get a pilot ignition propane-gas kitchen stove.
I understand all new gas stove-ovens require spark ignition, battery or electric. I prefer the old-fashioned pilot ignition setup for a propane range-oven, which I can shut off completely when I leave for a couple of winter months and then restart when I return, perhaps after a lot of cold weather. I am not worried about blowing myself up but am more concerned about dead batteries (and just maybe, closed stores). This will be off grid. I plan to make electricity, but I still prefer kitchen simplicity to complexity. It would be unfortunate to own a good late model oven that might be unusable during a prolonged emergency. This is in North Dakota.
Can anyone suggest sources where I might buy a used old gas-propane range with a pilot light for the oven? I’ve wasted lots of time on-line searching with no results. But there should be a few old gas stoves around, still.
Also, If I am forced to buy a battery sparked ignition oven, is there a reliable alternative to auguring a hole a couple feet below the frost line to store batteries, in a plastic bag and covered with insulation to the top of the hole? If I’m away for 2 months, a solar battery maintainer might get covered with snow, ripped off, etc. Overall, finding an old gas stove seems like the best solution. Thanks for any ideas.
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A propane torch with a sparker will light a pilotless gas stove. So will a match, I guess.
Yes, store a book of matches
no wasted propane, no constant burning or smell
If you are off grid, you probably have a lighter for the wood stove
We used to use a butane match (one of those loooong butane lighters) during power failures when we had an electric pilot gas stove.
Just make sure the oven is gas too, and not a dual-fuel like ours. We couldn't use the oven during power outages, as it was electric.
Apparently, I'm wrong. My understanding was to light a propane pilotless oven required electronic ignition, from an electricity source or battery. I've been reading one can light the stove top with a match, but not the oven which must be ignited electrically.
I can probably figure out some way to store matches. Thanks for the responses.
You can find gas cooktops that are electrically lit with a piezoelectric igniter. These use a button that makes a big "snap", and that snap causes the piezoelectric material to produce a voltage that makes the spark. No batteries required with these. There are others that can plug in an use line power, so no batteries with those, either. You could probably adapt a battery operated igniter to work with a DC bus in an offgrid setup too if you use a DC-DC converter module.
I would advise against a pilot ignition system. Those systems have been mostly phased out for various reasons, and the electronic ignition really is a lot more reliable. If you can't find a suitable electronic ignition system, just light your stove using one of the "electric match" gizmos that are available at all the box stores. The only thing you usually need to do is keep the gas lit long enough that the thermal flame sense system heats up enough to keep the gas valve on. These are REALLY NICE safety systems that automatically shut off the gas flow if there is no heat from the flame, which helps to make sure you never have the burner running without a flame. I'd avoid older stoves without this feature.
I've never used a modern gas oven, so I really can't comment there. I wasn't aware they were even manufactured anymore.
Bill
Thanks Bill
I've had both. The piloted stove was for my off grid cottage and the electric ignition stove is in my current home.
Both work fine. It's a little worrisome when the pilots blow out but no big deal really. You smell the gas right away.
The electric ignition stove comes in very handy when we lose power. You just turn the knob and light it with a match. Nice to be able to cook during power outages.
Lot of the gas ovens have an electric glow ignitor. These are powered all the time when the oven is running and consume a fair bit of power. There is no way to run these ovens without AC, the gas valve will simply not turn on unless power is flowing through the glow ignitor.