Any Karu 16 owners have trouble getting the gas to turn on?

[Quebert]

I don't think there's anything wrong with the gas attachment, I believe I'm probably the problem here.  From day 1 I've semi struggled to get it to ignite, it always would end up lighting so I figured I was just dumb. A month in I'm not getting any better, and I might be getting worse.  This is not a complicated piece of machinery.  You press the knob and slowly turn until it clicks and the flame comes on.
It took me longer than I'd care to admit last night, it was to the point I was looking for a match to manually light it. But of course I don't have any matches, so I tried a few more times and it started up.

And before anything else, I should explain yes I've tried burping the line, multiple times. I've left it unhooked for 30 minutes, I've hooked it back up and turned it on real slow. I unhook it almost every time now hoping that will do something.  I did the troubleshooting stuff in the manual and it doesn't help.

When I press in and barely turn it I can hear the gas so I know the gas is flowing. I don't have another tank but I'm assuming the tank's good, and since it does turn on after a number of tries, I'm also assuming there's no problem with the line.   My assumption is everyone else with a Karu gets it going almost immediately, but I thought I'd ask just in case I'm not the only one who struggles here.  I'm about to contact Ooni, but I feel like I'm doing something wrong. I don't know what, as it's a knob you press in and turn, no battery or any type of computer stuff so I can't see how I'm doing something wrong.

This oven's a little over a month old, and I've been using it 1-2 times a week, and I don't think I've ever got it to start with less than 4 attempts. Last night it took me 10 minutes of trying.

[Pizza_Not_War]

Don't have this oven. How long do you wait after turning gas valve on tank before trying to light it?

[mosabrina]

Yeah it's not instant for me to light. My roomate is better at it. Make sure door and fuel hatch are off and vents are open. Hold it down 5 seconds even  if it is on. Mine also went out twice I believe if you close the door too quickly the pressure pushes the flame out. I could be wrong there and holding it down 5 seconds seemed to stay on better.

[Quebert]

Don't have this oven. How long do you wait after turning gas valve on tank before trying to light it?

That's a good question I don't pay attention. Gonna go try it out now and wait a few minutes between turning the gas on and trying to get it lit.

Yeah it's not instant for me to light. My roomate is better at it. Make sure door and fuel hatch are off and vents are open. Hold it down 5 seconds even  if it is on. Mine also went out twice I believe if you close the door too quickly the pressure pushes the flame out. I could be wrong there and holding it down 5 seconds seemed to stay on better.

So I'm clear, do you mean 5 seconds after turning it slightly until you can hear the gas, then turning it to the on position where it clicks?  I made 100+ pizzas in my Koda 12, with no issues getting it to light. This oven though has me feeling like a failure lol.

[mosabrina]

That's a good question I don't pay attention. Gonna go try it out now and wait a few minutes between turning the gas on and trying to get it lit.



So I'm clear, do you mean 5 seconds after turning it slightly until you can hear the gas, then turning it to the on position where it clicks?  I made 100+ pizzas in my Koda 12, with no issues getting it to light. This oven though has me feeling like a failure lol.

This oven is hard to light. Not easy at all. There is a matchstick lighter in the box you can manually light it. Try that

[mosabrina]

This oven is hard to light. Not easy at all. There is a matchstick lighter in the box you can manually light it. Try that

I believe you are supposed to light the oven and once the flame goes on (only if the flame goes on) then hold it down for 5 seconds. Otherwise you're just shooting out gas. Also the went out on me twice when I closed the door as if I did it too agressively (which I doubt I did). Overall it's a bit frustrating but the oven cooks so well I can forgive it because it requires pretty much no flame adjustment which is really nice. Haven't tried a low temp pizza yet or a big one (only did neapolitans) but since I'm a beginner it definitely makes it easy to cook in.

One thing I notice is the flame projecting upward and the burner being higher means you can actually get close to the flame without the side burning. Quite nice if you wanted to do a huge neapolitan pizza.

[Quebert]

This oven is hard to light. Not easy at all. There is a matchstick lighter in the box you can manually light it. Try that

I keep forgetting to get matches when I'm out, glad it's not just me. But I think even if it is hard to light I'm still struggling more than I should be.  I'm going to go buy some matches now I suppose with that method it should light 1st try every time.

[NickTheGreat]

I believe you are supposed to light the oven and once the flame goes on (only if the flame goes on) then hold it down for 5 seconds. Otherwise you're just shooting out gas. Also the went out on me twice when I closed the door as if I did it too agressively (which I doubt I did). Overall it's a bit frustrating but the oven cooks so well I can forgive it because it requires pretty much no flame adjustment which is really nice. Haven't tried a low temp pizza yet or a big one (only did neapolitans) but since I'm a beginner it definitely makes it easy to cook in.

One thing I notice is the flame projecting upward and the burner being higher means you can actually get close to the flame without the side burning. Quite nice if you wanted to do a huge neapolitan pizza.

I don't know this oven but a lot of propane things work this way.  There's a Thermocouple in there for safety, in the event that the flame goes and the gas keeps spewing . . .

[mosabrina]

I don't know this oven but a lot of propane things work this way.  There's a Thermocouple in there for safety, in the event that the flame goes and the gas keeps spewing . . .

yes it has one of those. Don't know why the flame would go out from closing the door but when you go to light it and push in, the gas spews out until you release. If theres' no flame, gas doesn't shoot out

[mosabrina]

I keep forgetting to get matches when I'm out, glad it's not just me. But I think even if it is hard to light I'm still struggling more than I should be.  I'm going to go buy some matches now I suppose with that method it should light 1st try every time.

A flaming piece of paper should work

[cwood]

There is a thermocouple so you need to keep the knob held down for 5 seconds once there is flame.  If you let it out before the couple heats up, it will cut the gas.
There is a sensor of some sort that also detects correct ventilation (it won't light if vents are closed)
Ensure there is spark on the igniter when you click....darkness or shade it is easy to see.  If it is not sparking, make sure the tip is only a few mm from the metal on the burner side.
Forget matches and burning paper, get yourself a bbq lighter that has a stalk on it as backup.  Very easy to light manually.

Lastly, Ooni support is fantastic.  If there is a problem with the burner they will send you a new one.  My igniter was weak and wasn't always sparking....they sent a new burner.

[mosabrina]

There is a thermocouple so you need to keep the knob held down for 5 seconds once there is flame.  If you let it out before the couple heats up, it will cut the gas.
There is a sensor of some sort that also detects correct ventilation (it won't light if vents are closed)
Ensure there is spark on the igniter when you click....darkness or shade it is easy to see.  If it is not sparking, make sure the tip is only a few mm from the metal on the burner side.
Forget matches and burning paper, get yourself a bbq lighter that has a stalk on it as backup.  Very easy to light manually.

Lastly, Ooni support is fantastic.  If there is a problem with the burner they will send you a new one.  My igniter was weak and wasn't always sparking....they sent a new burner.

I've heard that the main issue with the burner not staying lit is really down the the flame failure device. I think the nut that is inside tends to get loose which is why it doesn't light.

[mosabrina]

Check if the piezo is sparking. Turns out if you sand it it tends to spark more reliably for me. The spark is pretty obvious.

Also the thermocouple needs to be aligned with the hole precisely on the side of the burner. They have instructions to disassemble and fix it if it is misaligned. They fix also involves not installing the locking nut after you reassemble. Maybe the thermocouple sits in further which helps?