Removing thermocouple from stovetop

[mbrmbrg]

Our gas burners have thermocouples so the gas turns off if the flame goes out. Our power burner has an undiagnosed issue that causes the gas supply to get cut off even if the flame is burning.

We've replaced the thermocouple, cleaned the (clean) flame spreader, and unclogged the (clear) gas line. Research has revealed that thermocouples are a known bug in our secondhand stove top.

At this point, I just want a burner that can heat up oil past 275^oF, so I'm ready to take out the thermocouple and replace it with a plain ol' wire. Do you people think that will work?

 

[Asymptotic]

Continue troubleshooting until the problem is no longer undiagnosed, then take the appropriate measures to safely remedy it.

Answer the question "What's the worst that could happen?" by bypassing the thermocouple. In this case it is an increased potential of explosion and fire leading to fatalities.

 

[mbrmbrg]

Yeeeaaah... That's my husband's issue with my little solution. I say we've never blown up anything with any of our previous gas stoves that all lacked this feature, which is, admittedly, poor logic.

 

[Asymptotic]

Yeeeaaah... That's my husband's issue with my little solution. I say we've never blown up anything with any of our previous gas stoves that all lacked this feature, which is, admittedly, poor logic.

While investigating a recent question about thermocouples I learned not all of the flame safety devices used in gas burners called thermocouples actually are. Rather, some are capillary thermostats, or another type of sensor.

Second, chances are good your previous gas stoves had flame sensors. The best timeline I've found so far is from a company that remanufactures gas valves for antique stoves - flame safety systems first appeared in the 1930's, and by the late 1950's, stoves without any flame safety systems were no longer in wide distribution.

 

[Nik_2213]

If it is a capillary thermostat, like the flame-failure safety device on an old 'central heating' unit I used to wrangle, you MUST replace 'like for like'. It simply will not work otherwise.

On ours, you'd twist then hold in the small 'warm-up' knob, press the 'piezo' button to light the pilot, then wait while that heated the main burner unto 'READY', as defined by the sensor. This could take so long, I had to improvise a jig...

 

[CWatters]

The people that did blow themselves up aren't around any more to warn you not to bypass the thermocouple.

Many burners create a ring of many individual flames one of which lines up with the thermocouple. If the burner is taken apart for cleaning it must be put back in the right position or the thermocouple might be "between flames".

 

[mbrmbrg]

Thank you all for your input! Good to know about thermocouples vs capillary thermostats.
I liked the idea of putting the burner back in the wrong position, because that's a super-easy fix. But our burners cleverly have two holes, one for the igniter and one for the thermocouple (unless it's a capillary thermostat!), so the flame spreader only fits on in one position.

I'll let you know what I end up doing...
(But you guys don't need to worry: there's no way my husband is going to let me risk blowing up our house and the people therein.)

 

[berkeman]

(But you guys don't need to worry: there's no way my husband is going to let me risk blowing up our house and the people therein.)

We worry anyway. Please do not bypass this safety feature.

 

[Averagesupernova]

I doubt it's possible to defeat this safety feature.

 

[OCR]

I'm ready to take out the thermocouple and replace it with a plain ol' wire. Do you people think that will work?

It shouldn't... just plain ol' wire won't provide the same function as a thermocouple...

A thermocouple produces a temperature-dependent voltage as a result of the thermoelectric effect, and this voltage can be interpreted to measure temperature.

You probably know all that already, but other readers might not...

 

[CWatters]

Good point. A plain wire will probably look like a cold thermocouple turning the gas off not on.