Dan O. -- Tuesday, 27 August 2002, at 2:08 p.m.
: help! we need some help regarding an old tappan
: visualite oven. we just moved into a 1948
: house in which the tappan visualite oven
: passed inspection. during renovations to the
: house, the gas was disconnected. when the
: plumber reconnected the gas, the oven did
: not work--the pilot lights but the oven does
: not heat. we would like to try to save/use
: this vintage appliance. however, the
: repairman from sears said that it could not
: be repaired because he coudn't get parts for
: it. he also said he didn't know what parts
: he would need. does anyone have any
: information that might assist us?
A pilot ignition model works as follows;
1. When the thermostat is turned on, the pilot flame should extend (get bigger).
2. The bigger pilot flame heats the capillary sensor tube of the oven safety valve.
3. When the oven safety valve senses the larger flame, it opens the main gas supply to the oven burner which then lights.
If the pilot flame is not extending when the thermostat is turned on, the thermostat could be defective or there may be some blockage in the pilot gas supply line.
If the pilot flame does extend, it may still not be getting big enough. That could be caused by a plugged or partially plugged pilot orifice.
If the pilot does extend and get to the proper size, the oven safety valve could be defective, its sensor tube dirty or greasy or just out of position.
It would have to be checked out to find the actual cause. I would suggest you call a service company other than Sears to look into it for you. Maybe one that's been in business for a long time which may be more familiar with older products.
Even if a replacement part is needed but is not available new, it may be possible to have the original part repaired. see some of the companies link the Appliance411 'Appliance Links' section under "Restoration".
I hope that helps.
Dan O.