Acrid Grillevator smell and Grillevator sometimes needs resetting

[waternai]

Hello, everybody! I’m having a little problem with my 1951 O’Keefe & Merritt stove that I got this summer. I’ve noticed an acrid smell from the Grillevator when it’s on. This is not a gas smell or a burned food smell. It’s sharp. In addition, sometimes the Grillevator turns off, and I have to turn it off and press the safety button to get it to come back on. The pilot seems to be alright, though it has two flames. I haven’t had to relight that. I cleaned the whole Grillevator oven again, and I took extra time to scrub the burner with a brush. The burner appears to light just fine when it comes on, with no clogged outlets. The flanges beside it glow quite a bit on the burner side when the Grillevator is on, though. Is that normal?

I appreciate any suggestions and advice. I’ve stopped using the Grillevator, since it started having issues and I’m concerned about something being very wrong. I miss my Grillevator. The right hand oven operates as expected, with no odd smells.

 

[rp2813]

If you used oven cleaner, that is likely what you're smelling.  Otherwise there may be residue from your brushing that is burning off.

 

[combo52]

Arid Smell From An Ovens Broiler

Is there any evidence of mice etc ever being in the oven insulation ?

 

If they ever nested in the oven insulation the urine etc will make an awful smell when heated, we also see where mice dragged seeds, nuts, dog and cat food into the nest and again it makes an awful smell.

 

John L.

 

[tomturbomatic]

I always follow oven cleaner with a thorough rinse followed by a vinegar rinse then a clear water rinse. If the acrid smell came on suddenly, I would sustect oven clener.  If is thas been ongoing, I would suspect rodents as John mentioned.

 

[waternai]

Turning off?

Thanks for the ideas!

There were no rodents—it had been refurbished this millennium, and I didn’t see anything when the side panels were off. I didn’t use oven cleaner when I cleaned it, just some all purpose cleaner. I did rinse it, and it had not smelled like that from the beginning. The acrid smell is a recent development. I brushed it again because it had started to smell.

I am also concerned about why it keeps turning off. The pilot is staying lit, so it’s not the safety kicking in in that regard. However, when it goes off, it will not come back on until the safety button is pushed as one would do when first lighting the pilot. It has two flames, as shown in the photos above. Is that normal?

I do not have a manual for the stove. Does anyone have one or know of a good resource for this particular model? I could only find one for a couple of years later than this stove. Using the Grillevator seems pretty straightforward, and I followed the instructions on the door, but perhaps there is something I am unaware of that needs to be done.

Thank you again for your help.

 

[combo52]

The burner is shutting down because the therm o couple is shutting down the gas, either the TC is weak or the pilot flame is not adjusted correctly.

 

John

 

[waternai]

Weak thermocouple

Thanks, John!

How do I tell if the thermocouple is weak, needs servicing, or needs cleaning? I don’t see a problem with the pilot flames. They look blue and steady, and they remain on even when the burner goes out. Do they seem right to you? A friend suggested that it might possibly be shutting off because it is too hot. Does that seem like something the sensor would do?

 

[rp2813]

There's no cleaning or servicing for thermocouples.  When they fail, you replace them.  They're cheap and can be found at any hardware or home improvement retailer, usually hanging on a card.  Just bring yours in to match it up.  If one of those stores doesn't carry what you need, then a plumbing & heating supplier should.  If you're not sure what it looks like or where it's located, it's a cylindrical metal component that's situated so it's exposed to the pilot flame.  Removal and replacement is usually an easy procedure. 

 

The size of the pilot flame shouldn't be an issue.  My friend's wall heater (a cheap Williams unit) was putting out a noticeable amount of heat with just the pilot going.  I took a look and saw that the pilot flame was huge.  The thermocouple wasn't affected, but I adjusted the flame way down anyway since gas isn't as cheap as it used to be.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Another couple of things that can happen over time with pilot lights is that the pilot tube itself can erode or disintegrate and the flame become very large and even if the tube remains intact, the little plate against which the pilot flame burns will develop a little inverted cone of carbon (soot) that can se seen glowing a dull red at the tip of the flame, especially if there is a yellow tip to the flame.  That glowing soot is what gives so many older apartment buildings that distinctive odor more permanent than the boiling cabbage and fried onions.

 

[twintubdexter]

<span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #008000;">The advice about replacing the thermocouple seems to be the best place to start. It's inexpensive and not a big job. The O'Keefe & Merritt grillevator ranges were such great stoves. I remember cleaning lots of those for resale. Some of them had so much solidified grease that the mechanism that operated the broiler wouldn't move. Under the burners would be even worse. It took a lot of hard work and several bottles of Easy Off to get one looking new, but they always sold in a day or two after being put on the used sales floor. It wasn't a bad job for a 13 year old kid either. It paid very well compared to a paper route. So what if my hands looked like I'd been using Granny's lye soap?</span>

 

<span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #008000;">Here's one that popped up for sale in my area yesterday. Seems like a good deal to me. Yes I know this really belongs in Shopper's Square.</span>

[this post was last edited: 12/18/2020-12:22]

https://palmsprings.craigslist.org/atq/d/la-quinta-1955-okeeffe-merritt-stove/7248698600.html

 

[tomturbomatic]

Thanks, Joe.

 

Did either of the broiler burners on the OK&M have a screen around them like the Western Holly broilers to provide infrared heat?

 

[davey7]

Ever so often I get that smell too, but I haven't traced it to the broiler, but rather to the oven (also OkM but a later model, the broilers look almost identical inside). I'm glad to know I'm not alone with the smell!

 

[rp2813]

If it's any consolation, while still at our first home, we "upgraded" to an early 2000's JennAir gas range that Dave found on line and purchased from a private party in 2008 or so.   Every time the oven was turned on, the kitchen was filled with an acrid smell that was so toxic as to be literally unbreathable.  I couldn't stay in the room with it. 

 

We had that stove for less than a year before we put the house on the market.  I was very happy to leave it behind.

 

[waternai]

Thanks!

Thanks everybody for your help! I’m putting on a new thermocouple now. We’ll see how it goes. I appreciate all your advice and the stories of stoves past.