Electronic vs. Pilot Light propane ranges

thorsness

We have a small propane range (pilot lights) at our cabin and want to install a full size model. Those for sale on Craigslist are almost all electronic ignition with LED clocks. In addition to changing the jets from Natural Gas to Propane, does anyone have information or suggestions about the wattage demand of the clock and the electronic ignition for the burners and oven? We have two 12 volt AGM batteries, solar and EU2000 generator charged, that power our modest CFL lighting system. Another reason to buy a "Kill-a-Watt" meter I suppose.
Thanks as usual.

JB

mike95490

Re: Electronic vs. Pilot Light propane ranges

It's the oven ignitor and flame monitor that can really suck the power. Most nowdays are glow bars, they take several hundred watts to heat and monitor.

thorsness

Re: Electronic vs. Pilot Light propane ranges

Yikes. That's more than ALL my lights, inside and outside, and the kids' DVD player.
We'll look for a pilot lighted model then. Thanks very much.

JB

BB.

Re: Electronic vs. Pilot Light propane ranges

You probably will want to look at stoves where you can turn off the pilot light for the stove top burners (lighter or matches). And you can light the oven pilot when needed reasonably conveniently.

-Bill

westbranch

Re: Electronic vs. Pilot Light propane ranges

there are also some models out that have a snap snap snap lighter, like a piezzo electric BBQ lighter. don't know what they draw.

hth
EJ

jeffkruse

Re: Electronic vs. Pilot Light propane ranges

I am shocked at how much electricity my gas oven uses. It seems to be around 200 - 300 Watts. 300WH for dinner in a GAS oven. Thats about how much the rice cooker uses.

BB.

Re: Electronic vs. Pilot Light propane ranges

I believe Peerless-Premier spark ignition option ranges will do what you need.

I have read that they do not require much power (one person claimed none--perhaps spark electronics are only turned on when gas is on) when off--only a little bit when sparking to start the flame.

They also can be run with out AC power and lit with a match--including the oven. The oven will stay lit until "turned off" when you would need to manually light again (if no AC power).

You could probably place the range on an AC switch--and turn off if it causes you inverter to come out of "search mode" when the range is plugged in.

-Bill

Ralph Day

Re: Electronic vs. Pilot Light propane ranges

BB hits it on the nose. I have a Premier Peerless and it has the piezo electric ignition of top burners and the pilot for the oven. I even leave the clock working it's such a little load.

The clock can get dumb. It will lose several minutes if charging with the generator for 5-6 hours. The gen voltage is lower than the inverted voltage delivered to the outlet.

Really a fan of Premier. I shopped all over until I found them. Check out the web site. They are not the 6 burner $3000 kind of kitchen item, but $700 was what I'd paid for an earlier range (15+ years earlier). If you install it yourself check that everything is aligned properly...or have it installed by your gas supplier. On mine the thermocouple for the oven burner had jiggled away from where the flame would impinge on it...wouldnt stay lit and operate the oven. Re-aligned and worked fine. One burner orafice (spud) was cross threaded, but that was just a deep socket needed to back it out and put in properly (burner had most of the flame on only one side). Fixed easily too.

Ralph

icarus

Re: Electronic vs. Pilot Light propane ranges

Stick with the standing pilot. There are models that that have electronic spark ignition for the top burners. The spark units don't draw much, but any one that has glow bar ignition is a huge draw.

The reason being, aside from the draw of the heating element, is that the gas valve won't open until the control "sees" enough glow bar amperage, then it knows it is hot enough to light the gas.

I know that the "Brown" brand of propane or natural gas ranges have a standing pilot top burners and a standing pilot oven. The newer versions have a thermocouple ovens so that if the pilot goes out, the gas stops. (This allows to keep the pilot un lit until you need the oven if you don't mind the hassle of lighting the pilot every time. The pilot on the ovens is pretty substantial, on the top burners it is so small as to only burn a tiny bit of propane per day.

Tony

Kamala

Re: Electronic vs. Pilot Light propane ranges

Might not be directly related but... I was surprised to find how much electricity was used by my propane appliances.

Water Heater = 9W
Fridge (w/electronic control panel) = 3.2W

I could not detect any draw from the piezo ignitors on the stove top.

icarus

Re: Electronic vs. Pilot Light propane ranges

Piezo ignitors won't have any draw.

You can always unplug the the water heater when idle to save the 9 watts.

tony

solarvic

Re: Electronic vs. Pilot Light propane ranges

Checked my GE gas range once and it uses 400 w when oven is lit. It stays lit the whole time you are using oven. My gas furnace has the glowbar also. S:Dlarvic

halfcrazy

Re: Electronic vs. Pilot Light propane ranges

Peerles all the way. I have been using there range for 5 years no power draw and no standing pilot light.

Kamala

Re: Electronic vs. Pilot Light propane ranges

icarus wrote: »

Piezo ignitors won't have any draw.

Figured that. As I understand imagine guess... it's a crystal that gets banged on by a spring loaded device (probably has an inductor to magnify the collapsing em field.) But wait... I might not have piezo ignitors. Unlike my pocket cigar lighter, the stove uses momentary rocker switches. Some other kind of electronic ignition, perhaps.

icarus wrote: »

You can always unplug the the water heater when idle to save the 9 watts.

The water heater is switched and I only turn it on about an hour ahead of anticipated need. If that need is dishwashing, I'll turn it off when dinner is served. If it is for showering, I'll turn it off only after everyone is done. It is thermostatically controlled and has a 6 gal styrofoam insulated tank. But as long as the power switch is on, it draws the 9W.

audredger

Re: Electronic vs. Pilot Light propane ranges

I bought a GE Range. It said "electronic ignition", oven has a heat bar, not electronic. The heat bar only draws when the oven is about to light, not on all the time. Igniter for top burn uses so little that kill-o-watt meter does not register.

All this said, had I been able to find a Peerless that would have been my 1st choice.

Vic

Re: Electronic vs. Pilot Light propane ranges

Have run the Peerless Premier for about 3.5 years. No problems at all. Works well and seems to need very very little power when idle (the clock is the only load). The electronic ignition cannot consume much power, and that is only needed to start a top burner, or to ignite the oven's pilot.

Would buy the Peerless again for my off-grid use. Vic

icarus

Re: Electronic vs. Pilot Light propane ranges

Kamala,

What water heater are you using that draws 9 amps? Is that 12vdc or 120vac?

Is it just a little tanked electric?

Tony

BB.

Re: Electronic vs. Pilot Light propane ranges

I think Kamala made a typo... Earlier he typed "9W" -- Not 9A.

-Bill

Kamala

Re: Electronic vs. Pilot Light propane ranges

Bill's right. 9W, or 750 mA, is what I meant.

icarus

Re: Electronic vs. Pilot Light propane ranges

So is the 9 watts the control board for a demand gas?

Tony

Kamala

Re: Electronic vs. Pilot Light propane ranges

Best I can figure, for the water heater, yes. But as I said, this is off most of the time. Powered up only in anticipation of use.

Kamala

Re: Electronic vs. Pilot Light propane ranges

BTW, the stove top is a Dometic. One burner refuses to stay lit.

Dave Angelini

Re: Electronic vs. Pilot Light propane ranges

audredger wrote: »

I bought a GE Range. It said "electronic ignition", oven has a heat bar, not electronic. The heat bar only draws when the oven is about to light, not on all the time. Igniter for top burn uses so little that kill-o-watt meter does not register.

All this said, had I been able to find a Peerless that would have been my 1st choice.

I think this is incorrect. I checked a GE range for a customer last year and the glow bar is on the whole time the oven burner is on. When the burner is told to go out the glow bar goes off. Basically using 300 watts per hour and more if you are going from cold up to 500F.

Maybe you have a new model and they finally fixed this decade old problem? Nah, General ELECTRIC!

audredger

Re: Electronic vs. Pilot Light propane ranges

Yes Dave, anytime the oven gas is on the heat bar is on also. Once the oven is up to temp and the gas shuts off, the heat bar does too. Pearless would have been better

Ralph Day

Re: Electronic vs. Pilot Light propane ranges

That's my experience with avoiding glow bars...oven control ''on"means the bar is hot. I prefer a pizo ignited pilot (Peerless is peer-less)

And Inquiring Minds want to know...where is the State of Jefferson, or is it a state of mind?

Ralph

BB.

Re: Electronic vs. Pilot Light propane ranges

Jefferson - The 51st State - Northern California / Southern Oregon ...


-Bill

icarus

Re: Electronic vs. Pilot Light propane ranges

Or the state of Lincoln,, Eastern WA and Eastern OR, ~ N. ID http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_Lincoln

audredger

Re: Electronic vs. Pilot Light propane ranges

Thank you Bill for the website post.

The flag for the State of Jefferson is a gold pan with two X's for having been double crossed. "We" don't like the rules from either Sacramento nor Salem!

audredger

Re: Electronic vs. Pilot Light propane ranges

BTW my "Wai Wela" Tankless heater uses .36 watts standby and 3600 watts running on low.

Dave Angelini

Re: Electronic vs. Pilot Light propane ranges

Gas ignition on clothes dryers is different and definately the way to go. The igniter is only on during ignition (Frigidaire/Kenmore) and seems to be what GE should do but they are braindead there. I have been getting the same form letter back from them for a decade saying it is a great idea and please do not respond as it probably will be deleted soon......

One step forward and 3/4 back.

icarus

Re: Electronic vs. Pilot Light propane ranges

audredger wrote: »

BTW my "Wai Wela" Tankless heater uses .36 watts standby and 3600 watts running on low.

You are running electric demand water heater? Do you pre-heat with solar, and or did you consider LP or Natural gas?

Tony