Thermocouple

[Rekusu]

How does a thermocouple work? Does it produce an small electrical signal? Do they wear out.

I have an Ikea / Westinghouse hob; over the years, the thermocouples have been causing trouble to the extent that recently, some of the burners will not stay on. I have cleaned the head and the tc contact areas. This initially helps but within days, the problem starts again.

I have investigated replacing the tc, but the only one I bought, which was marked as correct for my hob, would not fit as it seems every hob manufacturer has a different fitting.

Grateful for any suggests as it is ridiculous to have to replace the entire hob.

Thanks and toodle pip

 

[Deleted member 267285]

Thermocouple operation - work on gas appliances, especially what you’re working on should be performed by a gas safe registered engineer/competent person capable of checking safety

 

[Rekusu]

Ignoring the detail that perhaps I want to become a Darwin Award contender, if I am unable to find a suitable tc, how would a certified gas engineer find one? There seems to be a million to choose from and they all have different fitting sizes.

Would be grateful for an answer to my question please.

 

[Deleted member 267285]

how would a certified gas engineer find one?

If you mean ^^^^^ this question then see below

Would be grateful for an answer to my question please.

Being a gas engineer myself, 1st port of call is to obtain the GC number of the appliance and go from there. Failing this, contacting the manufacturer’s technical helpline/customer services.

 

[ericmark]

As an electrician I have used many thermal couples, and have replaced many, mainly on oil fired space heaters, and mainly working abroad, they are clearly an electrical part with mineral insulated cable, but there are interrogated with the burner, and even if they are electrical often their failure is due to a burner fault, jets over time wear and the flame gets slowly bigger and bigger, as an electrician I simply don't have the equipment to set the flame, does not matter if oil or gas, one needs the equipment to set the flame, I am sure I could buy it, but in spite of working on oil fired heaters for years, I simply don't have the equipment to adjust the flame, and simply not worth my getting it, so I employ a guy who has the equipment to set my oil boiler, and the same would go for gas, what seems so simple, like unplugging an appliance, one would think if an appliance can be simply unplugged then we as the user could unplug it, but it seems even such a simple task, and the sockets leak, so still needs a gas safe guy to test, I did it with father-in-laws house only to return and smell gas, one does wonder why they fit plugs and sockets if we can't unplug them, maybe @CBW will explain why they are used? But I found out the hard way, it needs a guy with all the equipment, it is simply not a DIY job.