Martyn22 Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 just got back from 3 months great holiday in Spain, have had a problem getting any burner on my hob to stay lit after releasing the button, sometimes I have to light it 4 or 5 times before they stay on, it did not matter how long I kept the button pushed in the same thing happens with the grill however the oven starts up straight away. My van has a Dometic Cramer hob and Spinflow Duplex oven. I took my van back to Davan Caravans were I bought it but there workshop manager said they were so busy he did not have any one who could look at it and it would be at least the first week in May before it could be booked in this I am not very happy with so left and will not use them again. is this something I can fix myself? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 Hi Martyn, This sounds like you have low gas pressure so my first guess would be that your regulator is failing. They are relatively inexpensive so, if you are capable, then worth trying a replacement before you pay for a dealers time. If you could post manufacturers name and model of your current regulator someone may be able to tell you where is best to buy a new one. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 As the oven lights without problem, it would be helpful to know whether the grill is in the oven or under the hob. If the grill is under the hob, I'd suggest it is unlikely to be the regulator (I assume heating has been used in Spain and en route, and the heater is usually the greatest gas consumer, and where regulator problems are most likely to surface.), because it would then only be the gas supply to the hob that is problematic. It also seems the hob burners light, but then extinguish, but can be lit successfully a while later, which is what might happen with defective thermocouples. However, it seems improbable that they would all be defective, so possibly a supply problem that affects just the hob. So, I just wonder if the OP travels with his gas cocks turned off, and if the one feeding the hob might not be opening fully when turned back on? One of ours stuck in this way when new, but with use now opens immediately. With a cock closed there would be sufficient residual gas pressure in the line to light the gas initially, but the pressure would soon fall and the flame extinguish. Something along those lines? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJay Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 We had a similar problem with our hob. It turned out to be the front plate had worked loose (the one with the knobs on). We where told it was the thermocouple, but just putting the front plate on correctly , now Ok Maybe the sme problem or not? PJay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 If the motorhome’s gas appliances (hob, grill, oven, fridge, heater, boiler, etc.) will all operate simutaneously at maximum output, it can be assumed that the regulator is not the problem. If the hob and grill gas-burners will all operate at maximum output when they have (eventually) been persuaded to stay alight, it’s reasonable to assume that the problem is not due to an inadequate gas-supply to the hob/grill. When attempting to remotely diagnose a technical problem it’s usually helpful to be provided with details of the motorhome involved (a 2007 Free Tec 688ti in this case I believe) and whether the fault has suddenly appeared or gradually developed. Given the age of the vehicle, and the fact that the problem affects the hob/grill burners (likely to be lit regularly) but not the oven (probably used much less often), It would be worth experimenting with VERY CAREFULLY cleaning the tip of one of the hob thermocouples where it protrudes into the burner’s flame to see if that does any good. Also check what each burner’s flame-pattern looks like at the thermocouple position. If the burner does not rapidly heat up the tip of the thermocouple because the flame-pattern at the thermocouple position is poor, lighting the burner could well demand several goes before the thermocouple becomes hot enough to cooperate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martyn22 Posted March 15, 2015 Author Share Posted March 15, 2015 thanks Brian, having turned off the gas at the bottles for the tunnel crossing I had no need for gas on my trip home to Bristol, have just been out to my van and first turned off inside stop cocks then turned on gas bottle, 1st turned stop cock on full turn then on, oven lit straight away then to each of the hob burners all started ether 1st or 2nd time being able to let go the button almost straight away some thing I was not able to do on holiday. All the flames were a good clear blue in colour. Perhaps air in England is different than abroad? again thanks for your input Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 What did you do for gas in Spain, Martyn? I'm assuming you didn't last for three months on UK gas cylinders. Do you turn the gas off while travelling? Did the problem lighting the hob start while in Spain, or have you always experienced a problem with this? I'm just wondering if there may be a slight leak between the cylinder and the regulator. The connections at the ends of the pigtail would be the most likely source. If either connection is not adequately tightened, or if it is overtightened, or cross threaded (depending on connection type), or if one of the rubber washers is perished/split, that would do it! If the gas cylinder and the appliance cocks are both left fully open, the system will remain fully charged with gas, though some will be lost through the leak. However, if you turn off at the cylinder, the gas in the system will slowly leak away leaving an airlock in the supply. Then, when the cylinder is turned back on, the pressure will drive any remaining gas to the burner, which will light briefly, followed by the air (when the gas will go out), and will not reignite until the fresh gas from the cylinder gets through. As Derek has suggested, make, model, and age of van may help someone give better analysis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martyn22 Posted March 16, 2015 Author Share Posted March 16, 2015 Brian, my van is a Tec 688ti and is now7 years old, mostly use it at Warners shows and last winter and this winter. I don't turn gas off when traveling, system is gas low and l filled up before l left and 4fill ups in Spain Grill and hob now working OK all l did was turn off inside stop cocks then turn on at the bottle the turned on each tap at a time, at the time of poor start up fridge and heating worked OK,l don't have much experience with my van but taking 4/5 attempts to get them to work is not right, Davan who l bought from would not even look at the problem. Thanks for all your help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 Martyn In your initial posting you described the gas-lighting problem, adding “...I took my van back to Davan Caravans were I bought it but there workshop manager said they were so busy he did not have any one who could look at it and it would be at least the first week in May before it could be booked in this I am not very happy with so left and will not use them again...” Your earlier forum postings indicate that you purchased your now-7-years-old TEC vehicle from Davan at least two years ago. I assume from this that there is no longer any Davan-related warranty attached to your motorhome. Even though it was taking several attempts to light the hob/grill gas-burners, this was hardly inhibiting your use of your motorhome. Several suggestions were made above as to the cause of the problem, all of which would have taken time to explore. Each of the suggestions had merit, but now the problem seems to have self-corrected for no clear reason. As far as I can see Davan’s workshop manager accurately assessed the problem as a minor irritation not preventing you from using your motorhome and unlikely to be a safety issue.You wanted the problem looked at quickly and were told that the first time-slot available for your motorhome to be booked in and the problem investigated would be at the beginning of May. At this time of year caravan/motorhome dealers are up to their eyes with work and will need to prioritise. Although a dealer’s customers might expect to be given preference over casual visitors, there will still be a need for realism. As you were still able to light the hob/grill, would a few weeks delay before Davan could work on your motorhome have been an intolerable hardship? There are several motorhome dealerships in the Bristol area and, if you checked, you might well find that none of them are currently in a position to attend to your motorhome at short notice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martyn22 Posted March 17, 2015 Author Share Posted March 17, 2015 Derik thank you for your input, my point about not able to have a look at the problem was the time we spoke at their reception desk he could have had a look at the problem, were like my experience trying the suggestions given me he might have also discovered the system was now working. Remember l had this problem for 3 months Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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