I really hate to start a new thread for this, but I felt so stupid when the solution to this hit me last night. I have a gas stove that the top burners can be lit with a match if the power is off, but the stove can not be used because the flame is electronically controlled rather than turning on and off with a pilot light (a dubious improvement as far as I’m concerned). So….I have been looking at all kinds of alternative ways to bake, (bread, etc.), a plethora of which have been described and tested by the contributors here.
Then last evening while driving home from work it hit me. DUH!!!! All I have to do is provide alternative power if the grid is down. Even those not planning an alternative power supply like I am can do this easily. A spare car battery and an inexpensive inverter from Wally World will do the trick, and it will be infinitely easier than the “camping” methods. Of course if the gas is off or if you are out of propane then you are still screwed.
If I am the last person in the world to realize this, just let this thread sink and die the death it deserves.
Hillbilly Bill : Glow bars , which are used in many ovens, take 400–500 watts. Make sure that you have an inverted that will handle that load. If it is pizo electric operated it will not take nearly as much. Also remember that a glow bar is a resistance load and running it for a long period of time may over discharge your battery. See if you have any docs on amperage draw when your oven is operating. Kelly
Don’t forget to check out www.premierrange.com for their stoves which can be used even during power outages! I specifically bought this range because of this feature. The 36″ stainless model looks almost as expensive as a Viking at a fifth of the price. It’s 6 very heavy cast iron burners cover the entire range top and make an excellent and safe resting area for things coming out of the stove, not to mention, that I can get four huge canners going at the same time. You can take the two middle grates off and put on the heavy teflon/cast iron griddle over the middle burners. Great for making tortillas, english muffins, not to mention the usual pancakes and grilled sandwiches. This stove is made in the USA! We picked it up from the factory in Belleville, IL (east of St. Louis) and got a HECK of a deal on the price. The ignitors for the stove top have gone on the blink regularly, so I just light it the old fashioned way with a match —updated to the modern method of a long nosed lighter. If the power goes out, I would have to light it that way anyway, so i don’t mind getting in the habit. This stove is my “baby” and will go with me if we ever move! I can’t say enough about this stove for the money!
NP1: I believe glow bars would be for an electric oven? Hillbilly was talking about just running the electronic thermometer for a gas/propane oven. Different animal altogether.
Np1 – at 10:19 My oven has the pizo electric thingy, I know because the one in my gas water heater went bad and I had to buy another. An oven would not be used all that much, I’m sure one decent battery would handle it easily.
Hillbilly Bill — can you discuss your solution in a little more detail? Far from your thread sinking in ignomitity, this problem was vexing me this very morning… though my solution was far less elegant. (Picking up a junkyard oven and using the drawer as a firebox — how’s that for the hillbilly handywoman?(GG) )
NEMO : I have lived off grid for 19 years, so I have had experience with this sort of thing. Many gas ovens do indeed have a glow bar to light them and keep them burning. If the glow bar goes down the gas shuts off. This feature is a byproduct of our wasteful energy culture is this country. Kelly
Nemo- No, the glow bars appear in gas ovens. It is one of the nasty little secrets in some of the “GAS, BUT NEED ELECTRICITY” ovens that they have this power hungry glow bar consuming hundreds of watts of power. It actually makes the oven a gas/electric hybrid.
When you look into living off-grid, you run into this kind of malarky all the time.
Looks like I entered in parallel with NP1
My DH who repaired appliances said that glow plugs do draw a lot of amps before they open the gas valve. If you dont have enough amps the plug will look like its working but it wont open the valve
Northstar – at 10:46 A perfectly good Hillbilly Handywoman solution! Actually I wish I would have kept my old propane stove/oven that I sent to the junkyard.
OK, in answer to your question, and it seems that it is complicated by what type of electric igniter your oven has, you can use a 12 volt battery, an inverter and an extension cord to run your oven. Other posters here have much more experience with this than I do so I’ll lt them provide exact details. I plan to connect my Kill-A-Watt meter to my stove and see how much it uses. Even for ovens with a glow bar, it is not on all the time, but comes on amd goes off, therefore it is not a constant drain.
Old thread - Closed to increase Forum speed.