At 08:22 PM 12/17/98 -0500, you wrote:
We have been enjoying the list for a couple of weeks now. We are the proud owners of a 1963 Safari, which we are about to pull to the San Francisco area from New England via Florida. It will be our maiden voyage in an RV with a bathroom. (Our last trip was made in a 1968 Dodge postal van camper conversion...10mpg)
Unfortunately we found out today after having to get the out of date gas tanks replaced, neither the heater or the oven in our 'stream work. I guess if we get to cold, well hover around the stove burners that do work, and/or cover ourselves with our Labrador Retrievers. Any other creative heating ideas would be appreciated.
First of all, if the gas has been turned off, it takes a while to get the air out of the line and the gas flowing. Get a butane lighter with the pencil-like snout and spend some time applying it to the pilot and thermocouple.
I find that my Magic Chef oven has a delay before it will light. The book says:
Important: Your oven is equipped with a safety ignition that requires a mimimum of 30 seconds to operate after turning the oven control knob on. The oven pilot may be slow in lighting due to air in the gas lines.
(Mine has taken a minute or more at times).
I spent Wednesday night at my trailer after having had the gas shut off since September. I spent several minutes with the lighter in one hand and the other hand holding down the reset button. Finally the pilot lit and the furnace worked wonderfully for the next 8 hours or so when I shut it down again.
Last year, I had a problem where the pilot light would blow out after a few cycles of fan operation. The fix was easy. I opened up a little metal cover and found a screwdriver adjustment for the pilot. I turned it until the pilot flame became a bit larger, and it was worked well ever since.
The moral of the story is don't assume your appliances are defective until you've futzed and worried over them for a while, and made sure the valves are open and the air purged from the gas lines.
Randy Hoops - KØCM - Springfield, MO
http://members.dialnet.net/rhoops
1973 31' Airstream Sovereign on Table Rock Lake near Branson