The Hometown Treasure June 2011 | Page 15

[email protected] June 2011 Menno’s Tech Minutes New & Used Custom Built Computers Computer Repair & Upgrade Virus Removal & Clean-up Networking [phone] MikeA Monthly Article Being Schwartz [phone] Topeka, IN Provided To Help Out With Common Household Appliances W Connections Igniter Failure Part 2 Superior Carpet Cleaning Without Harsh Chemicals Noble/LaGrange Superior Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning • Hot Carbonating Extraction • 1-2 Hr. Drying Time • No Steam - No Shampoo • Stays Clean Longer • Completely Safe & Nontoxic • 100% Satisfaction Jerold & Laura Mishler • 260-768-9130 Independently Owned & Operated - Serving Noble & LaGrange Counties W C W C Westside Connections New & Used Custom Built Computers Computer Repair & Upgrade Virus Removal & Clean-up Networking [phone] Mike Schwartz [phone] Topeka, IN [email protected] Page 15 High Tech Cleaning Now In The Area - Ready To Serve You! enough to create the New & Usedamperage of current required Custom Built Computers flow in this series circuit, to satisfy what is required Computer Repair & Upgrade Virus the gas Clean-up on the rating plate ofRemoval &safety valve to open the Networking valve safely.Schwartz of the gas safety valve593-2162 (260) is a bi-metal Mike Inside [phone] Topeka, thin insulated wire intended for the wrapped with IN [email protected] purpose of creating heat to warp this bi-metal, which starts the gas flowing, when the correct amperage is obtained in the circuit we just wrote about above. The igniter continues to maintain that amperage draw as long as the heat cycle or thermostat requires it. Each estside heat cycle will start the process all over again, granted onnections the cycle time is shorter since the oven is already hot. To explain why aNew & Used warps when heated bi-metal Custom Built of two dissimilar metals correctly, we need to think Computers Computer Repair & Upgrade that expand or contract at a different rate, which have Virus Removal & Clean-up Networking been laminated to each other. So to exaggerate a bit, [phone] Mike Schwartz if you hadTopeka, INpieces of metal, and (260)heating both two by 463-1166 [email protected] to the same temperature, the one would expand say a couple inches beyond the other piece. If the two pieces were laminated to each other, you would end up with quite a bow of metal material when it was heated. If you then reduced the amount of heat required by the manufacturer of estside the bi-metal would the product, onnections warp less than the correct amount, possibly allowing a small amount of gasNewescape slowly from the gas to & Used safety valve. Custom Built Computers Upgrade Sometimes Computer Repair &can detect this when the consumer Clean-up Virus Removal & using the oven. It may Networkingform of a gas smell or be in the [phone] Mike Schwartz a boom from gas buildup, when it finally ignites. So [phone] Topeka, IN most of the time if the igniter still glows, we know the [email protected] circuit is not broken, but an amperage test is needed to determine what is at fault. Phone: [phone] • Fax [phone] • The Hometown Treasure Note from Editor: Last month’s article was incorrectly titled. The correct title should have been Igniter Failure Part 1. As last months article on “premature igniter failure” stated how best to extend the life of a glowbar style igniter, I did not fully explain that some igniters need to also draw the correct amount of current so the rest of the components in the appliance respond as intended. One particular appliance that comes to mind that has such a system is the gas range. The igniter usually is a “Norton” style glowbar that is fastened alongside the burner somewhere, so when gas starts flowing, the temperature of the glowbar is hot enough to ignite the gas. Since there is only voluntary airflow over the burner on a range, it needs a different type of system to make sure that gas does not accumulate in the oven cavity, to a point of an explosion. So to keep this as uncomplicated as possible, we will look at the bake cycle of the oven only. Think of the thermostat that you set for temperature, the igniter, and the gas safety valve, as something linked together in series (three people holding hands). In a normal household outlet you have a neutral side and a hot (L1) side, plus you should have a ground for safety (which we will disregard for simplicity now). When you turn on or set the thermostat to start a bake cycle, 120V (L1 from the outlet) flows through the loop that also includes the igniter and the gas safety valve, back to neutral at the outlet. From a cold start, the igniter needs 30 to 60 seconds of applied voltage to glow with enough intensity to light the gas after it starts flowing from the gas safety valve. As the igniter goes from cold to hot, the resistance drops By Menno Hochstedler estside