Install a oven igniter?
The oven in our new trailer is a pain in the neck to light the pilot when DW wants to use it. I have to literally get on my hands and knees to light the pilot to turn it on. Has anyone installed a bat...
Forum Discussion
fj12ryder wrote:
^^^^^^^Sound scary. I thought all gas stoves with pilot lights had to have a thermocouple due to safety regs. Learn something new every day. What stops gas from flowing if you just turn the oven on and the pilot isn't lit?
On ovens with this design, which was actually quite common for many years, there is a safety valve between the thermostatic valve and the main burner that is activated by heat from the pilot flame.
When on standby, the pilot flame is very small--not much bigger than a pinhead. When the thermostatic valve determines that heat is needed, it turns on the gas to the safety valve and simultaneously increases the gas flow to the pilot, making it more candle-flame sized. The enlarged pilot flame heats up the safety valve's sensor and soon it opens, letting the main burner ignite. If the pilot has gone out, the safety valve never opens.
Assuming one isn't attempting to use the oven, the rate of gas flow into the oven cavity from a pilot that goes out is quite small, but it still could conceivably collect enough in time to cause a rather impressive result when it does ignite.
