Possible to Add Safety Pilot to Vintage Gas Parlor Stove?

ruddy

Hi,

We bought a Victorian house in WA and the previous owners heated with this 120 year old gas (LP) stove. It works fine, but we're not crazy about lighting the stove manually with a match and were wondering if it's possible to retrofit a safety pilot.







I've found various websites of folks saying they can add a pilot light to a stove like this, but haven't managed to actually get any of these companies to reply back with specifics.

I guess my question is: is this even possible to do?

EdTheHeaterMan

Anything is possible. You can add a 24 VAC transformer and a thermostat across the room, electronic ignition can also be added. The problem is hiding all those parts so you don't loose the aesthetics of that old appliance.

Zman

If it was mine, I’d take it a step further and convert it to self lighting. You could put all of this stuff in a black metal box behind the stove. https://www.supplyhouse.com/White-Rodgers-50I56D-905-Integrated-Intelligent-Valve-Retrofit-Kit?utm_source=google_ad&utm_medium=Shopping_withoutdata&utm_campaign=Shopping_Without_PLTV_data&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA_5WvBhBAEiwAZtCU7_JotDa-RjezFEUAk9JfqB2ocGqTp3W7Q1HCODsALtVes7SOP5TTpRoCwHEQAvD_BwE

EdTheHeaterMan

Zman's kit is a great idea but you still need a 24 AC source and since @Zman is going that far, you might as well add a thermostat


Do you think the box should be made out of sheet metal or would a pine box be appropriate?

And what colour should we recommend it be painted?

ruddy

Thanks, all, these are exactly the kind of ideas I've been looking for. The part I'm not clear on, is where the pilot burner itself would be positioned. Would I need to drill a hole in the bottom of the stove so that the pilot flame can be positioned inside the firebox where the gas supply meets the fire-ring?

As to aesthetics for hiding the controls, I'm not opposed to having a small metal box behind the stove that we could paint black. Since the granite slab that the stove sits on is also black, I think it will kind of disappear. The big question I have is how I find a pro who would know how to do this? I have the stove in the Los Angeles area right now, but I'm open to traveling or shipping. If anyone knows of someone looking for a cool project, I'd appreciate referrals.

One reason I've been assuming we want a manual pilot light is that we want a backup heat source if we lose power as well. Our main heat is now an electric "ductless ducted" heat pump system.

delcrossv

Pilot with a thermocouple?

ruddy

delcrossv said:

Pilot with a thermocouple?

Doesn't a safety pilot rely on a thermocouple to switch off the gas if the pilot flame blows out?

So, yes, that's what I'm hoping to retro-fit to this heater. Just not clear on how to find someone to help me do it.

delcrossv

Yes. Where are you located? A gas fireplace installer could retrofit this. There are kits with a thermocouple, pilot and gas valve.

Gas valve would be between the supply and main burner behind the stove and you'd need to drill a hole for the pilot supply and thermocouple lead. Probably put those on a bracket where the two burner "legs" connect.

If you're not really familiar, it would be better to hire a pro to do that.

ruddy

delcrossv said:

Yes. Where are you located? A gas fireplace installer could retrofit this. There are kits with a thermocouple, pilot and gas valve. Gas valve would be between the supply and main burner behind the stove and you'd need to drill a hole for the pilot supply and thermocouple lead. Probably put those on a bracket where the two burner "legs" connect. If you're not really familiar, it would be better to hire a pro to do that.

Yes. My preference would be to have a pro do it. I think you’re right about treating it like a gas fireplace. It’s definitely a very similar device and we will use it as a secondary heat source.  

The house is in WA, a couple of hours from Seattle. Right now the stove is in Southern California where we are packing up the rest of our stuff to move there. I brought it down here in case I would be able to find more potential sources for a repair. But I can bring or ship it anywhere if I find someone likely to be able to fix it right.