Piezo-starting gas ranges

[w1guh]

My brand-new stove started "clicking" spontaneously with no apparent reason last Sunday.  I unplugged it and a couple of hours later it had "fixed itself".  I just heard someone else say that that happens with hers, too.

Anyone know what's up with this?

[Ed-VA3ES]

In our city, we have a suburb that's just adjacent to  some broadcast stations.  There are a couple or three 50KW stations within 1 KM (.6 of a mile) of  houses.  People with gas ranges complain all the time that the ranges console glitches and falses continously.  The fix is a good Hammond power bar with EMI/RFI  protection. 

Do you live near BC stations?

[W1ATR]

Ditto on the EMI/RFI protection. With the fine craftsmanship put into todays imported electronics, any crap coming down the mains will do all kinds of funny stuff to that ignition box.

I say gut the fine china circuit board, lets get an ignition transformer for an oil burner, and wire that bad boy up to a nice big knife switch screwed to the cabinet next to the stove. Throw the switch, turn the gas valve, and "WALLA", divorce papers.

SK

[John Holotko]

My brand-new stove started "clicking" spontaneously with no apparent reason last Sunday.  I unplugged it and a couple of hours later it had "fixed itself".  I just heard someone else say that that happens with hers, too.

Anyone know what's up with this?

Did any water or steam condensation leak under or  ontop the control knobs of the stove ? I have had the same thing happen here on several occaisions and it was always due to water (die to flood, cleaning, or even condensation), on about or under the control knobs. Once it dries out it stops.

[w1guh]

A big THANK YOU!

In other words..this happens, & the stove is fine.  Thanks.  And, I'll communicate to the other person the reasons you mentioned. (She's a brilliant engineer and will understand the explanation)  The good news to me is it's "normal" and all's cool.  I totally appreciate the info.

73, all.

And (Sorry about the mush)...it's good to be a part of such an intelligent and talented bunch.   

Paul

[W1IA]

My brand-new stove started "clicking" spontaneously with no apparent reason last Sunday.  I unplugged it and a couple of hours later it had "fixed itself".  I just heard someone else say that that happens with hers, too.

Anyone know what's up with this?

Depending on the module type some have a diode flame detect circuit. These tend not to stay fixed. I would recommend you have the company install a new module....only other reason is if moisture got into the gas valve switchs on the front of the stove. Was it delivered in the rain? Did you spill anything down the front.

Also inadequate grounds on the plug have been know to do the same thing. Make sure the appliance cord going to outlet has your typical third pin earth ground and does not have a reveresed nuetral.

After 15 years of fixing appliances I have seen many combinations of failures.

Brent W1IA

[WBear2GCR]

Speaking of uproc controlled appliance junk - The bought new for too much money Maytag Neptune (MHW3000AAW, for those keeping score) bit the shed without notice after an amazing run of almost 8 years. The short version is that the door lock runs on some whacky thing called a "Wax Motor". They cheezed on the door lock, and saved about 2 bux max on solenoids, and associated parts to control them... since the Wax Motor (which I had never heard of) runs on... WAX! There's a stupid PTC thermistor next to a 1/4" square little metal box filled with, ummm... WAX, and a plunger with a pin coming out the other side - it runs off 120vac, heats the box, the WAX expands after a while... pushes the door latch closed... take off the heat, it opens... oh JOY!

Weel, they used a 500ma triac and a 1/8watt resistor with said triac to run this nominal 1.2kohm PTC... apparently something goes beserk from time to time with the PTC and it goes LOW somehow, destroying the triac and the 1/8 watt resistor... which as often as not takes out the uproc that controls the gate of the triac. Rendering the Retail ~$200 board junk. Which coupled with a service call makes it a ~400$$ repair.

I was able to replace the triac with a 2.5a unit and put a 1/2 watt resistor in the hole, but the uproc had already been fried and it refused to run the timer... so I had to replace the whole board, which after schmoozing the counter guy at the wholesale place, I got at the "employeeeee" price, which save a few bux, and it works now...

BUT, this is what put Maytag out of business... class action suit that they lost. Apparently they knew the design sucked. (they never heard of opto isolators??) Anyhow, what's the lesson?

SEND IN YOUR WARRANTY CARDS VIA RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED FOR MAJOR APPLIANCES!!

(oh, and buy ur replacement parts wholesale...    )

Heh, we never got notified about the class action suit, nor the "free" fixes, and the time limit is up... now they say, "not our problem..." Needless to say, we have no proof, so no recourse. Time limit is up to file. 

But it gets the clothes clean... the drive motor runs on electronically produced 3 phase, which is nice... too bad they cheezed on opto isolators and ummm... a fuse?

            _-_-WBear2GCR

[flintstone mop]

Just a little off track with RFI. I solved an RFI problem from my radios to the external TV sound system by using an isolation transformer. It reduced the RFI to where you have to put your ear to the speaker to hear my Ham signal.

Fred

[WBear2GCR]

Wrong thread, fred...

but try adding a surplus Corcom type common mode filter after the iso tranny?
Or, maybe just a small cap across the line after the iso tranny for a few dog Biscuits of extra supression?

         _-_-WBear2GCR