Hello all,
During a recent extended power outage, we had hot water, and a stove top, but no oven.
The natural gas fired hot water heater has a thermo couple / gas valve,and as long as the pilot is lit, the burner is ready to go.
The electronic ignitors will not fire on the stove top, but a match will get the burners going.
I was not able to find a way to get the oven lit.
I understand you don't know my oven, but generally speaking, what am I missing?
-Paul T

My guess is there is a thermocouple in the oven gas supply that is initially heated by electricity when the oven is turned on. So no power, no gas.

Your oven uses an ignitor. Maybe one of these:

Range / Oven Igniters | The Ignitor Store

__________________
You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows - Robert A. Zimmerman

Electric ignitor on the oven that heats a thermocouple. You might be able to get it going by using a barbecue lighter to heat up the thermocouple and release the gas. But maybe the ignitor needs to be electrically activated the whole time the gas is being released. That's the downside of a gas appliance that really isn't 100% a gas appliance. The Non-Electric company would supply you with a gas stove that needs no electricity at all.

__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

Correctamundo.

The gas valve opens when it sees a specific resistance. It really doesn't know if the ignitor is working or not.

Would really piss me off when a perfectly functioning ignitor would have to be replaced because it deteriorated very slightly and the resistance was, apparently, less than the gas valve wanted to see...............

I recently replaced the ignitor on the dryer. This device had some type of optical device that viewed the temperature of the ignitor coil and allowed the gas valve to open. Quite different from the stove and much more reliable.

Isn't the ignitor system in a gas oven there to stop desperate people from sticking their heads in there and turning the gas on?

__________________
1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

Well yes or not getting it lit when you think you did and having an accidental explosion.

I am old enough to have seen one by my first MIL who was trying to light the oven and got a big bubble of gas in there then went back in with a match or lighter and blew a nice orange ball of burning gas out the front door and singed off her facial hair and so forth.

Another minute of gas blowing first would have been really ugly.

__________________
[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

I know this since I fixed my oven few years ago.
The igniter for the oven is like a glow plug, it is always on when the oven is on. This glow plug is wired in series with the oven gas valve (seperate than the top burners), safety feature. If the glow plug blows (open cuircuit) then the gas valve does not open. During electric outage, there is no power to turn on the glow much less the oven gas vlave.

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2010 ML350 Bluetec
2012 Mustang Convertible

Wow that would have been one for you tube...

...when we first moved to Holland we bought a second hand gas oven that had no (working?) safety feature on it. It made me pretty nervous there was always a smell of gas in the kitchen. Landlords here have it easy - no requirement for either electrical or gas safety check. (Small print - that was the case. It might not be now - we've been out of rented for years and years now)

__________________
1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

These kids don't understand why anybody would have to light an oven with a match............


What do you mean..........you don't have a pilot light.........????

Thanks for the input. It sounds like the oven is not going to work without power. Not the end of the world. We do have water, and hot water, and we can cook. I just bgt the 2000 watt Honda suitcase generator and will use that to keep the heat going so the pipes don't freeze when the power goes out in February.
THANKS AGAIN,=pAUL t

I find the idea of an MIL with facial hair quite funny. I can't imagine it being much uglier.

__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13