Gas Ovens and Ranges

Dave Angelini

It is time again for my "hope there is something better" question about what folks are using to cook with. In the past I have speced out the Priemier Pierless Professional ranges for their ability to ignite the oven without power or spark lite a pilot that goes off after you stop baking.

I am not interested in old style ovens and the only reason I am not 100% happy with Premier is they still have a porcelin top which is harder to maintain than the newer style ceramics tops. i.e. GE profiles ect.....

The electric ignitor system that most ovens use comes in two basic designs. The first has an igniter that can use up to 500 watts the whole time the gas is on during baking. The second igniter only uses power to ignite and then goes off during baking or broiling and comes on again as the thermostat calls for more heat.

So, anyone want to share anything I have missed?

BB.

Re: Gas Ovens and Ranges

At least for cabins--if not for an nice off grid home--Saw a propane camp stove + oven that may be nice for some folks.

Follow this link, then click on the Camp Chef Outdoor Camp Oven
$229.99 (if clicking on the Camp Oven Oven link does not work directly).

They have some other interesting things too -- A propane powered what looks to be a larger "toaster oven"; and a portable 12 VDC / 120 VAC microwave.

Camping and duck blinds are not what I remember as a kids. :roll:

-Bill

nigtomdaw

Re: Gas Ovens and Ranges

Im a bit confused in Europe our gas cookers and ovens seem a bit different.

My first LPG cooker had battery piezo ignition and the flame was then regulated via a thermostat for the desired heat setting for the oven

My final cooker twin ovens is mains connected for the time clock and piezo ignition, and again once the ovens have fired up the cooker regulates the flame via a thermostat and valve

No heavy energy use to ignite or control heat

BB.

Re: Gas Ovens and Ranges

Our "old" appliances used a standing pilot light with a sealed pressure bulb that controlled a safety gas valve (if bulb got cool, then the valve shut to prevent explosions).

The newer stoves, I guess since they already have electric power (clocks, convection fan, oven lights, etc.) they use a "small" ceramic (and carbide?) resistance heater to light the flame. If there is no "IR Heat" (heater cold, flame not running, the gas is turned off). I would guess that this is the standard "lower cost to manufacture" / government approved / easier to defend lawsuits to make gas ovens today.

In the ovens I have seen (not a lot of them)--the element is on 100% of the time the flame is on--and turns off while the temperature is stable. At least, in an oven, the electric heat adds to the BTU input required to heat the oven--so not all is lost.

Which is not the same as a standard gas drier which turns gets the element near white hot, then turns of the element and turns on the gas--so for a drier, the element is on only for the ignition part of the cycle.

In either case, the typical "gas" appliances around here need a significant amount of electrical power to operate. Certainly not off-grid friendly.

-Bill

icarus

Re: Gas Ovens and Ranges

Brown ranges,, standing pilot stove top burners,, pilot with thermocouple ovens, (so you can turn off the pilot for those time when you don't need the oven. No clocks, no wiring needed at all.

I suspect that the OP is wishing for something fancier as the Brown's are much like the premiers,, porcelain top etc.

Tony

Dave Angelini

Re: Gas Ovens and Ranges

BB. wrote: »

Our "old" appliances used a standing pilot light with a sealed pressure bulb that controlled a safety gas valve (if bulb got cool, then the valve shut to prevent explosions).


-Bill

Yes, and this is the way the Premier Professional and in fact their whole line operates except it is done intelligently by turning the pilot off after baking or broiling. All they did that was different from your "old" oven was put a spark lit pilot in that goes out after baking i.e. no standing pilot.

Dave Angelini

Re: Gas Ovens and Ranges

Yes the Browns are a litlle dated for some of my customers and they do not have the ceramic top that once you have used one they are hard to give up.

One of my "people" had a ceramic that was never really cleaned for years and a razor blade and sponge brought it back to showroom new. They are amazing.

Thanks anyway Tony!

Cariboocoot

Re: Gas Ovens and Ranges

A long time ago my sister-in-law had one that lit with electric sparker: you had to turn the control to "light", wait for it to do so, then set the temp/flame level. No I don't remember the brand and I'll bet they don't make anything that sensible these days.

nigtomdaw - can you still get eye-level grills (broilers) in Europe? Can't get 'em here. wonderful things they were too!

I just have an inexpensive standing-pilot unit. With that and hot water we use about 20 lbs. a month, unless we go crazy on the cooking/cleaning.

icarus

Re: Gas Ovens and Ranges

I have seen ceramic topped marine cook tops that use diesel fuel,,, perhaps they make one for Lp. Maybe look here:http://www.defender.com/stoves.html
Tony

Ralph Day

Re: Gas Ovens and Ranges

Dave,
Last year I shopped around for a new gas range. In Canada we get about 1/6 the selection you do in the US. CSA or UL approvals and all that. I'd just about given up hope of finding a spark-pilot range until I found the Peerless Premier line. Bought one, had to do a little work to get everything working (one spud was cross threaded, the oven thermocouple was not in the flame spot due to vibration probably).

One year later and all is great. Really like the range of temps available between the sizes of burners...a good honking fast heating, 2 everydays and one fine simmer small burner.

Rated...great. If I could have found spark pilot in something more elegant I might have purchased that, but for everyday off grid it's great. I even leave the clock/timer plugged in, my phantom loads have increased over the last 5 years off grid.

Ralph

nigtomdaw

Re: Gas Ovens and Ranges

Mark they are still available but very much on the decline nowadays as modern kitchens feature
A. built in units and
B. Extractor Fans above the hobs which rules out eye level grills (broiler thats a new term to me a broiler overhere is a old chicken:p)

Heres a link to the only New eye level grill I could find on ebay uk

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Newworld-50HLG-Gas-Cooker-in-Black-with-eye-level-grill_W0QQitemZ200317261835QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Home_Garden_Kitchen_Ovens_Hobs_Cookers?hash=item2ea3d6d80b&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A12|66%3A2|39%3A1|72%3A1683|293%3A1|294%3A50

Cariboocoot

Re: Gas Ovens and Ranges

Your kitchens are turning into carbon-copies of our kitchens!

"Broiler" is an American term. Those Yanks! Can't even speak English!

My wife goes on and on at length about not having an eye-level grill ....

Dave Angelini

Re: Gas Ovens and Ranges

Ralph Day wrote: »

Dave,
Last year I shopped around for a new gas range. In Canada we get about 1/6 the selection you do in the US. CSA or UL approvals and all that. I'd just about given up hope of finding a spark-pilot range until I found the Peerless Premier line. Bought one, had to do a little work to get everything working (one spud was cross threaded, the oven thermocouple was not in the flame spot due to vibration probably).

One year later and all is great. Really like the range of temps available between the sizes of burners...a good honking fast heating, 2 everydays and one fine simmer small burner.

Rated...great. If I could have found spark pilot in something more elegant I might have purchased that, but for everyday off grid it's great. I even leave the clock/timer plugged in, my phantom loads have increased over the last 5 years off grid.

Ralph

Thanks Ralph
They are nice and have had 2 of the Premier/Pierless myself. I am doing a few new homes and they keep telling me something like the GE Profile and I keep telling them No! Even tried last year suggesting Permier do a model with a ceramic top and someone up the foodchain there told me "it won't happen we are a union company" Oh well........

mountaintop

Re: Gas Ovens and Ranges

The thing over the stove is technically a “salamander”.

We put a Premier/Pierless in our new house. We do a lot of canning so we went with there 36” with 6 open burner model.

vcallaway

Re: Gas Ovens and Ranges

I just picked up a used Americana.

They are available at Home Depot for $349. Uses a pilot light and no cords required.

I picked mine up barely used on craigslist. There was an ad posted for the stove and a propane refrigerator. Both were only three months old. Unfortunately I did not have the $1,000 for the refrigerator. It was a good deal believe me.

She had been living in an off grid cabin in Quilcene Washington (google map it). The stove and refrigerator were the only things running on propane. She said she used about $25 worth of propane a month. She had two forty pound tanks so that is about one of those a month.

I have not hooked up the stove yet. Mostly because I have not built the cabin yet. I have owned an Americana stove before. The are not top shelf quality but they will last a long time if taken care of. When you buy them new they come with jets for both NG and LPG. If you are looking for a low cost no power required stove it is a good option.