Commercial Propane Range pilots

Solid_Fuel_Man

Working on a brand new Southbend 6 burner, bouble oven, and 3 burner griddle. I've got the burners dialed in, but the surface burner pilots are candle flames! Poor combustion and smelling up the kitchen.

I'm never impressed with these ranges. I've spent two trips to this jobsite. The best solution IMHO is get rid of the pilots! Anyone know of or have experience with electronic ignition for commercial ranges?

Dont know why we cant get electronic spark ignition from the factory in 2019!

Zman

I think the manufactures don't build them because the customers won't use them. You would have a better shot at getting the average chef to donate a kidney than push a button to light a burner.

Solid_Fuel_Man

It would be nice to have electronic spark ignition like that on a typical slide in residential range.

Maybe more susceptible to contamination? Dont know why OEMs dont at least give the option. It winds up being A LOT of wasted gas and significant heating in the kitchen area.

JUGHNE

In a nursing home, on an older comm range, the pilots were going out. Night shift would smell gas and call 911.
Adjustment and cleaning did not prevent outage.
I simply shut the pilots down and the kitchen help use grill lighters as needed.

Tim McElwain

As one who once owned a restaurant service business I would remove the pilots and solder them closed then start with the smallest drill and drill them out until I had a nice blue flame. Make sure then that the pilots ignite the burners safely.

Top the best of my knowledge there are no electronic changeovers for ranges.

mattmia2

My residential cooktop has an ignitor with flame rectification ignition proof, it requires no intervention from the user, you just turn the gas on, a switch on the knob turns on the ignitor module and the burner lights without any intervention from the user. i see no reason why a similar system couldn't be built in to commercial gear.

Tim McElwain

I would be suprised if your cooktop uses flame rectification. However a spark ignition system yes. In fact all ranges come with a spark ignition system and even some commercial. What I said was there is no retrofit that I know of for a commercial range cook top.

Solid_Fuel_Man

If I owned it, I'd use something similar to a grill ignitor. Not a piezoelectric, but an electronic spark with one electrode at each burner and one pushbutton. Didnt know if something like that is available as an aftermarket option/retrofit.

Module with 120v input, some high temp wire, a porcelain and electrode for each burner, and a nice water proof button.

Solid_Fuel_Man

@Tim McElwain I think the new high end gas cooktops do have flame rectification and electronic gas valves now. Turn the knob and it does the rest, just like an electric cooktop.

mattmia2

I assume it is flame rectification. If it goes out it automatically re-lights, you don't have to turn it to a light position or press the knob in, you just turn it where you want it and it automatically does the rest.

The valve is just an ordinary variable valve though.

i am pretty sure it just powers a module that detects if there is flame and sparks if it doesn't detect flame whenever the knob isn't in the off position.

Tim McElwain

I stand corrected some of the high end commercial units do use Flame Rectfication.