Anthony — TSSA-Certified G1 Gas Technician
TSSA G1 licence #TBD · 15+ years in gas and mechanical trades · Service area: Greater Toronto Area, Ontario
Last updated: 2026-09-01
What gets ranges and wok ranges tagged?
Open-burner ranges are tagged most often for a missing or inaccessible manual shut-off valve, a flexible connector that is the wrong type or has been re-used, and clearance to combustibles lost when the line was rearranged or a shelf was added.
Wok ranges add heat load. They are high-input, they run long, and they are frequently installed on a gas branch sized for what was there before. The result is low pressure at full fire across the whole line, which shows up as poor combustion on every appliance, not just the wok.
Corrections here are usually mechanical and same-visit: correct valve, correct connector, correct clearances. Undersized branch piping is a bigger job and gets quoted before work starts.
What gets fryers and broilers tagged?
Fryers are tagged for gas train and safety shut-off faults, for grease-fouled burner compartments that change combustion, and for clearance to adjacent combustible surfaces. Grease accumulation is the most common underlying condition and it is also the one that makes a fryer tag a fire concern rather than just a code concern.
Broilers and salamanders sit high, close to the hood, and run at high surface temperatures. They are tagged for clearance, for improper mounting, and for combustion problems caused by being pulled directly into the hood capture zone under high exhaust.
Correction is cleaning and component replacement first, then a combustion check under the exhaust conditions the equipment actually runs in.
What gets combi ovens and tandoors tagged?
Combi ovens are tagged for venting. Many are installed under a hood as intended, but a change to the hood, the canopy position or the exhaust rate can move them out of capture, and flue products then enter the room. Condensate and water treatment problems also degrade the burner over time and show up as a combustion failure.
Tandoors are tagged more often than any other single appliance in the kitchens that use them, for two reasons: they hold enormous stored heat close to surrounding structure, and many are installed or relocated without the surrounding clearance and non-combustible construction the appliance requires.
Tandoor corrections usually mean rebuilding clearances or the surround, not repairing the appliance. Expect that to be the scope before we attend.
What gets water heaters and booster heaters tagged?
Kitchen water heaters and dish-line booster heaters are the appliances most likely to spill, because they are atmospherically vented, they sit in back rooms, and they are the first thing affected when the kitchen goes negative under full exhaust.
The tag names spillage or a venting defect, but the cause is usually makeup air. Correcting the water heater without correcting the air balance produces the same tag again in the next inspection cycle.
Where the heater is orphaned in an oversized chimney after a larger appliance was removed, the correction is a properly sized liner or a change of venting arrangement.
| Equipment | Most common tag reason | Typical correction |
|---|---|---|
| Range / wok range | Missing valve, wrong connector, clearance | Same-visit mechanical correction |
| Fryer | Gas train fault, grease fouling, clearance | Clean, replace components, retest |
| Broiler / salamander | Clearance and capture problems | Reposition or shield, combustion check |
| Combi oven | Out of hood capture, venting | Venting or hood correction |
| Tandoor | Clearance to combustibles | Rebuild surround and clearances |
| Water heater | Spillage under negative pressure | Air balance and venting correction |
| Booster heater | Spillage, venting, undersized flue | Venting correction, liner if orphaned |
What does the correction record need to say?
It needs to name the appliance, the defect as written on the tag, the correction performed, and the verification tests with results. That is the document your landlord, your insurer and any incoming inspector will ask for.
Keep one copy per appliance. When a kitchen is tagged repeatedly across inspection cycles, that file is what shows whether the underlying condition was corrected or just reset.
Frequently asked questions
Does one tagged appliance close the whole kitchen?
Not always. If the defect is isolated to one appliance, that appliance is shut off and the rest can stay in service where they pass testing. If the tag is on shared venting, shared piping or the makeup air system, it usually affects everything connected.
Why did my water heater get tagged when the problem is the hood?
Because the hood pulls the room negative and the water heater is the appliance that spills. The tag lands on the appliance that failed the test, not on the cause. Correcting the air balance is part of clearing it properly.
Can the same technician handle a tandoor and a rooftop unit?
A G1 gas technician has no input rating limit, so yes on the gas side. Work that crosses into sheet metal, suppression or refrigeration is coordinated with the trade that holds that certification.
How much does clearing a commercial kitchen tag cost?
It depends entirely on the defect. Valve and clearance corrections are small. Piping rework, venting changes and tandoor surrounds are quoted after the defect is confirmed, and you get the number before work starts.