figmo@lll-crg.ARpA (Lynn Gold) (01/30/86)
When we moved into our first house last October, it was equipped with an old J. C. Penney's gas stove/oven. The previous owner had no documentation on it (like how to run/maintain it). The stovetop works fine. The OVEN, however, is flako city. It usually starts out sort of okay, but then it shuts off the heat and keeps the gas going. Today it did that until I came to check the bread. I turned off and on the gas to restart it, and the whole thing went "BOOM!" and flames shot out about 6 inches. Why would an oven do this? It's bad enough that it's always 25 degrees off. Now I don't know whether or not I need to replace it. Is there some way that I can clean it or something? Thanks, --Lynn
dave@cylixd.UUCP (Dave Kirby) (01/31/86)
In article <1221@lll-crg.ARpA> figmo@lll-crg.UUCP writes: >When we moved into our first house last October, it was equipped with >an old J. C. Penney's gas stove/oven. My sympathies are with you, Lynn. >...The stovetop works fine. The OVEN, however, ... usually starts >out sort of okay, but then it shuts off the heat and keeps the gas >going. Today it did that until I came to check the bread. I turned off >and on the gas to restart it, and the whole thing went "BOOM!" and >flames shot out about 6 inches. > >Why would an oven do this? It's bad enough that it's always 25 degrees off. >Now I don't know whether or not I need to replace it. Is there some way that >I can clean it or something? When we were first married, my wife and I lived in a little rental house with an old gas oven, so I know what you're talking about. There is a little valve that is supposed to shut off the gas when the flame goes out. It operates off the heat of the flame, which is why you have to hold a match to the pilot light for several minutes sometimes in order to get it to light; you've got to wait for it to warm up and let the gas through. The trouble comes when these little devils stick open, which they are prone to do as the stove ages and grease and dirt clog up the valve. Also, as the stove ages, crud gets into the pilot light openings, and the flame tends to go out more easily. So then you have a pilot light that blows out easily, and a valve that keeps itself rusted or gooed open, letting all that nice gas into your house. This stuff can be very dangerous. There are horror stories that the fire department likes to tell about people whose ovens flooded their house with gas when they were on vacation, and when they arrived home after two weeks and turned on the lights, BOOM! The whole house blew up, as the gas was ignited by the little spark created by the light switch. This problem can be solved with meticulous cleaning and proper lubrication. I prefer to get a good pistol and put the poor machine out of its misery once and for all and go get a nice electric stove. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Dave Kirby ( ...!ihnp4!akgub!cylixd!dave)
stu16@whuxl.UUCP (SMITH) (02/01/86)
> When we moved into our first house last October, it was equipped with an old J. C. Penney's gas stove/oven. > > > Why would an oven do this? It's bad enough that it's always 25 degrees off. > Now I don't know whether or not I need to replace it. Is there some way that > I can clean it or something? > > Call your local gas company. They will send out a rep to check it out and make suggestions. DO IT NOW BEFORE YOU BLOW YOURSELF UP!!! -- whuxl!stu16
guy@slu70.UUCP (Guy M. Smith) (02/02/86)
In article <1221@lll-crg.ARpA>, figmo@lll-crg.ARpA (Lynn Gold) writes: > and on the gas to restart it, and the whole thing went "BOOM!" and > flames shot out about 6 inches. > > Why would an oven do this? It's bad enough that it's always 25 degrees off. > Now I don't know whether or not I need to replace it. Is there some way that > I can clean it or something? Modern gas ovens generally have a device to prevent the main burner from turning on if the pilot is not lit. Generally the pilot flame hits a thermo- couple or some such which controls a valve allowing gas into the main burner. Sounds like the valve and/or the heat sensing circuitry are haywire. How easy it would be to fix depends a lot on how old it is and how hard it will be to find parts. Check your local supplier. It might be cheaper to get another oven entirely and just use the stove top. I don't care much for gas ovens anyway, they're lousy for broiling (stovetops are a another matter entirely).
kitten@hao.UUCP (02/11/86)
> When we moved into our first house last October, it was equipped with an old > J. C. Penney's gas stove/oven. > > The previous owner had no documentation on it (like how to run/maintain it). > > The stovetop works fine. The OVEN, however, is flako city. > > Why would an oven do this? It's bad enough that it's always 25 degrees off. > Now I don't know whether or not I need to replace it. Is there some way that > I can clean it or something? > > --Lynn ** Probably the best thing you can do is contact J.C. Penny's appliance dept, and give them the model number and its approximate age (how old is the house?). Either they have their own repair people, or possibly can recommend one. You don't want to risk you lives with a gas appliance, it's worth the money to have it looked at, and then you can decide which steps you can take. From the sound of it, you may have some kind of build-up at the pilot light, and obviously your t-stat needs to be re-calibrated. There is another option I just thought of...in the past, I have found my gas company willing to come out and check appliances and make minor adjustments at no charge. That way, safety is maintained, and gas is not wasted. I recommend you check with your gas company first. They may check it for free or a modest charge. Hope this helps, Karen~ {ucbvax!hplabs | nbires | decvax!noao | mcvax!seismo | ihnp4!seismo} !hao!kitten CSNET: kitten@NCAR ARPA: kitten%ncar@CSNET-RELAY