Intermittent Gas Leak (?)

[Gasseous]

I agree with Todd. We have had an electric range for the last 20 years until we moved to St. Louis and I refinished Addie. When I come into the house, from work, I can smell the gas. That is just with the pilots on. It isn't a raw gas smell, but I can smell it.

Gasseous

[rusty_apache]

---For example, the back burner and thermowell are very perfect little daisy burners, while the front two burners can form much fuller big flames.---


The difference in flames is probably an adjustment issue, and may, or may not have anything to do with your' gas leak problem. Improperly adjusted burners can release high levels of carbon monoxide. The flames need to be blue. If they are orange, you need to adjust them like the left rear, and the thermowell.

I think Pokey has it right. make sure your' pilot light valves are turned off, or just light, and adjust them.

Remember, gas is especially fatal when it is allowed to accumilate. If you ever come home and smell a strong gas smell, get out of the house. Turn off the gas, preferably at the meter, so you don't have to go back in. Open all doors, and don't turn anything electrical on or off. Be aware that static electricity can set off an explosion as easily as a light switch. So don't pet your' cat while wearing rubber soles and standing on carpet. good luck!

[lowracer]

Aw come on, I can't believe we can't say "come" on here. That's a perfectly good English word to use when describing cracking flames climbing up a pot.

Guess that wasn't it. Maybe **** ? Can we say "**** ?" Flames can **** the sides of a pot too.

I think it's time to turn off the "nanny mode" of this board. We're all adults here and we can talk about ovens without saying ****, ****, ****, ****, **********, ************, or ****.

<font color="#FFFFFF" size="1">[ October 28, 2006 02:01 PM: Message edited by: lowracer ]</font>

[lkeriegrl]

Thanks for sharing your takes on the issue. Today is catch-up around the house day and I think before the weekend is out I will have adjusted the flames and turned the burner pilot on. It's decidely colder in the house now than it was in August when we turned it off. I will take before and after pictures of the individual flames an post those. No, none of the flames is orange, they are all blue.

Someone mentioned "raw gas". I do have a sensitive nose. Now, some mornings I notice a harsh smell when heating, usually the tea kettle. I keep thinking the gas is too high and turn it down so that the flames do not at all **** up the sides. The smell seems to subside after a few minutes. Like after the water is heated a bit? Is there soem technical description of that?

More later, nd thanks for all the encouragement and dire predictions [img]wink.gif[/img]

Erin

[Joe Pieweed]

lkeriegrl:
Hey fellow B Silverlite owner.

Take some of the guesswork and safety concerns away right off the top and simply totally remove, dismantle, clean, regrease, and reinstall your valves.

It's not at all that difficult, and is the ONE thing that IMO should be done first with any newly acquired Chambers.

Prior ot dissasembly, make things easy on yourself and thoroughly clean the valves and manifold into which they are screwed: Lay some raggy towels below the valves in the service cabinet. Use Easy Off and/or a steam cleaner to clean the valves and manifold.

Use the manual and the previous posts to prepare for the removal, and guide you on the following:

When you are ready to remove the valves, use a combination box/crescent wrench (3/4" or 13/16", whichever fits), over each valve body. Put a large screwdriver through the box end and use the screwdriver as a lever to rotate the wrench counter-clockwise to loosen and remove the valve.

Only the **** need do the following: Keep count of the number of full rotations that it takes to unscrew each valve. Lay each removed valve in an egg carton representing the arrangement of the valves on the manifold (use a Sharpie to mark the # of rotations in the proper section for each valve.)

You may want to polish the exteriors ot the valves at this point. A buffing wheel on a bench grinder does a great job. Nuthin' like gleaming brass to impress your friends and neighbors.

Dissasemble and soak each valve in kerosene: a small bottle-type brush helps to clean out the interior. If the male or female parts of the valve are glazed or scored, you can use fine steel wool to clean it up.

Rinse in denatured alcohol to get rid of trace kerosene and steel wool remnants.

Coat male part with thin application of hi-temp valve grease obtained from Sam.

Reassemble valve. Reinstall into manifold.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

Joe

[lkeriegrl]

Joe,
Omigod. At least I don;t have to guess what the starred-out word was. What a thorough description. I let myself off the hook as fa a scleaning and degreasing the valves when it proved impossible to unscrew the last bolt holding the back and stovetop on. At this point I'd probably get rid of the fold-down top, since it doesn't really fold down and som uch yechh is accumulating under the bottom edge.

Well, I can't say now that I don't know what to do. Give me a week or two and I'll check back in. (No gas smell lately though)

[Joe Pieweed]

lkeriegrl:

No need to remove the back and stovetop. Simply remove the front grates, burners, unscrew the nuts holding the gas piping to each valve and pull out piping, loosen the nut holding the thumb-latch do-hicky retainer, and pull on the chrome valve handle when you unscrew the valve.

So much more entertaining than watching movies on Friday night.

Joe P.