1950s(?) gas cooker servicing

[Galfredus]

Hello All,

A friend of mine has the attached extremely old gas cooker. He bought it second-hand thrity years ago. It continues to give apparently good service. However, when having his boiler serviced a couple of weeks ago, he asked the engineer to run his CO meter over the cooker. The oven and the hob burners are all fine, but the grill burner it lethal! Gas man suggests replacing the cooker, but said friend likes his vintage appliances. Are there any firms out there specialising in servicing/restoring things like this? If it was a Morris Minor there would be any number of options, but historic kitchen appliances seem to have a more limited following. In the meantime red tape has been applied to the grill burner knob.

It appears to me that the grill burner has become clogged with grease/carbon, which restricts the gasflow. I have not turned it on myself for obvious reasons, but it was reported to give a fairly puny and yellow flame. Trouble is that the grill burner is very difficult to get at without removing two of the hob burners, which then starts to become plumbing, and beyond my expertise...

Any advice very gratefully received!

Regards,

Galfredus

 

[snowhead]

Looks just like the Main my Mother used to have.
There should be a vent from the grill at the rear of the hotplate section,blocked maybe?
I seem to remember the grill burner bar is removable, or was that the oven bar.
Cast iron and the holes get blocked.

 

[AWheating]

the appliance should be disconnected and labeled untill its either replaced or fixed. What area are you in? maybe somebody gas safe registered on the forum can help or point you in the right direction. It is unlikely parts will be available.

 

[Galfredus]

What area are you in? maybe somebody gas safe registered on the forum can help or point you in the right direction.

We are in Tooting, south London.

 

[Bernie2]

The old trick was to remove burners and soak in caustic soda (Go very careful with this). Check vents are not blocked and nozzle injector area is clean. After that you are getting into Gas Safe areas. I would also have carbon monoxide detector fitted, cheap enough. Check ventilation air as well. Can door open? Can window open? On these old cookers it was assumed I think, the user would take the burners out and wash them every so often. Also check the burners aeration port is clear and the adjustment mechanism has not rusted or been damaged or come loose, it may need resetting.

If your unsure get a Gas safe guy or gal in. But if it is thirty years old and somebody had never done this sort of user maintenance before it would have probably stopped working years ago.

If your still unsure about it get a Gas safe person in to check it out.

 

[Galfredus]

The old trick was to remove burners and soak in caustic soda (Go very careful with this).

Thanks Bernie! I hadn't thought of caustic soda - we use it in ovens, so obvious really! On initial inspection the first problem was getting at the burner. It has a shround sitting on top of it (cast iron?), which fouls the feeds to the hob burners when I try to get it out, and without removing the shroud I can't get at the burner, so I've fallen at the first hurdle. I'll have another look and perhaps take some more pics when I'm next round.

G

 

[mountainman]

Those cookers were pretty easy to work on, you really need an old ex gas board fitter who is still GSR (like me, but I'm too far from you)

Incidentally, you say that the CO readings were high. Do you have the actual readings?

 

[Galfredus]

Those cookers were pretty easy to work on, you really need an old ex gas board fitter who is still GSR (like me, but I'm too far from you)

Incidentally, you say that the CO readings were high. Do you have the actual readings?

I'll enquire about the actual readings. Glad to hear of any nostalgic gas fitters!

 

[mountainman]

Make it soon, I've probably not got much time left.

Having just renewed my ACS blah blah!, I'll be really fed up if I don't get my full five years worth

 

[SimonJohns]

This appliance needs to be disconnected and not used in anyway until it has been recomissioned and tested by a competent gsr with a fga.

I would also recommend the installation of a combined co and smoke alarm in the kitchen.

This will kill if left.

 

[AWheating]

assuming the op is not gas safe registered? please do not attempt to work on the gas appliance yourself. We should only advise you to contact a gas safe register engineer to take a look.

 

[mountainman]

Why would one disconnect a cooker because just one section may not be working correctly. Just render that part inoperative.

Evidently a GSR flagged the fault and didn't feel the need to disconnect.
In addition, cookers can produce high levels of CO and still be regarded as safe as per regulations, which is why I asked for the actual readings.

 

[SimonJohns]

Do you really think that a bit of red tape is a suitable form of protection. This is an immedialy dangerous appliance.

 

[SimonJohns]

Wow I just zoomed in on the pic. Have you seen the height of that flame

I think it's time for a newer, safer cooker!

 

[Galfredus]

Gosh! Quite a flurry. Friend does not know what the exact reading is. I'm sure you are right - as a GSR the man who did the measurements would not have left it connected had he considered it unsafe to do so. My use of the word "lethal" may have been overegging the pudding in that regard.

I think the point is that there are likely to be GSRs who are more sympathetic to keeping an old applicance going, and there are those who would rather flog my friend a new one. In my job I have to work with ancient electric motors, some now pushing a hundred years old. When it comes to safety inspections there are electricians who simply condemn, and there are those who take them apart and mend them because they get more satisfaction from doing that. I am hoping to find their gasman equivalent....preferably somewhere near Tooting.

G