented about gas leaks, and oven doors not being stable & running hot. Attached is a % of Blue Star repairs compared to other companies & their number is double. Do you cook all the time? I am so freaking out. And I also go the refrigerator cuz Sub Zero is a year and 1/2 out.

This is it

Don't worry. You'll be fine. It's a great range.

Just make sure, your installers do a good job. They should run through a full checklist that the range was not damaged in transport, and then verify that all the burners have been adjusted correctly for your altitude (verify both shutters and low set points, check oven temps). There are videos how to do this, but this is not something you should have to do. That's on the installer to adjust if necessary.

Blair - we do cook all the time but our Platinum gets the most use. The RNB is at our vacation home and we haven't had any issues with it.

We have had one for four years we just replaced the igniter a third time ($400). Can’t really use the convection function as the fan is super loud and something rattles internally in the rqnge when fan kicks in. Oven cooks unevenly - rear left corner always burns baking. We had a cheap whirlpool gas range for almost 15 years with only one service repair of the igniter prior to the Blue Star. Stay away from Blue Star. totally not worth it

Just thought I'd add a note on our 36" RNB, which was installed 17 years ago. We aren't heavy oven users, and we had a party at the end of May only to find out the oven wouldn't fire up. Turns out the glow plug igniter had finally given up the ghost. Poor timing (like when the oven thermostat went out at Xmas), but it was a $20 part and 20 min to fix it. Side benefit- my wife had complained lately that the oven took forever to heat up; well, it turns out a new igniter fixed that too. So, we're now on our 2nd oven igniter.

I've been considering replacing the burner igniters again but haven't gotten into that yet. One of the highly-used burners isn't as reliable to fire up without a whoosh unless you're careful. Not that one, but I also recommend turning the Supernova burners well past high when firing up to avoid drama. There's just a lot of gas that comes out quick.

@thull Our Platinum is 5 1/2 years old. No issues except the broiler ignitor going bad in the big oven a few months back. Bought a new part off amazon(2 pack for $40) and was an easy fix. We have one burner that does the whoosh. I read on hear that lowering the spark ignitor helps. Haven't tried it yet.

I replaced our burner igniters and spark modules many years ago. I used an igniter for a Viking that didn't have the open top like the single wire ones from BS (ours had gotten drips in them and rusted from inside).

There's a thread I did on the process: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/2334226/replacing-bluestar-igniters-and-spark-module-36-inch-rnb

This style burner igniter: https://www.amazon.com/PA020028-Burner-Ignitor-compatible-Viking/dp/B087W2JHV4

FYI, the BS burner igniters were redesigned several years ago to not have that open top that was causing failures.

We've had our Bluestar Platinum for 6 years and our RNB for 3 - we've haven't had any igniter issues at all.

I'm curious what the new ones look like- the only photos that seem to pop up look like the old single-wire version that I replaced. Haven't used any of the recent ones I bought yet, but they were $40 for 6 vs $20 each (best I can tell for OEM ones). I also have already put crimp spade connectors on the wires to mate up with the ones I replaced the original with. That should make replacing again not a big deal- except for the state of the threaded holes in the bottom of the burners (TBD).

I like the pie-shaped top to the igniter b/c I think it's a little more forgiving for placement than the single wire. Our most used burner has become a little twitchy to light, but I think that's expected with 12 years or so of runtime- need to take it apart and probably just replace the igniter.

[edit- in case it doesn't jump out, stove was purchased/installed in 2006]

Here is a photo of the newer version. It has a flat top instead of a hollow center, so spilled liquids don't collect and cause fractures in the ceramic.

Note that I have lowered it to spark in the bottom burner hole (for propane, which is heavier than air)

.

@John This is the spark igniter I have on my Platinum. I have propane and have yet to attempt to lower mine on 2 of my burners that have issues when lighting(highest power burner and simmer burner)

Lowering the igniters for propane completely fixed the problem for me.

I used an oversized nut (with longer SS machine screw) as a spacer between the igniter mounting bracket and the bottom of the burner:

@John Thanks. I'll give it a try.

I strongly advise against purchasing a Bluestar Cooking Range. If you're serious about cooking, you're likely to be disappointed. We've found ourselves having to rotate food while baking to avoid overcooking on one side, and shuffle around the burners for the same reason. Our range is only four years old, yet it's been nothing but problematic. These ranges aren't suited for people who really cook; they seem like cheap imitations of Viking models. Do yourself a favor and invest a bit more in a reliable range.

@BLAIR just saw your comments on your Bluestar appliance we were looking at purchasing some for our home do you have any updates on the reliabilty of your range and refrigerator thanks