Re: [VAL] Back to Magic Chef

[Daisy Welch <jtdjtd@xxxxxxxx>]

First you have to get down on your knees with a flashlight 
and look in there. You can of course just turn it on and 
hope for the best, but that can get exciting.

Under neath the main part of the oven you will see a big 
main burner. It may look like a sort of razor clam or paddle 
shaped thing, and it might  have visible holes or they might 
be buried in a slit. This is what does the actual heating. 
On my '73 Magic chef, and nearly every other gas oven I have 
wrassled with, there is also another thin tube that comes in 
and ends in a metal contraption that has various fins. holes 
and stuff. This is the pilot light.  On most ovens, this 
will stay lit. Mine as an indicator for OFF and then next to 
it PILOT OFF. The first just sends gas to the pilot light 
and the second kills the gas to the pilot light. If I leave 
the pilot light lit, when I want to use the oven, I just 
turn up the dial to the temp I want and soon there is a nice 
whoosh.

In this pilot light contraption are thermal switches that 
turn the gas off if the pilot light blows out, and more to 
the point, one that must get hot before the gas will go to 
the main burner.

If all goes well, you kneel, light the butane stick, hold it 
near the pilot light and turn the gas on. The tiny pilot 
light will burn blue for a while and then the thermal switch 
will allow the gas to go to the main burner, which the pilot 
light is waiting to ignite.

Now then, if you have a horrid old stove, I would think it a 
good idea to get a gas stove guy to take a look at it. If, 
for example, the main burner is rusted away, you may get 
what sounds like a dragon in there. And if critters are 
living in any of the tubes it might be exciting too. You may 
also have a stove that doesn't have a pilot light and need 
to light the main burner directly.

If you have your lighter lit before you turn the gas on, it 
is generally more of a dignified proceeding.

As always, If I have mispoke, let's hear it.

Daisy