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Old 03-14-2012, 09:09 AM   #1
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Name: William
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Lakeville, CT
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Lighting Oven

I've had my '86 Scamp for a year but have not tried the oven until now. It looks almost unused inside. The pilot lights fine and according to directions but the oven burner does not light. When I put a lighter directly on the temperature sensor it lights immediately. Looking at the pilot/burner/sensor assembly it seems almost like the sensor is in the wrong place to catch the heat of the pilot. If I took it off and flipped it over I think I could make it work but I thought I'd ask for advice first because of the, you know, fire aspect. I'll attach a picture below. Can any confirm that theirs is assembled this way?

It's a trav'ler, can't see the model number.

Thanks in advance.
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Old 03-14-2012, 09:19 AM   #2
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my advice is to ask a pro in propane appliance repair. Its far too dangerous to guess.

Sorry, I know thats NOT what you want to hear, but this is a very serious safety concern.

Ask me what its like to be inside a trailer when a propane leak blows. Its not very fun.
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Old 03-14-2012, 09:30 AM   #3
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Name: William
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Here it is with the pilot lit and in heating mode.. The flame seems ample but is certainly not enveloping the sensor.
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Old 03-14-2012, 12:07 PM   #4
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I think what you are referring to as the sensor is the Thermocouple . And if that is the case it should be directed into the flame of the pilot light to work. As the pilot heats up the Thermocouple it sends current to the gas value to open. But I'm just guessing here, so take with a grain of salt. Maybe someone else will chime in.
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Old 03-14-2012, 12:44 PM   #5
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I would move the sensor.
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Old 03-14-2012, 01:48 PM   #6
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Name: john
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if you apply heat to the thermocoupler, say with one of those long butane bbq lighters, does it fire up?
if not you simply have a bad thermocoupler and they cost just a few dollars to replace.
i'd probably buy one and replace it anyway.
it actually looks like your pilot is too high. its putting out all the heat above the thermocoupler.
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Old 03-14-2012, 04:54 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gina D. View Post
my advice is to ask a pro in propane appliance repair. Its far too dangerous to guess.

Sorry, I know thats NOT what you want to hear, but this is a very serious safety concern.

Ask me what its like to be inside a trailer when a propane leak blows. Its not very fun.
OMG!! I would have need some fresh undies after that...
Glad you are ok though!
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Old 03-14-2012, 05:01 PM   #8
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Name: Dave
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And by the way, turning the gas on and putting your head in the oven is not a recommended procedure
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Old 03-14-2012, 07:00 PM   #9
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Hi William, the pilot lights but does the secondary pilot come on I can not see in the picture. If the secondry pilot is lighting it can sometimes take a minute to heat the senser to open the main valve. If the secondry pilot is not lighting I would look at the valve on oven on the face of the stove, if the secondry pilot is lighting could be the safety that is behind the burner in the oven


Hope this helps
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Old 03-14-2012, 08:38 PM   #10
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I had a closer look at the flame it looks like it has a white tip on it. Does the secondry flame make a small roaring sound ? In the picture the flame looks lazy. It is probably just needs the orfice cleaned

Ken
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Old 03-14-2012, 08:47 PM   #11
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The thermocouple needs to be pushed up through the opening. It is to far back. The flame needs to surround the couple, which in turn will send the electric current to the valve. A chemical reaction produced by the metals in the thermocouple produce's an electric current which opens the gas valve.
The picture shows it behind the flame.
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Old 03-14-2012, 09:29 PM   #12
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Actually in the older ovens it is a mercury bulb, they were outlawed around 2000 now they have a thermocoupler
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Old 03-14-2012, 09:51 PM   #13
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Mercury bulb in an oven?

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Originally Posted by ken h View Post
Actually in the older ovens it is a mercury bulb, they were outlawed around 2000 now they have a thermocoupler
I thought that thermocouples (it is s not r) were used for ages. Mercury bulb in an oven, sound as a poisonous bomb. I know mercury switches sensing level or acceleration but not in an oven? What would the mercury do? sensing temperature? Maybe I am missing something. But, I am more than willing to learn, that is what life is all about, especially on retirement.

George.
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Old 03-14-2012, 10:17 PM   #14
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Hey George, it is not a bomb . The mercury expands when heated. For example when you heat a thermometer the mercury in the tube rises. In a closed tube with a mercury bulb at the end when its heated it causes pressure which in turn pushes the gas valve open to release gas to the main burner. It is environmentally dangerous that is why it has been changed to a thermocoupler.
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Old 03-14-2012, 10:59 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ken h View Post
Hey George, it is not a bomb . The mercury expands when heated. For example when you heat a thermometer the mercury in the tube rises. In a closed tube with a mercury bulb at the end when its heated it causes pressure which in turn pushes the gas valve open to release gas to the main burner. It is environmentally dangerous that is why it has been changed to a thermocoupler.
Thank you for the explanation, I am very happy that these mercury pressure devices are outlawed. It seems as they should never be allowed especially in any oven, for God’s sake, we eat this staff. A thermocouple, 2 Centuries old technology, is a junction of 2 dissimilar metals generating an electrical power with high temperature, it is very safe and let’s hope that our political powers will keep it this way.
George.
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Old 03-15-2012, 09:42 AM   #16
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Name: William
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Success! After scouring the Internet for pictures it seemed my assembly was correct with the sensor below and in front of the pilot flame. Since the sensor worked when I put a flame directly on it I figured it must have something to do with the flame itself and although it seemed big enough and the 'heating mode' worked, the only logical thing to do was clean the orifice. My wife took it off, hit it with an old toothbrush and blew at it with a straw and presto. The pilot flame is completely different! The metal shielding must sort of reign the propane and create a "ball" of flame rather than a standard vertical flame. The flame now reaches the sensor and it works perfectly. Thanks to everyone that helped.
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Old 03-15-2012, 01:09 PM   #17
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Just a little FYI - spiders LOVE the odor that is added to propane (an odoless gas/liquid) to allow olfactory leak detection or so you can smell the stuff if a burner goes out, etc. It's a good idea to check all burners, especially small ones such as pilot lights, etc, that are on/of with some regularity. Just a tiny bit of spider web can clog up that tiny orifice & cause big problems that a little cleaning/preventive maintenance will avoid. I have for years carried a small coil of stranded wire (for cleaning tiny orifices) & either a small can of compressed air (like for cleaning computer stuff) or one of the little 'bulb' type blow guns used for cleaning camera lens'n such (good idea on blowing it out with a soda straw biw314). Have only had to use 'em once as I try to remember to check the area(s) in question frequently. Pilot lights on the older Dometic fridges are havens for little 8-legged critters.
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Old 03-15-2012, 01:57 PM   #18
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Name: William
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Harvey
Just a little FYI - spiders LOVE the odor that is added to propane (an odoless gas/liquid) to allow olfactory leak detection or so you can smell the stuff if a burner goes out, etc.
Wow, that explains a lot!

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Originally Posted by Harvey
(good idea on blowing it out with a soda straw biw314).
We are camping on the beach in Pensacola so have limited supplies (unless we want to drive three whole miles to a Walmart).
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Old 03-15-2012, 02:43 PM   #19
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You're in a great place. Used to spend quite a bit of time each fall camping at Ft Pickens. That was quite a few years ago. I'm sure it's changed a lot by now. I know the prices sure have...
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Old 03-15-2012, 03:12 PM   #20
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Name: William
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Almost ended up there but we managed to get a spot at Pensacola NAS for $23/ night to visit my son who is training at the base. I can see Ft. Pickens from my camper!
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