Conference 7.286::home_work

    Jeff,
    	Sorry to here about the stove.  Within 6 months of buying
    my house both the 'fridge and the water heater went.
    	Have you tried calling Caloric customer service department 
    and asking for the prints?  I got the prints for my 25 year old
    table saw by calling and they hadn't made the saw for 20 years!
    
    					=Ralph=

    Jeff,
    
    	Is the stove a pilot-less or pilot type stove. If it's a pilot-less
    
    	stove then it could be the glow plug because act like pilot
    
    	and they cost about $50.00 for the part only, if you do it yourself.

                                                                   
    	But if your somebody put them in, the cost for parts and labor
     
    	come up to about $125.00...
    
    
    
    
    				Good Luck
    				mn

    	If it is the glow plug, make sure you treat the new one
    	with TLC (tender loving care). It is very fragile, and,
    	as .2 mentioned, is very expensive. I bought mine in
    	Nashua. The owner of the shop said his cost for a glow
    	plug for his oven was $85.
    
    	I hate to have to go in and pay for two in one day.
    
    	Scott

    Well, If you have a town dump nearby, and dont mind being seen there,
    you might have good luck getting parts. There is a good chance that
    a pilotless ignition out of a different brand of stove might work,
    or that some of the components might interchange. I base this statement
    on my experience with spare parts for clothes dryers, where all
    brands (except maytag) will interchange parts as though they were
    all made to the same prints.
    
    In any case, good luck.
    
    gjd
    

Our oven with pilotless ignition has been taking a long time to heat
up. I watched to see what was going on, and here's what happens:

- turn it on
- glow plug lights immediately
- after 10 seconds or so, the gas valve opens and the flame lights (so far
  this is all normal)
- after 3 seconds or so, flame level goes down considerably (valved has
  partially closed -- this is not the way it's supposed to work)

By chance, our house pressure regulator (mounted outside) was a bit
sticky one very cold morning recently, so we had called Boston Gas to
come look at it. While the fellow was there, my wife was asking him
about the long warmup time of the oven, and he said that the problem is
usually caused by the glow plug, not the valve, and that they do go bad
after a few years.

My question is: how does this ignition system work? Is the gas valve
opened a fixed time after the glow plug comes on? Or is it controlled
by sensing the current in the glow plug (which changes with different
temperature)? In my case, is it actually the glow plug which is bad (as
he said), and not the valve? Is there anything I can do to get more
service out of it before having to replace it?

Thanks very much for any opinions or info.

    I would like to suggest a different possibility based upon an
    experience that I had.
    
    I had a condo that used gas for heat, stove, and hot water. I had a
    problem keeping the pilots lit on the furnace and stove. The problem
    turned out to be a faulty fire shut-off valve. (Not sure of the exact
    technical name.) It seems that they put a special valve in the gas
    plumbing just inside the house. It is supposed to turn off the gas in
    the event of a fire. Mine has partially shut down causing low gas
    pressure.
    	I can imaging that the symptoms that you describe could be caused
    by a similar problem. When there was no call for gas the pressure could
    build up to normal range in the pipes inside your home. The residual
    pressure might provide a few seconds of normal operation. Once a full
    burner came on, however, the restriction on the supply line would
    prevent the gas flow from reaching full pressure. This might appear as
    exactly the sysptoms that you mention.
    
    	Do you have any appliances that have pilot lights? If so are you
    having and trouble keepingthem lit? If not have you observed similar
    problems with any other gas appliances?
    
    Recommendation: Try to determine if you have a shutoff valve like the
    one I have described. If so it should be near the point that the gas
    line enters your house.
    
    RECOMMENDATION: DO NOT TRY TO FIX GAS PROBLEMS YOURSELF! This includes
    tinkering with gas appliances. Leave these problems to the gas company.
    It is no fun to come home to a smoking hole in the ground. (Or worse,
    to wake up in one!)
    
                                                                        
    						Mark 

The burners on the stove work fine, as do the furnace and water heater.
The problem is restricted to the oven. So I assume the cause is either
a faulty igniter (glow plug) or valve. Evidence seems to favor the igniter.

    Your absolutely right .-1. But I'm sorry I just will not put my
    families life in the hands of a (let's say a) bad plumber. I paid a
    plumber $800 !!! to move a sink and gas stove about 8 feet. They did
    such a BAD job on the GAS that I had to do it over. All fittings were
    just much to loose. I'll never have a plumber do work for me again (if
    I can get away with it). But again for the sake of DEC liability and
    anyone replying to this note .-1 is RIGHT I'm afraid. Oh yes there are
    some very good plumbers out there (I just can't find one).
    
    Back to the question. I forget on these things, does the glow plug stay
    on while on a heat cycle. Whether or not it does or doesn't it doesn't
    make sense that it is the glow plug.
    
    If the glow plug is supposed to stay on:
    
    Then if it was hot enough to get a good start then why would it change
    after a few minutes.
    
    If the glow plug is supposed to shut off after it ignites:
    
    Then once it lites the glow plug it out of the picture all together.
    and the only thing left is the regulator.
    
    I asked the gas company guy once about regulator valves and he said the
    regulator on your meter drops the pressure down to one level. And each
    appliance (some internally) have another regultor that drops it down to
    a lower level. I would suspect that it's the regulator at the stove
    thats messed up.
    
    An experiment that I would try is to get the oven in this low flame
    mode. And turn on all the burners and see if the flame on the oven goes
    down further. If it does I suspect the regulator for the stove. If it
    doesn't then you have not prooved much of anything.
    
    The other thing it could be is the safty mescanisms. But it depends, if
    there is one saftey mechnism I'd doubt that's the problem but there maybe
    be two. And one is faulty. Let me explain. There must be a saftey that
    prevents the gas comming on if the glow plug is not up to temp. There
    is another safety that will shut the gas off if the flame goes out.
    These could be seperate or combined. I would think a combined system
    would be much less complicated and more full proof (no heat no gas).
    Maybe the flame is not getting a good shot at the saftey sensor (if
    it's combined) but the glow plug is.
    
    Also are you sure that it's not supposed to run in this low flame
    mode after an ignite. And perhaps it's a flakey thermostat. That's
    my brain dump on gas stoves.
    

> Then if it was hot enough to get a good start then why would it change
> after a few minutes.

Possibly because the valve is controlled by a change in the resistance
of the igniter. I'm not sure what controls the valve.

> If the glow plug is supposed to shut off after it ignites:

No, it stays on as long as the thermostat switch is closed. This is the
way it's supposed to work, as far as I know.

> An experiment that I would try is to get the oven in this low flame
> mode. And turn on all the burners and see if the flame on the oven goes
> down further. If it does I suspect the regulator for the stove.

Done this. No change in flame level on oven. The stove regulator
appears to be fine.

> There must be a saftey that
> prevents the gas comming on if the glow plug is not up to temp.

I suspect this is the current/resistance mechanism I described earlier,
but don't know for sure.

> There
> is another safety that will shut the gas off if the flame goes out.

Not necessarily so. First of all, if the flame goes out, the igniter
will re-ignite it. If the igniter is out, then maybe there will be an
open circuit through it, and the valve will already have closed.
Finally, unlike a pilot light on a water heater or furnace (which does
have a safety shutoff if it goes out), if a burner on the stove goes
out, there's nothing to shut the gas off. This is possibly a serious
hazard, but, to my knowledge, this is the way gas stoves work,
incredible as it sounds. So I don't see that there would necessarily be
any second safety on the oven burner.

So my question is still: how does this ignition system work? Is the
valve controlled by (a) timer, (b) resistance of the igniter, or (c)
other? Anyone know?

By the way, I haven't discussed (and am not concerned with) who will do
the repairs, if any. I'm mainly interested in knowing what's going on.

    
    Since the glow plug runs constantly. Then:
    
    That is fairly safe (by heat sensor or by current)?
    I would think heat sensor would be more full proof.
    If it is current (or resistence) then I agree it's not full proof.
    But why would the resistence change after it ignites?
    
    Well I just checked mine out closer. And your right. There does not
    seem to be a sensor for flame or glow plug (but it behaves exactly like
    it had one). It also seemed to be glowing quite full for a long time
    before gas came on. Another thing I thought was strange was when I shut
    the oven off the glow plug shut down instantly while the gas ran for a
    good 10 seconds longer. It seems the thermostat controls just the glow plug.
    The valve runs when the "conditions" are right even if the Thermostat is
    off !!!
    
    Since the valve should be totally on or totally off even if something
    else has gone faulty. I'd blame the valve. But if it were mine. I would
    follow the original recommendation you got by swaping the glow plug
    with the broiler (if it's the same) just for testing that idea.
    

    I reread your base note. The Gas company guy might of interpreted "long
    warmup" with a slow (weak) glowplug that takes a long time to get up to
    current (or temp). Low gas level (after ignite) could be a different
    story.
    
    I don't think you ruled out the regulator by that test either. There
    could be another regulator within the control valve itself. I don't
    understand the "physics with gas" but once the burner ignites the
    valves/regulators might see a different back pressure and do the wrong
    thing.
    
    When I have done work (that I know I shouldn't of) what really baffles
    me is getting the new hooked up appliance to lite the first time. The
    gas doesn't want to come out. I just play with it and play with it and
    all of a sudden it comes on (it's not the safties). It's like it needs
    to be primed. I don't know if the gas needs to be exposed to air or
    it's something to do with density of GAS versus air or what. Here is a
    far fetched hunch. Maybe the level (or pitch) of the stove or burner is
    wrong (the burners do warp over the years). It's something to think
    about anyway as far fetch as it is.
    
    But I still suspect the control valve (since it should never be half
    way) or regulator (closest to oven burner). The regulator is the only
    component that should change the gas level (excluding full on/off).
    
    P.S. I may not trust plumbers but I do trust gas company folks. They
    are sharp and cautious.
    

>>    P.S. I may not trust plumbers but I do trust gas company folks. They
>>    are sharp and cautious.
    
    I agree. They have to be, or they would loose more than customers. I
    know it is tempting to work on gas appliances yourself. They do not
    seem to be very complicated, BUT one little mistake could have very big
    consequences. It is not worth the risk. Rather call the professionals
    on this one. They don't cost that much, and if you tell them you smell
    gas, they tend to be very quick on their sevice calls ;-} ;-}
    
    
    						Mark

My experience with gas company folks is not good.  They may understand gas,
but they have no idea about anything else -- thermostats, automatic vent
dampers, electronic ignitions, etc.  A gas company technician's screw-up
cost me a $250 electrician's bill.

I have had good luck with a reputable plumbing company which does extensive
heating system work for gas appliance problems.  I would not call
just any plumber from the yellow pages, though.

				Steve

    Just like with anyone. There is good ones and bad ones. Even at that
    the good ones are not perfect and have "bad days" too. The plumber I
    had was recommended to me. It's just the way I am. I don't trust
    mechanics to work on my cars either. As I think is has been discussed
    before in this note. It is readily believed that most DIYers do the
    work better than a "professional". They usually buy the better
    components, make tradeoffs that suit their situation best, and spent
    more time on the "problem".
    
    Every DIYer also knows his/her limits which sometimes are gauged by
    
    Available-time:          Do you have the time or is your time worth it?
    Available-time-II:       Do you have the time to get a PRO to do it?
    Speed-to-get-it-done:    Can you wait till you have the time?
    Money:                   Is it cheaper for you or Pro?
    Responsibility-of-error: Who pays for mistakes and how much $$$ for them?
    Hassel:		     Is it too rotten a job and worth paying someone?
    Safety:		     Will I feel safer if I or a Pro does it?
    Knowlege:		     Do I know or can I learn to do it?
    Safety-II:		     Will I hurt myself doing the work?
    Quality:		     Who will do it better I or Pro?
    Hassel-II:		     How hard is it to get a good Pro?
    Environment:	     Can I easily take care of toxic waste involved?
    
    I truely feel safer doing some of the work myself rather than a
    "professional". I don't always do some of these things to save $$$.
    Most of these things go through my head on every project. And it's
    always changing.
    
    For example, I always used to change my oil on the car. I used to save
    money, but now it's very cheap at a quick change place. It used to be
    easy to get rid of oil, now it's a hassel. It used to be worth my time
    now it's not. It didn't used to be realized that the oil is cancer
    causing, it is realized now. My old cars it was easy, my new cars are
    much harder.

    
    
    I had the same thing happen to an old stove of mine except it had a
    pilot and not electronic ignitor. pilot on -- turn the oven to
    on -- then the ignitor flame would come on (this was a flame just 
    over the pilot and BELOW a thermostat on a valve that controled the 
    gas flow to the oven burner itself) --- WAAAAIIIIIITTT --- then the 
    oven flame would come on. This thermostat/valve was rigged so that 
    the oven would not come on until the probe had reached a given temp. 
    and if the flame went out for what ever reason the flow of gas to the
    oven would be cut off. This way no build up of gas in the oven or house
    and no boom. I forget the cost of repair but it was less than $100 for
    my fuel company to do it and it worked fine after the valve/therm . was
    changed. 
    
    Also get a reputable plumber or fuel supply person ( one who deals with
    propane) or the gas company to do the actual repairs. You can watch and
    verify for your own peace of mind. remember they are supposed to have
    the right tools and pastes and putty etc.
    
    
     

 I have a natural gas stove, with regular flame pilot lights.  It has some
age on it, I'd guess 30 years +.  It's made by "Hardwick".

 The trouble is that 3 of the 4 stovetop burners will not light up when the
gas is turned on.  There are 2 pilot lights, each supplying flame for 2 burners.

  The flames on the pilots seem to be extremely small and low, but one burner
will catch it and light.  I've cleaned out the tubes between the burners and
pilots, with no improvement.  But it seems that the pilots should burn higher,
they're really microscopic.
  
  Any suggestions on how to get all 4 burners working automatically?

  Is the low flame on the pilots the problem?

  How does the pilot function, i.e., what could I trouble shoot in the pilot
  light system? 

  Thx,

   Steve


    
     

    Your problem is probably one of two things:
    
    	A (partially) clogged pilot light orfice - (clean with fine wire)
    	or a faulty/out of adjustment regulator
    
    Either way I strongly recommend getting a professional in to handle it.
    It will probably be a very simple fix but it is not a good idea to DYI
    on gas appliances.
    
    Before I finish here I want to add that there are several other noters
    out there who disagree with me on the DYI part, all with good reasons.
    You have to decide on wether or not fix it yourself.

    I'd agree with Mark on the DYI caveat with respect to the regulator,
    but cleaning the jet orifice is pretty easy...
    
    My gas stoved behaved exactly the same as you describe, so I took one
    *strand* of speaker wire (not the whole cable) and gently reamed the 
    orifice. Worked fine every since...
    
    Edd

    
    Another possibility is that the burners themselves are clogged. This
    came up just recently on my gas stove after my resident neat-freak did
    a thorough cleaning of the cooktop.
    
    A tube that almost connects the burner to the pilot carries gas/air
    mixture from the unlit burmer back to the pilot. At some critical mass
    this flashes back down the tube and lights the burner.
    
    After cleaning one of the burners, neat-freak could not light it. When I
    lit it with a match, it was obvious that some of the burner holes were
    clogged, among them the ones nearest the pilot tube. Lots of gas coming
    out of the burner, but none near the pilot tube, so not automatic
    ignition.
    
    Fix: give neat-freak a thin piece of wire and some observations on gas
    burner operation.
    

Pilot lights generally have a valve that lets you adjust the flame size,
but it's probably just some crud somewhere between the burner and the pilot.

This is a follow-up on the problem I reported in reply .5 of this topic.

The problem was that the oven flame was too low, possibly due to a
faulty glow plug (igniter). Since the broiler uses an identical
igniter, I swapped them, and the problem followed the igniter: now the
oven worked fine (or at least better) and the broiler failed to work.
This confirmed for me that the problem was a faulty igniter.

I called several appliance repair shops for information and part
prices, and learned that:

- Only two or three companies make these igniters, and there are only a half-
  dozen different kinds. Mine was made by Eaton (also sometimes called Norton).

- Igniters do go bad. They should normally last five years or more, depending
  on the oven, use, etc.

- Gas valves can also go bad, but this is much less likely, and the symptoms
  are totally different.

- A few years ago, Eaton did manufacture a couple of lots of defective
  igniters. Most failed during the range's warranty period. Unfortunately,
  ours didn't.

- The way these operate is that the valve senses current. For our particular
  model, the current must be between 3.3 and 3.5 amps. A current of 3.1 or
  3.2 amps will partially open the gas valve (this is what I was seeing).

- There's really no way to repair or recondition the igniter; it must be
  replaced.

Prices for a new igniter ranged from $51 to $86. The folks who asked
$86 (Elite Service in North Attleboro, MA) were by far the most
knowledgeable and helpful, but I wasn't in the mood to spend an extra
$70 (for two), or to travel the extra two hours round trip to their
store. I felt a bit bad about this, because I like to support stores
offering good service, even if it means paying a little more.

I ended up buying the part at Hunter Appliance in Littleton (three
minutes from the office) for $51.20. They were fairly friendly and
helpful, though not as knowledgeable as Elite. Also, they didn't stock
the exact part for my range, but as the only difference was the
electrical connector, I replaced that bit and stuck it in. Works
perfectly. The entire job took under 20 minutes, and didn't involve
touching or even looking at any gas lines or fittings (which I would
not have done by myself), and probably saved around $100 in labor.

re  <<< Note 1803.21 by NOTIME::SACKS "Gerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085" >>>

>Pilot lights generally have a valve that lets you adjust the flame size,
>but it's probably just some crud somewhere between the burner and the pilot.

    Yep, I turned a small screw on the control valve and the two pilot lights
  are now big and bright.  The burners all light now, but one is still slow
  to light.  The 3 that didn't light before now have the following symptom:
  the flame blows out of the bottom of the burner as well as the sides where
  is should.  I'd guess that the burners now need  good cleaning.  Is the wire
  method of cleaning the best?

   Also the oven won't light.  The pilot seems fine.  when the gas valve for the
 oven is turned on, a small flame near the pilot appears, then goes away when
 shut off.  I don't smell gas when it's on either.  Ideas?

  Thanks for the help.
 
  SJ

 

    re: oven won't light...
    
    Mine did that a couple months ago. When I turned the control the pilot
    light got bigger but the burner never lit. I assumed a malfunctioning
    thermocouple. To test it, I simply turned the stove on, and held a
    LONG lit candle under the TC. Within a couple seconds the burner lit up
    normally. I then simply cleaned the pilot hole and got a flame that
    would heat the TC up properly....
    
    Edd

re       <<< Note 1803.24 by MANTHN::EDD "Real programs in DCL? .NOT.!" >>>

Great!  I'll check that out and report back.

SJ

    Please observe common sense safety rules. 
    
    Whenever I try to describe working on a gas fired appliance I always
    get the willies...
    
    Edd

Re - gas oven won't light.....

   Turns out that the reason the pilot flame gets bigger when you first turn on
  the oven is that it's supposed to do that, since the larger flame heats up
  a secondary thermocouple.  When that one heats up, the oven lights! Takes
  about 1.5 - 2 minutes to heat up.

   SJ

    A minute and a half seems like an unusually long wait (mine might take 
    15 seconds or so) but if you're happy with it....
    
    Edd

    I've got an old (~20 yrs) gas oven/stove in my apartment which has been
    making and acrid odor and leaving a black, very fine soot on the
    outside of the oven door for quite a while.  At temperatures above 400
    degrees is usually will set off the smoke alarm.  The oven is clean.
    Recently, I lifted up the oven floor and discovered that it was coated
    with a very black, unvelievably fine (like the toner in an LNO3
    printer) soot.
                                       
    The oven is set up such that the burner is beneath the oven's 'floor'
    mentioned above.
    
    There is what appears to be an air mix opening at the rear of the oven
    which can be adjusted by sliding a metal cover to create an opening of 
    varying size, presumably to change the ratio of gas/air being burned by
    the oven.
    
    I'd like to adjust the valve, but I don't know how to determine when
    it's at the proper setting.  Is there some way which I can tell when
    the air/gas mix is right by looking at the oven's flame?  I'd imagine
    that the color (all blue vs blue and orange) and the shape (separate,
    pointed jets of flame vs a blob of flame) would give some indication,
    but I don't know what to look for.
                  
    Any help or experience would be appreciated.
    
    

Has it been in your apartment all it's life?  Or was it moved there?  I guess
what I'm getting at is whether it's set for LP or natural gas, given what you 
have it connected to.  It might be wrong if it was picked up second hand and 
moved to your apartment.

Also, under the gas jets is the broiler...is THAT clean?  or is there the usual
broiler greasies causeing some smoking?

			-JP

    re .-1
    
    Yes, I believe that it's been in the same apartment.  This is in
    downtown Boston, where everyone has gas from Boston Gas lines in the
    street, so I assume that it's a piped-in natural gas stove.
    
    Also, the broiler area is very clean.  The first thing that I did in
    trying to diagnose the source of the soot was to give the entire beast
    a very thorough cleaning.
    
    Mainly what I'm looking for is some kind of a rule of thumb for setting
    the air/gas valve.  I've played around with it some, but I'm not real
    secure dealing with the unknown when gas is involve.
    
    Thanks for the reply.

    The flame should be adjusted so only the very tips of the individual
    flames have any yellow in them. 
    
    Edd
    

    re .-1
    
    Thanks, I'll give it a try.  It'll be great to be able to use the oven
    again!

    I finally got around to adjusting the oven gas/air mix valve.  Folloing
    the advice to set it such that there was orange color only at the very
    tips of the flames was right on the money.  The oven burns nice and
    clean now.
    
    Thanks for the help!

	Hi,

	I have a Magic Chef gas stove that no longer lights properly.
	Now, whenever you turn on one of the four burners, you no
	longer hear the clicking noise that precedes the flame.  It
	can be lit using a match however, and the pilot light for the
	oven is working just fine.  My guess is something is wrong with	
	the electronic ignition of the range.  
	
	Does anybody know anything about these?  Will I need to replace
	it or could it be that a fuse blew or something needs to be
	cleaned?

	Karen

    Do the rest of the electrical functions work properly?  Like the oven
    light, surface light, clock?  It could be as simple as the oven being
    unplugged.  My gas oven had a regular 110 plug, and since it had no
    other electrical options, it was hard to tell at first that the plug,
    which went up onto the counter and plugged in behind some appliances
    was unplugged.

The oven is plugged in... the oven light goes on.

I'm guessing that we definately need to replace the electronic ignition
unit... is this easy to do or does it vary from stove to stove?

Karen

Our neutral wire on our electric service broke last weekend while my
wife was cooking.  Large voltage fluctuation not only blew the fuse on our
Caloric (at least 20 years old) builtin, but also fried something else.

The oven light goes on when the knob is turned, but the hiss of the gas feeding
and the poof of a light is definitely missing.  I guess its a thermocouple of
some kind, but how do a find it?  How do I diagnose it?  Eventaully the stove
will be replaced, but I'm not exactly ready for the expense right now.

A related problem:  About one month after we moved in the oven light blew.
While replacing it, I stripped the screw on the new bulb.  Got a new bulb and
was more careful, but it won't go on.  To replace the fixture, I need to remove
the stove.  But there are not visible bolts, screws, latches, whatever.
What's the trick to get the oven out?

Thanks,
John

    We just bought a house and the oven that came with the house hasn't
    worked since we moved in.  It is a Kenmore gas oven that is electric 
    start.  The four burners on the cook top work great, but the oven 
    won't light.  The electric starter clicks and puts out a nice spark,
    but won't ignite the oven. Through some self-diagnosis I found out 
    that the elect-start spark is the same for the oven and the burners, 
    so the e-s is ok.  
    
    When I left the oven on e-s and let it click away for almost a minute,
    I didn't smell gas like I thought I should, so I figured the gas was
    either turned off for the oven, or it was plugged.  
    
    I pulled the oven away from the wall and there is only one on-off valve
    and I couldn't see any place where it could be plugged or kinked.
    
    If any of you have any other ideas for me to try, let me know so that I
    can bake something.  

The oven also contains an electric shutoff valve to turn the gas on and off when
the oven is running at temperature.  It is possible that this unit is broken.
Usually setting the oven to broil causes the valve to be open all the time.  Does
the broiler light at all?

    I will have to check tonight when I get home...  Where would this elect
    shut off unit be located (ball park idea???)?  Thanks for your
    suggestion.
    
    I can almost smell the cookies now... *8�)����<*8�)����<*8�)����<

    The reply a couple back is correct. There is an electrode that controls
    the flow of gas as well as an ignitor. Even though it sounds like it is
    trying to light it won't unless there's electricity flowing through
    this electrode. It's a safety device for when there's a poweer failure,
    that people can't use the stove for heat. 
    
    I have a new Sear's gas stove & we had a power outage during one of the
    big storms recently & I wanted to do some baking (due to boredom & to
    take the chill out of the house). WRONG! I thought the gas man
    connected it wrong (house was just built) but the stove burners worked,
    the broiler worked but the oven didn't & he had mentioned he might have
    to come back to adjust the oven. I pulled out the owners manual & there
    it was, the electrode that controls the gas flow & only works when
    there's electricity flowing through it.
    
    You may want to call Sears service center & have someone come out &
    take a look at it. Gotta have your oven!
    
    Love my gas stove, finally! (hate electric with a passion)
    Alan
     

We have a tappan gas oven. The oven is not coming up to temperature. We can set the dial to 400, and via an oven thermometer our oven is only at 280-300.

I am an extremely un-handy person. My guess from reading the previous replies is:

1) the ignitor is faulty.

2) broken thermostat

This is not something that I feel comfortable fixing myself...Should I call a reputable appliance dealer, or  do I call Boston Gas?


Any pointers would be appreciated.


Thanks,


Brigham

>Any pointers would be appreciated.

get your editor fixed

>>Any pointers would be appreciated.
>
>get your editor fixed


I think what Skip is ungratiously saying is that because you probably entered
your note with a Windows version of notes, the line length is over 80 characters
so those of us with character cell implementationis of notes cannot, without
a lot of extra work, read your note.

Please, when using windows notes, be careful to write within 80 character
margins.  Please also could you repost your old note with 80 character
margins, so we can read it.

Thanks,

Stuart

Hi,
  Yes, I am using a windows version of notes.  Sorry for the garbled entry.

Here's the scoop:

I have a tappan gas stove.  My problem is that the oven is not coming up
to temperature.

I set the dial to 450 and it was barely reaching 300. 
(I used a oven thermometer to check...)


Having read the previous replies, I think my problem is either a faulty
ignitor, or a bad thermostat.

The previous replies have also spooked me into not trying to fix this on my own.

To get this fixed, should I:

1) Call my local "Emmett's Fix-It Shop"

2) Call Boston Gas


Any suggestions/information would be appreciated.

Thanks,


Brigham
(DW Motif Surfer)

I would avoid Boston Gas like the plague.

Thanks for the "Important Safety Tip"

I've called my local guys to come out instead of 
Boston Gas.


Thanks,

Brigham

P.S. Wonder if they'll take stock in lieu of regular
     currency?

    I seem to be having the same problem as .0. Though after wading through
    all the replies I didn't see where his problem was answered. 
    
    I have a pilotless gas oven. When I turn it on, the pilot ignites,
    but no gas comes in (typically, very occasionally it does). I learned
    a long time ago to let it sit for a few minutes, then turn on a burner,
    and I'll hear the gas "phoosh" into the oven. Usually, all is fine
    after that. Sometimes, and more frequently lately, when the temp dips
    below the setting, the gas again refuses to "phoosh" and the oven 
    steadily drops in temperature.
    
    Any idea what would cause this? Is it costly to fix? Should I
    just tell my husband to put a new stove in the budget? :-)
    Thanks,
    Sue
    

    	With all the money you and Rich make, you could probably find
    enough cash in your couch seat cushions to buy a new stove. But Rich
    probably would want to investigate the problem before taking such a
    drastic step. Turning the burner on and leaving in on for a while, then
    probing around with a lit match ought to clear things up!
    	Actually, it sounds like a clogged valve or clogged something. Is
    it propane or natural gas? Tell Rich anyway to stop being such a
    cheapskate and just spring for a new stove.

 Hi Andy,

  Ditto on .52   You could first make sure the TC connection to the
gas unit is tight and the flame is directly on the TC.. 
 

Dave

re>                      <<< Note 235.51 by BIGQ::BERNIER >>>
>                          -< Pilot won't stay lit... >-
Could be the thermocouple, but they usually last longer than one year.  
However, they do build up a thin layer of "crud" that can reduce their 
sensitivity.  Normally, that is not a problem, but if the tip is not inserted 
far enough into the pilot flame, after a while it will not respond properly.  
That is, it is not getting hot enough inside to do the job.  First thing is to 
push the tip further into the flame area and see if that fixes it before going 
out and buying another.

Is this your only gas appliance?  Do the burners seem to produce not as much
flame as they used to? Does your gas dryer seem to be taking longer to dry
clothes?   If these symptoms exist, you may have somehow tripped the safety 
valve in the gas main feed to your house.  They operate as a result of a rush 
of gas (gas is normally low pressure) and reset when the rush dies out.  They 
often do not completely reset.  This often happens when people reconnect a gas 
appliance and do not gradually open the shutoff valve behind the appliance.

If that is the case, the gas company comes out, hooks up a propane bottle to
the main at your house and back-blows the valve; no charge to you.  In those 
rare cases when they cannot blow-back the valve, they will dig it up and 
replace it.  Even in frozen-ground winter; again, at no charge to you - but 
your lawn will be a mess.

Luck (pushing the thermocouple more into the flame usually is all you need)

Dave