Really want a vintage gas range but afraid....

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Yes, even Ultramatic would give his approval too. That is a C/P range with pilots and a thermocouple for the oven pilot. There should not be a problem being installed. Its the manual light models that todays people would just turn it on and dont know that they have to light it by hand, thats why they are outlawed here because they will explode.
 
Gas Oven Control Systems

The first type of gas ovens you just turned the gas and lit it, very simple and energy efficient with no constant burning pilot, temperature was regulated by opening and closing a gas valve and later a thermostat was added that regulated gas flow.

 

Second type had a constant burning pilot that heated a thermocouple which generates a very small amount of current which keeps a magnet safety valve open in the control whenever the pilot is burning. This type of control was widely used from around 1940-1960, when you turn on an oven with a TC system the oven comes on instantly and when the oven gets to set temperature the flame just modulates down but does not go out, this type of modulated control were the best baking and had the most constant heat.

 

Third type used a constant burning pilot that heated a mercury safety valve, when the oven was turned on the pilot size increased and heated the mercury valve sensor and then gas flowed to the main burner. This type control was widely used from 1960 till the end of constant burning Politics ranges only 10 or so years ago. On this system if the pilot blows out the gas for the tiny pilot still flows.

 

Around 1977 gas ovens started to use hot surface electric ignitors, California banded constant burning pilots in dryers and ranges around 1977, it took till the Obama administration to get this expanded nationwide.

 

Hot Surface Ignitors are simple but use a good amount of electricity and wear out in 2-10 years depending on how much you use your oven. Replacing HSI is the number one major home appliance today.

 

There are many other variations of gas oven controls out there, my favorite today is Whirlpools Direct Spark Ignition DSI , this system WP introduced around 1999 and uses a spark like top burners use, it is instant and uses almost no power and should not give any problems in the life of most gas ranges.

 

John L.
 
I grew up with gas ranges for most of my life. When I bought this house some 25 years ago, all it had was electric. Yeech. One of the first things I did was convert the cooktop from electric to gas. I left the built-in wall oven electric. It's OK.

My favorite gas range is the Wedgewood brand. Well made, and nice looking.

We never had a problem with gas leaks or explosions. Sometimes the burner pilots would go out, and from an early age I learned how to adjust and re-light them. I agree it's a minuscule amount of energy for a pilot light.

I prefer gas for cooktops. For ovens, it's sort of a wash.
 
Because we had huge resources of natural gas most people here cook on gas. Nobody I know ever had a problem with it, so it looks relatively safe. However some disturbed people have used it to make an end their lives. A miracle some of them even survived it and most neighbours survived too. I guess it's safer to force them to use an electric cooker. They can do less harm with those.

The second picture is of an explosion caused by a man who wanted to blow himself up to go to heaven to meet his mother.

foraloysius-2022011205365801821_1.jpg

foraloysius-2022011205365801821_2.jpg
 
I use and love my gas range, to bad I have gotten a wee but behind on cleaning her, if I'm too tired right after the meal is done, and the stove is too hot, then I'm even more tired after eating...

Someone long ago disconnected the gas main to her house to do such a similar attempt she actually survived and actually stayed at the hospital I worked at, overheard that she was in the ER then later our psych ward for that days later, so I saw her come in for the burn treatment... The hisses was completely gutted, right down to seeing the side by side refrigerator with the doors taken off sticking out like a sore thumb, amongst all the blown up and burned up debris...

-- Dave
 
#22
That's not a burned ANYTHING. It's melted and/corroded.
It's an $8 cord that can easily be changed and last another 20 years.
It didn't explode. It didn't burn.

Something like that rarely happens but I've seen such a thing when the dryer outlet got wet from the basement window. The water ran down the wall and into the outlet.

----

#27
Never thought about that but yeah. WHO hasn't seen in movies or heard about stories of someone who wants to "end it all" so they put their head in the oven.
A GAS oven.
I def. believe there should be dignified euthanasia of people who so choose.
Don't want people doing crazy destructive things like that apartment building.

 
WHO hasn't seen in movies or heard about

"WHO hasn't seen in movies or heard about stories of someone who wants to "end it all" so they put their head in the oven.
A GAS oven."

 

Yes but it only happens in the movies. In the real world, gas ovens have a thermocouple safety system so that if there is no flame to consume the gas, the gas supply shuts off in seconds. Don't believe what you see in movies.
 
"It just NEVER happens....."  until it happens to YOU!

 

Thing is, even if your home, and your neighbors home is free from gas or gas leaks, if the next house down explodes or catches fire, it can damage the homes all around it.

 

And look at the apartment or condos like the ones above.  What happens to those people who didn't live directly in the unit(s) that were demolished.  How was their lives changed in an instant?


bradfordwhite-2022011217033507421_1.png
 
re:#22 and life in general

While that corroded plug did not start a fire at some point it could have with enough current flowing through it.

Life has no perfectly safe options, you can choke and die eating dinner. Cars can burst into flames under certain conditions, a powerline can fall and kill you, and yes a gas line can leak. But we do our best to mitigate the danger. That is the best we can do - that's modern life.

If you are terrified of some aspect of modern life do all you can to avoid it but if a vast portion of the population has zero issues with a product or service there is no reason to fight against it and ever try to outlaw it.
 
Making life better.

The "reason to fight against it and ever try to outlaw it"
is because
"we do our best to mitigate the danger. That is the best we can do - that's modern life."

---
It wasn't that long ago that people were literally smoking as though it was acceptable and healthy. And they would do <span style="text-decoration: underline;">inside buildings</span>. disGUSTING ! Contaminating other people and all the furnishings.

People were even smoking inside Hospitals.   Unthinkable! 

Now, because people stood up and pushed society FORWARD, that is no longer done.
Progress.

And there are many other examples.
 
And buy a Propane/Natural gas detector to be located by every gas product in your home. Maine now requires all new buildings using gas to install these. I suppose they will smell the gas leak before you can. The ruling was due to a new building having a concrete barrier set that severed a gas line and a custodian smelled gas upon entering, called the fire dept. and the building exploded, killing a fireman in Farmington.
 

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