Hi, I thought I'd post another update. I called Bluestar about the recall, but my range wasn't part of the recall. I did have a repairman come out to look at the other issues. As far as the right rear burner not lighting, he said they'd have to take the entire oven apart to get at the ignitor, and they would probably have to pretty much replace most of the parts and it would be very expensive. So I guess we will continue to light that burner with a match when we need to use it.

As far as the broiler throwing flames out the door, he said it was most likely clogged from not being used enough to burn off the oven crud. He suggested that we light it and let it fully heat up and then shut it off and do it again about 10 times to see if we can burn off the crud and he feels like that would fix the issue. Otherwise they might need to replace the broiler as well, and I doubt I'm going to want to pay for that.

Finally the oven itself. Turns out that I have a "weak ignitor" which wasn't getting hot enough to trigger the gas flow. That's why it was taking 90 minutes some times for the oven to light. I guess it would get hot enough if left on long enough, but then when the oven was cycling on and off, it wouldn't be able to keep a set temperature because the gas wouldn't light. Also, he found that the flat piece on the bottom of my oven, the rivets and come apart and the two pieces were now separated. So I need a new ignitor and a new oven bottom.

We didn't even get into the two big spots on the oven door where the red paint has bubbled and fallen off. OR the fact that all the burner grates are covered with rust spots.

I'm sorry, but for what I paid for this oven, and yes, relatively speaking it's not as pricey as other "professional" ovens, I stand by what I said before. Buyer Beware. It looks pretty, and it cooks well, but durability-wise, it SUCKS. Never again.

One final update. I called BigChill regarding the issues with the range. Turns out that the grates have a 10 year warranty and so they are sending me replacements for the rusted ones. That's the good. The bad is that the door only has a 1 year warranty against paint defects so they won't replace that. They are sending me a 'paint pen", and I guess I'm going to have to touch up the paint and hope it is less noticeable.

I would have thought that something like the paint would have more than a 1 year warranty. After all, I guess 90% of people buy this particular oven for looks and so the paint quality is important. It's a lot of money to spend for it to look like crap after only 3 years. I appreciate that BigChill service did try to get it fixed. Ultimately, it's Blue Star that won't stand behind it, and that's a shame.

So right now, we are waiting for the service place to order the parts and then come back to replace them. I hope that will fix the oven issue, because I'm already tired of dealing with this.

Mwkbear Did you attempt to contract John Ditizio at Blue Star, if he’s still there?

Will you have to pay for the parts and repair? I don’t think you should have to.

Let us know how it goes,

Kuniewski Please give us an update as to how this has unfolded. So sorry.....

Bluesky: I did speak to someone at Blue Star originally, when I thought the range might have been recalled. I asked about the paint issue and was told it was out of warranty and there was nothing they could do, but the grates have a 10-year warranty so those might be replaceable. I called Big Chill and sent them photos and as I mentioned, they are just replacing the grates. I am paying for the oven repairs since that is all out of warranty as well. They aren't charging me for the paint pen. I have no idea if that's going to work or not, but I guess we will see. I did ask Big Chill to get me an estimate on replacing the bottom "kick plate" which has the giant chip missing and it's visible from the front. I don't know yet how much that's going to cost, but if it's reasonable I guess I'll be stuck doing that. Although, now that I'm typing this, I'm wondering if that paint will match up with the door paint exactly? I bet it wouldn't. In which case I'm probably better off leaving it be.

Another update. Oven is still not fixed. Seems that Blue Star is "manufacturing" the oven bottom part and they don't have one available yet. So we've been without use of the oven since the middle of December and no end in sight. I just asked the repair place if they can just replace the ignitor, but they said the deformed oven bottom is probably why the ignitor failed in the first place, due to the heat from the burner being deflected too close to the ignitor and frying it. Also, the oven floor won't radiate the heat properly in the oven, and things won't cook properly. Sigh.

OH, and I did get the new grates for the burners, thanks to Big Chill. But that's been a pain in the butt too. First, they sent the four burner grates, but didn't send the two center pieces. Then, they sent the two center pieces, but they have a shiny gloss black finish, while the burner grates all have a dull, pebbly matte finish on them. So we are on round 3 of that, now.

I got the grates from John Ditizio at BlueStar. Have you inquired if John Ditizio is still with Blue Star? He’s the best person for getting results. Keep us posted!

Hi.

So I haven't been dealing with Blue Star I've been dealing with Big Chill customer service because it's technically their range. Anyway, here's the latest:

So first the grates: They sent out new center grates in matte finish to match the others. But, after confirming that I needed TWO new ones, the package arrived last night with only ONE FREAKING GRATE IN IT!!! So now, I have to go back for round FOUR of this stupid exercise.

Second: The oven floor part finally arrived at the servicer and they came to fix the oven this morning. Blue Star SENT THE WRONG FREAKING OVEN FLOOR PART!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So now, they have to go back and Re-order it. Also, while I was cleaning/wiping down the oven in anticipation of his arrival this morning, another piece of the red paint on the front of the door, by the bottom of the oven window, came off on the paper towel. So now there' s a big chip right on the front, that they won't do anything about, except send me a paint pen to touch it up.

DO NOT EVER buy anything from Blue Star appliances, and stay away from any Big Chill appliance made by Blue Star. Their products don't hold up and their customer service is HORRID. I will never, EVER buy another thing from Blue Star, EVER.

Did you check if John Ditizio is still at Blue Star? Big Chill is, as you already know, beyond horrible to attempt to work with. After many false starts, promises, and unprofessional lack of response, John Ditizio did everything to make our situation right. Please try this!

So a final update to the oven saga. Finally got the thing fixed today and it's working again. Service and parts cost $650. I almost wanted to just go to Home Depot and buy a new range for that price, but decided to pay up in the end. But wow, I can't believe how ridiculously expensive it was for a replacement that literally took him 10 minutes to do. Anyway, it's working for now.

mwkbear I'm glad to hear your issues have been resolved. Meanwhile at my house I have been without a range since the beginning of September while our local gas safety authority investigates it. Sure is hard to cook a turkey for Christmas when it's wrapped up like this. I would NEVER recommend a Bluestar appliance.

kuniewski: If your range was recalled, doesn't the local servicer just come to fix it per the recall? It needs to be inspected too? What's taking so long? I agree with you though, I'd never buy anything from Bluestar again. Then again, when I was renovating my kitchen, I thought about getting rid of the gas stove and going with an Induction range, because I hate the gas. But it would have added a few thousand dollars to the cost and all my friends said I was "crazy" for giving up gas cooking, so I just decided not to.

Just an update on my question last year about the Hallman range. We ordered an Ilve from Hallman last August. They sent the wrong one, but made it right and we are thrilled. It’s not just a pretty face! It is a pleasure to use and works great. 30” dual fuel

New update: the burners don't light with the solenoid any more, you need to use a match. Last week, went to use the stove and it exploded. Turned off the burner and called service. He came today and said basically it's not worth repairing, even if they could find the parts. They would need to year the entire thing apart and it would cost almost as much as a new stove. He suggested we buy a bertazonni to replace it, or a "real" Blue Star stove. So I've called blue star to complain and I'm going to see what they will do about it, if anything. So, that's that with this piece of junk.

Oh man, I am glad that you weren’t injured.

Have you attempted to contact Big Chill? They should reimburse.

Hi, another update in the stove saga. @Blue Sky no, I haven't been dealing with Big Chill. After the last few episodes, they told me that I needed to call Blue Star directly, which I have. In fairness to Blue Star and their customer service department, they have agreed to fix the stove and cover all parts and labor costs. That includes the blown out burner bowls and the ignitors on the burners and the broiler that shoots flames out of the door when you open the door while it's running. Now, If only they'd replace the oven door with the paint bubbling off of the bottom of it. But, at least they are doing SOMETHING, so I will mention it here in counterpoint to all my whining about it so far :)

Corporate America needs a big push to do what they should be doing in the first place to stand behind their products. I hope this is the end of your BS dangerous story. Your post is encouraging me to contact BC about our burners that are no longer automatically igniting. Not the quality we all expected. Poor customer experience. Keep us posted on how it goes.

Mark Kasindorf, what year was your original BC ? I have one purchased in 2014 and have had multiple issues. Mainly the oven not holding the temp. They’ve replaced the igniter 2x, the thermostat also 2x the first 2 years. Now I’m having the same issues again. It’s going to cost me 1,080+ to get fixed again! Plus this past issue got so hot the oven melted the sides of my kitchen cabinets.

Hi Karen. My original stove was also a 2014 model. I wonder if it was an issue with the ones made that year? My original one was a giant lemon nightmare. I don't know if you are in the Northeast, but if you are, you might want to contact Doug Storms at Blue Star. He's the Field Service manager there. I don't know if he just covers the Northeast or if he's the whole country, but start there. dstorms@bluestarcooking.com It wasn't until I was put in touch with him, that I was finally able to get my issues resolved.

Thanks! I’ll try him even though I’m in Colorado. I’ve heard rumors of a guy in Boulder who’s a Blue Star rep that’s supposed to be good as well. I’ve contacted BS directly by email (with previous emails attached from all the prior issues) and phone but so far no response. I didn’t even attempt to contact Big Chill as in the past, they said to directly go through BS. It’s a shame we’ve all dealt with poor service and possibly “lemons”.

@Karen Dorsett you need to be "careful" contacting Blue Star directly. I had originally started out calling their service department.and I was dealing with a woman there, Alison. She turned out to be useless. She told me that BS was going to send out parts to fix my exploded stove, rather than give me a new one. THEN, the parts she sent out were cosmetic ones, like the burner covers. I went back and forth between my service provider and BS for over a month. Alison would tell me she's sent out "all the parts needed" and then the service provider would call me and tell me that she didn't send ANY of the parts needed. Then, Alison suddenly stopped responding to any of my phone calls and emails. That's when I went to the Blue Star Facebook page and put a scathing message there, about my stove blowing up in my face and nobody at Blue Star seeming to give a damn about it. Suddenly, after THAT, Doug contacted me. Like I said, now they made good on it so I want to be clear about that. But, really, I had to fight for it. You might want to try the Social Media route, as well. Good Luck.

Mark, good news! Dough from Blue Star is going to have my stove repaired and all parts replaced at their expense! He was very nice and helpful. Thanks a ton for passing his name along to me!

Finally in early 2020, I got rid of the Big Chill Pro range I purchased for $3 in 2016. I had 3 service calls to fix the oven, that would not hold the set temperature; I fact, it always went down to 300 degrees. Cooked my turkey in the BBQ that year. All it was good for was the range. Waste of money.

I, too, am having temperature issues with my 30” Pro Range. It is 2 years old but I rarely use it because I also have an outdoor kitchen. I had a Wolf Range before the Big Chill and a Viking before the Wolf. I am SO DISAPPOINTED I didn’t stick with one of those brands😡

Big Chill update, 6 years later. The stove was received at the end of 2014. Unable to use it until end of May 2015 because the oven door was not aligned and didn’t close. They did send a new oven door but the technicians that came to do the work were unable to get the door aligned. Finally someone from Blue Star came to our location to fix the oven door himself. A few years ago the burner igniters stopped working. I contacted Big Chill earlier this year. We weren’t here in the early part of covid, so just last month Big Chill arranged for someone to come to replace the burner igniters. Turns out that only one of the correct igniters was sent. It didn’t matter because the technician was unable to remove the screws that must come out to replace the igniters. My husband asked him to check the oven, which had never been done before despite all of the issues with the oven door. The technician discovered that the flame distributor was detached with the rivets broken off. We were directed not to use the oven with a risk of carbon monoxide leaking. This is the reason that oven cooking had been uneven. We have no way of knowing how long this had been this way, with this danger present.

I have been advised by Duwayne, in the Blue Star service department, that Big Chill has changed manufacturer for both the screws and the rivets because they did not hold up as they should have. The old rivets expand and contract with the high heat of the oven, ultimately causing them to fall apart.

We learned from the technician who came to replace the burner igniters that Big Chill is proposing to rebuild the entire stovetop and we have already received the parts for the oven.

Concerned about rebuilding a stove that should just be replaced given it’s history.

What are your thoughts on this? Look forward to hearing from you!

mwkbear. Hello! I would love to have an update on your Big Chill situation. Hoping to hear from you!

@bluesky88: Hi. Yes, so it's been almost exactly a year since our new stove was installed. So far, it's been working flawlessly, thank goodness. The paint isn't peeling, the broiler doesn't explode and throw the door open when it lights, all the igniters are working, none of the burners have exploded, and the oven lights and heats up to proper temperatures. Although I'm happy that Blue Star/Big Chill made good on the other lemon I had, I'm still not sure I'd buy another stove from them.

Well I've just read this entire thread/saga because misery loves company. I've got a Big Chill Pro purchased in 2016 that has the oven problem that everyone is talking about, not heating fully, not keeping temp. I replaced the igniter and the thermostat and they made no difference. Should I be calling Blue Star looking for guidance? I'm not inclined to pay a service person $$$ to not fix it. Any idea would be helpful.

Look for Maxitrol Safety Gas Valve AV24N07M dual outlet gas valve. It's about $30 on ebay. This valve gets a small amount of electricity from the thermostat and, in turn, supplies gas to the oven pilot light and the main oven burner. Best of luck, -Cliff

Thanks Cliff. Is that valve appropriate for my oven ( BCCS30, Big Chill Classic 30”) ?

Hi again Kraig -- I don't know. I have the "old" Big Chill stove, model RPB304. One day, the oven became intermittent; testing showed me that the problem was in that gas valve. If I recall correctly, the valve is located at the back of the stove; I had to move the stove away from the wall. (All this happened about 5 years ago, so my memory is fuzzy).

My valve is at the back left. Is the valve you mention above an exact replacement on yours or something different? If I’m replacing the valve I don’t want to put another of the same in and have it crap out in another year.

Follow up - I got the Invesys Dual Thermovalve from BlueStar. i explained to customer service the igniter and thermostat had been replaced and they said this is next step. They gave me 20% off and free shipping. I asked if this was a new improved part and the said no, same part.

install was simple but unfortunately no luck. We still don’t get accurate temperature. I have to got 100-200 degrees above desired temp to get what I want. Baking is a terror. You can’t leave the oven alone, it always require babysitting the temperature. The oven could never get to 500 degrees. Any ideas what to do next?

All I can tell you with our oven, is that when it was brand new and I put a thermometer in it to test it it looked like it was exactly 50° below the set temperature so we called for service. The service man used a digital probe and insisted that the oven was bang on correct. We subsequently discovered that you need to leave those dial thermometers in the oven for at least two or three rounds of heating and cycling of the oven before they read an accurate temperature that's how they're designed to work. Also we just figured out that the thermostat is actually accurate but the dial on the front needs to be set a little higher than we thought. For example, if we want 350 degrees we turn the dial very slowly up to and a little past 350 until we hear a tiny little click before the oven lights and that seems to work. ow are you currently determining that your oven is not the right temperature?

I have this analog thermometer in the oven: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07B52PM39/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 . It's brand new new and rated highly. I have it n the front of the oven, maybe I should try putting it in back where probe is. I find this very frustrating. You can get $500 gas ovens that go forever and my $5000 version feels like a lemon. There aren't any fancy oven electronics on this thing, very basic with convection fan and light. It shouldn't be so hard. I have to wonder if the igniter is losing voltage prematurely and turning off before reaching temp.

Put the thermometer in the middle of the oven, the rack one higher than the middle row. Let it stay in the oven at least through two on/off oven cycles before you check it. Also, as I said, we figured out that we weren't turning the knob quite right. For 350, we were putting the indicator right on the line, when actually it needed to be, maybe 1mm PAST 350. For 375, it needs to be almost right on 400, etc. Oh, and one other fairly foolproof trick, is to try the sugar test. Use Sugar to test Oven Temp Make sure to wait until the oven has cycled on and off at least twice. Where the sugar is perfectly melted, the temp is right at 400. If your oven is REALLY running 100 degrees off, this will tell you instantly.

Mark - Thanks for this. I'll try your suggestions and let you know what happens.

My oven is working well now. After replacing igniter from local parts distributor and then buying the thermostat from BlueStar and then buying the dual thermovalve from them and still getting temps ranging widely wrong, I called and asked what next. We were given the number for dealer support and spoke to someone that said the fix will be the electronic thermostat conversion. My oven was right on the cusp of when they changed to the electronic. It was given to me at no charge. The kit came with detailed instructions and a link to a video online to watch which was helpful. It was very straightforward since I had already replaced one thermostat. The electronic one installed about the same and the wiring was simple. They supplied the correct faceplate and handle with the thermostat.

The result of all this is near dead on temps it a few tests and a few cooks. Time will tell but for now it is working as I had always hoped it would.

Kraig Kluba, how or who did you talk with to get the new thermostat conversion kit? I have a 2014 36" Retro that once again is not getting to or holding temps! I've had the internals (all) replaced 3-4 times since 2015 and I'm DONE WITH BLUE STAR! I'm calling today to try and figure this out once again.

Call Blue Star. Be relentless. The Big Chill stoves are poor quality.

@bluesky88 @bluesky @Kraig, can you tell me if your Big Chill range is working properly now that you have the automatic electronic thermostat? I've had many issues with my 2014 Retro range and have had the components changed out entirely 3-4 times and it still will not hold the correct temps. Mine is not compatible with the new electronic thermostat unfortunately, so I'm requesting that Big Chill replace my entire range.

Karen, any luck on getting a fix? I am facing the same problem with a 2018 36 inch classic.

@Karen Dorsett It seems to be ok. No more no less. Bluestar was very good in replacing the stove. An adjustment had to be made shortly after installation. If there’s a problem keep after them.

My oven is working ok. Better than when I embarked on fixing but not near perfect. I started ribs in the oven last Sunday before taking to Green Egg. It held a low 225 perfectly for 4 hours. I always use an in-oven thermometer since I can't really trust the knob temps. The higher I go the further off the knob is. If I needed 425 or 450 I would have to dial it all the way up.

I haven't had the problem where it doesn't heat up at all in a long while. I would love to have a new well working oven range from Bluestar but I don't think that will happen.

We purchased a 36" CLASSIC GAS STOVE and chose a custom color which we love. We bought our stove/oven in June of 2022. Although we love the look and feel of the stove, the oven has been an issue since we installed it. When it works, it's great, but since we've had it, the oven temperature does not maintain. We called BlueStar and they sent a service tech to assess and proceeded with fixing it. He had such a rough time with Blue Star Service and was so frustrated with their response, he said "I will not be doing work for them from here on out". That was January 27, 2023. They then sent a new service tech out who was great! He had to come 3 times because the problem was still not resolved and after the 3rd call he replaced the entire system, thermostat, safety valve, igniter and also verified the bake system was wired properly. All to no avail. We are still without an oven that works.

Next steps our service guy is closing the ticket and sending it to BlueStar for evaluation and hopefully, a final resolution. At this point, they need to give us a new one. Stay tuned for a follow-up. Not sure how to rate them at this point.

We have a 48 inch pro. It was one of the first off manufacturing. Purchased at a discount because it was a new product. I do love it, but it has had its problems. Recall installation went smoothly, but took some time to find a canadian authorized repair. Ive had to replace the igniter twice, and Big Chill hasnt been as responsive as they were upon first purchasing.

I would contact Blue Star. Far more professional, responsiver and responsible than the, insert whichever word you find appropriate, staff at Big Chill. I would be insistent when making your request. You made the purchase in good faith, expecting to receive a seamlessly functioning product and experience.

I thought I would post an update to my situation... after having thermostat things replaced, things were working better but still not normally. Now I would say we are back to square one. I can't depend on the oven to keep temp. I couldn't dream of getting it to do 450 degrees and stay there. The holidays are coming and I'll plan our cooking around it.

People have posted here considering purchasing Big Chill and I would never recommend buying BIg Chill. Their customer service is terrible, nearly non-existent. Something is very wrong with their engineering (Bluestar) since a gas oven isn't exactly rocket science. The cheap tin can GE range that the Big Chill replaced worked a million times better.

In our previous house we installed a Viking dual fuel. It was solid as a rock, never had an issue with it.

Why did we buy Big Chill? If I'm being honest, it was because they look great. Beautiful colors, great styling. I did a little research but come on, would anyone expect all these troubles from a gas oven range?

We are considering buying an induction range. It would be really easy to buy a Big Chill Induction in French Blue to replace our lemon. But I won't be taking that chance. This time around I will maybe have to forego the looks for something that works. I just don't want to take another gamble on Big Chill.

I have had big chill appliances for just over 4 years and my fridge doors no longer closes properly and my oven constantly turns off while cooking things. also it has a very strong gas smell and the outside gets so hot it can burn your hand when the oven in on. Looking back i wish i had bought the cafe series appliances instead. Not worth the money and customer service isnt great.

i would never recommend buying one if you ever want to actually use it other than look at it.