Lighting gas hob - knack?

[Guy.M]

Hello peeps, was surprised not to find a thread on the forum about this. What’s your knack for lighting the gas burners on the hob? I can generally light it without difficulty. Press the button down hard, ignite it, hold it for a bit then let the button go quickly - this last bit is perhaps the most important part. That’s my knack. But others in my family find that it very often goes out on releasing the button. Even if they follow my “knack guidance”…. It’s as if someone’s looking at the hob operator and choosing whether to allow the flame to stay on or not which is of course a ridiculous suggestion.

Anyone else struggle with this, and got an alternative “knack” to offer

 

[Corradobrit]

Plasma lighter. Super quiet unlike the piezo ignitor. Works every time.

https://www.amazon.de/dp/B07NL34W5L/

 

[Guy.M]

Plasma lighter. Super quiet unlike the piezo ignitor. Works every time.

https://www.amazon.de/dp/B07NL34W5L/

Thanks Corradobrit - it’s not the lighting of the gas that is the problem, it’s the staying alight when you release the button that seems to be the challenge.

 

[chockswahay]

Hello peeps, was surprised not to find a thread on the forum about this. What’s your knack for lighting the gas burners on the hob? I can generally light it without difficulty. Press the button down hard, ignite it, hold it for a bit then let the button go quickly - this last bit is perhaps the most important part. That’s my knack. But others in my family find that it very often goes out on releasing the button. Even if they follow my “knack guidance”…. It’s as if someone’s looking at the hob operator and choosing whether to allow the flame to stay on or not which is of course a ridiculous suggestion.

Anyone else struggle with this, and got an alternative “knack” to offer

Haha, I feel your pain it seems to have a life of its own!

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

Some members have replaced the unreliable piezo igniter with a battery powered one. Seems to be a good modification and fairly inexpensive. Search for HOB IGNITION UPGRADE.

 

[Corradobrit]

Thanks Corradobrit - it’s not the lighting of the gas that is the problem, it’s the staying alight when you release the button that seems to be the challenge.

Aren't they related? I don't have a Cali yet, but with the plasma lighter, wouldn't you just turn the gas on and then ignite with the handheld lighter. None of this faffing around holding down the piezo ignitor to keep the flame alight?

 

[Wesel]

The OP does not complain about the ignition system, but about the flame presence safety. It is true that you have to keep your finger on the button for a long time, but this being a safety device, there is probably nothing to do.

 

[WelshGas]

Some members have replaced the unreliable piezo igniter with a battery powered one. Seems to be a good modification and fairly inexpensive. Search for HOB IGNITION UPGRADE.

Aren't they related? I don't have a Cali yet, but with the plasma lighter, wouldn't you just turn the gas on and then ignite with the handheld lighter. None of this faffing around holding down the piezo ignitor to keep the flame alight?

Unfortunately they are not related.
The gas has to be alight for a time to heat up the thermocouple to allow the continued flow of gas. Until the thermocouple gets hot enough the gas knob has to be depressed to overcome the function of the thermocouple.

 

[Beeechke1]

I suspect the issue being raised by the OP is not so much the holding down of the ignitor but the gas knob, which has to be held down long enough to heat the flame failure device up, other wise release the gas knob to early and the flame failure device switches the gas off.

 

[Wesel]

Aren't they related? I don't have a Cali yet, but with the plasma lighter, wouldn't you just turn the gas on and then ignite with the handheld lighter. None of this faffing around holding down the piezo ignitor to keep the flame alight?

The button that must be pressed for a long time is not that of the piezo, but that of the gas supply until the flame presence safety device is hot enough to conclude that there is no risk of explosion,or asphyxiation, due to the release of flameless gas

 

[Corradobrit]

Unfortunately they are not related.
The gas has to be alight for a time to heat up the thermocouple to allow the continued flow of gas. Until the thermocouple gets hot enough the gas knob has to be depressed to overcome the function of the thermocouple.

OK, that makes sense. So its the gas button that has to be depressed for an extended period. Its bringing back nightmares I had in the 80's in the caravan sprawled on the floor trying to get the gas powered fridge to stay alight.

 

[WelshGas]

OK, that makes sense. So its the gas button that has to be depressed for an extended period. Its bringing back nightmares I had in the 80's in the caravan sprawled on the floor trying to get the gas powered fridge to stay alight.

Correct. It’s the Flame Failure safety function.

 

[chockswahay]

Haha, well if you want to talk about dodgy pilot lights……. I’m about to go

Try flying a one man hot air balloon (no basket, just a seat) over Longleat Lion enclosure on a calm morning with a pilot light that KEEPS GOING OUT every minute or so! On that occasion I carried 2 welders strikers, 2 electric gas lighters and 2 boxes of extra long safety matches and practised the art of lighting both liquid and vapour burners with all of these before take off…… and then used the welders striker very couple of minutes in flight…………. Who ever said flying a hot air balloon was either easy or relaxing?

 

[Corradobrit]

Haha, well if you want to talk about dodgy pilot lights……. I’m about to go

Try flying a one man hot air balloon (no basket, just a seat) over Longleat Lion enclosure on a calm morning with a pilot light that KEEPS GOING OUT every minute or so! On that occasion I carried 2 welders strikers, 2 electric gas lighters and 2 boxes of extra long safety matches and practised the art of lighting both liquid and vapour burners with all of these before take off…… and then used the welders striker very couple of minutes in flight…………. Who ever said flying a hot air balloon was either easy or relaxing?

Now there's a guy who likes to live dangerously. Less risky if the lions had already been fed.

 

[chockswahay]

Now there's a guy who likes to live dangerously. Less risky if the lions had already been fed.

Haha, I only did it for the money Although I must admit to it being one of the few times when I would have preferred to be in a basket……..

 

[Guy.M]

thanks for all the responses - including hot air balloons….! Seems like there’s no obvious knack I’m missing. It’s the ‘mind of its own’ nature (chockwahay ) particularly I was interested in. Sometimes you hold the button down for a very long time and it still goes out on release and other times a very short hold down does the trick.

 

[WelshGas]

thanks for all the responses - including hot air balloons….! Seems like there’s no obvious knack I’m missing. It’s the ‘mind of its own’ nature (chockwahay ) particularly I was interested in. Sometimes you hold the button down for a very long time and it still goes out on release and other times a very short hold down does the trick.

It is very easy when pushing the gas knob down to accidently twist it anti-clockwise slightly so when you release it flips to the Off position.

 

[The Tall Luthier]

Is it the same for both hobs?
If not the. The flame safety mechanism may be out of alignment on one hob, can you check to see if it being heated directly by a flame from the job or whether it is between flames.

 

[yossarian]

Sometimes the mechanical part of the flame safety device can be a little sticky and you need heat (to apply the electromagnetic force) and vibration to get it to shift. A piezo is a good source of vibration.

 

[SarahW82]

I know what you mean and it drives me mad! I *think* that turning the gas down low immediately after lighting keeps it alight more reliably, but I can’t swear to it.

 

[rod_vw]

You are not alone, SMEV / Dometic hobs have the same safety device (as do most gas hobs) and the same idiosyncrasies!
For the non-technical, there is a thermocouple in the flame which generates a tiny current when hot. This current energises an electro magnet in the gas valve which holds the valve open. Should the thermocouple cool or not heat up for any reason the gas valve will not stay open when you take your finger off it.

 

[yossarian]

Sometimes the mechanical part of the flame safety device can be a little sticky and you need heat (to apply the electromagnetic force) and vibration to get it to shift. A piezo is a good source of vibration.

Try this technique:

• Hob control to high.
• Press hob control to release gas.
• Press piezo.
• Pause, 3 seconds or so.
• Press piezo a second time.
• Release hob control.

If this works more reliably then you may have a sticky safety valve.

 

[Mike1973]

My gas hobs were similarly 'sensitive'. Infuriatingly so actually. Sometimes it took fifty attempts for the gas to remian lit as I released the knob. Until I found a fix! And now I no longer need a 'knack' (not that I ever really found one).

The fix was to pump the knob up and down vigorously for a few minutes. Like 100x or so. Quickly and vigorously. I dont know why it has worked but it seems to have freed or loosened something and now when lighting and releasing, the knob behaves as intended. So I don't need a knack anymore. And just to be clear the vigorous pumping of the knob (insert wink here) was a one off and you don't need to do it each time. Unless you want to ... but that might make you blind (wink wink).

Seriously though this trick has worked for me and now I have two working hobs again and working as intended.

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

Haha.
At my age, vigorous knob pumping is likely to bring on a heart attack.

 

[ejmoore]

We used to have this problem on our previous van (2008 T5) - having to keep the gas button pressed down for a while to allow it to 'take'. With the present van (2016 T6), the problem is the igniter doesn't work so well on the right-hand burner - click click click click BWOOMFF! nearly burned fingers. I think maybe water has got into this in the past, although we're careful to avoid that.