Replacement of Pilot Assembly parts

[Supermax]

Hi,
I have two Jotul natural gas iron stoves. Each of them has a problem with the pilot assembly and I would really appreciate some help with the repair.

The first Jotul's pilot assembly was looked at by PGE (Pacific Gas and Electric, my energy provider in California). The PGE man said the round metal tube-looking part on the right of the pilot assembly needs replacing. He said he thought that part is the thermo-coupler?, and is not generating enough of whatever it should be generating for the pilot to stay properly lit. (Pilot is going out occasionally. The PGE guy had never seen a Jotul before, so he was not absolutely sure of what he thought might be the problem.

My second Jotul's pilot assembly is having a problem with the part of the pilot assembly that is in the middle position. Gas is coming out to the left and the right, but only occasionally comes out in the front. When it stops coming out from the front, the pilot goes out.Does that mean that part needs replacing?

Lastly, is it easier to simply replace the entire pilot assembly rather than try and find/replace individual parts? And who is the best dealer to order parts from?

Thanks, in advance, for any help.
Supermax

 

[begreen]

Welcome. It sounds like the serviceman is on the right track. A failing thermocouple will cause intermittent pilot failures. But first he should try cleaning it, making sure it is correctly located and directly in the flame. If it is and still failing, then replace it. On the other Jotul it sounds like the pilot assembly needs cleaning.

 

[DAKSY]

Welcome. It sounds like the serviceman is on the right track. A failing thermocouple will cause intermittent pilot failures. But first he should try cleaning it, making sure it is correctly located and directly in the flame. If it is and still failing, then replace it. On the other Jotul it sounds like the pilot assembly needs cleaning.

Jotul pilot assemblies work like any other gas unit, but because Jotul uses a SIT Valve, the Thermocouple (TC) is not a generic one. That has to be SIT Valve specific. If you're burning LP, there may be a carbon build up where the pilot flame hits it, interfering with the millivolt generation. If you're burning NG, it probably needs replacement. Also, there is a Brass pilot adjustment screw on the front of the valve. That can be rotated to increase or decrease the pilot height. Did he actually disconnect the TC from the valve & take a millivolt reading on it? Should be at about 28mV, IIRC. On the second unit, have your tech pull & clean the pilot hood. Sounds like there's a build up in there. There's a small snap ring that can be removed to free up the hood.