Late 80's RV Questions

dclark1946 wrote:

DrewE wrote:
That range setup is not unusual, or at least was not unusual relatively recently. There are two valves to control the oven, the thermostatic valve (which the knob attaches to) and a safety valve (hidden in the back somewhere). The pilot flame is on whenever the thermostatic valve is not off, but it varies in size: if no heat is being called for, it's a tiny little flame, but when the thermostatic valve detects it needs to turn the oven on, it increases the gas flow to the pilot and turns on gas to the safety valve simultaneously. There is a bulb by the pilot that controls the safety valve; when the bigger pilot flame warms it enough, the safety valve opens and the main burner gets gas and lights. Once the proper temperature is reached, the thermostatic valve closes the gas to the safety valve and cuts the pilot back down to a little flame, and the safety valve soon closes when the bulb cools off.

It is possible for the pilot to go out and still have some gas flowing to the pilot burner with this setup.

So this arrangement is apparently not considered to be a safety issue?

Yes and No. Maybe you are too young to remember or you never had a Residential Gas Range/stove. Years ago the pilot was always flowing once you went to the pilot mode. Due to safety concerns they now have a push to light pilot assbly or Auto Ignition to prevent gas leaks if the pilot goes out. This used to be a common complaint years ago in RV's. People coming in complaining of LP leaks and we would find the Oven AND The range pilot ON but not lit. Hence a small leak. Some of those ranges also had a positive LP valve shut off under the range top cover to shut off LP to the Complete Range/Stove. Doug