Mobile Gas Fire "goes out"

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zanuck
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Mobile Gas Fire "goes out"

Postby zanuck » Sat Dec 08, 2007 9:57 pm

A week or so when we were over, we used the Ecron mobile gas fire (where you but the gas bottle behind the fire and inside the unit). The regulator and tubing were replaced about 18 months ago.

It's always worked fine until this trip, when after about 4 hours of use one evening the pilot flame grew smaller and sputtered and then the fire went out. No smell of unburnt gas. We had to wait maybe 30 minutes before it would relight properly. It was OK for the rest of the evening. The fire was set to "medium".

Next morning I changed the bottle for a new one, but a similar experience occurred that evening too.

Whilst we didn't have any windows open, the living room is open plan to dining and kitchen and from the kitchen is an archway to a 2m x 2.75m "conservatory" to the front door; and the staircase is situated behind the mobile gas fire, so plenty of upward airflow.

Anyone else experienced this situation or got any thoughts on what might be causing the fire to go out. We didn't feel drowsy, so didn't experience any effects of lack of oxygen. in the house.

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safeashouses
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Postby safeashouses » Sun Dec 09, 2007 11:47 am

Gas fires have a safety device installed where a thermocouple provides electricity to hold open the solenoid. If the thermocouple fails the gas supply will be cut off. The pilot light heats up the thermocouple, the same would happen if the pilot light blew out.

This site may explain it better than I can.

http://home.howstuffworks.com/pilot-light.htm

Providing you can get the part it should be an easy job to replace.

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Wicksey
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Postby Wicksey » Sun Dec 09, 2007 4:09 pm

I've not had much luck with those mobile gas heaters. The first one went wrong after 4 years of 'holiday' use (just a few weeks a year) and the other lasted about 3 years before the air intake just below the flame expired. It was a little hole covered with a type of gauze that had become perforated. It wouldn't stay on and I could not source either a part (it was a Superser which I think has been taken over) or anyone to repair it. We ended up throwing it out. Perhaps our first one went wrong because we only used it infrequently?

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Trooperman
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Postby Trooperman » Sun Dec 09, 2007 5:16 pm

Yes Zanuck. My experience is much the same as Wicksey's. I wouldn´t expect too much in the way of longevity from these estufas.
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zanuck
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Postby zanuck » Tue Dec 11, 2007 8:10 pm

Safeas, your link was most enlightening - many thanks.

Wicksey and Trooperman thanks for your input; we have a fire here in the UK that we bought soon after moving to what used to be a large village, about 25 years ago, when we discovered that Southern Electric as it was then, delivered an even flakier electricity supply than Sevillana Endesa. Whilst it only gets used infrequently these days, it must be a more robust model than the Ecron or else consumerism and throw away society took over.


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