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Thetford hob too hot to simmer


Dr Bob

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OK guys (and gals), Mrs Bob is cheesed off at our 3 burner Thetford hob not controlling well enough to simmer......

The lowest knob setting is too high so the water is alway boiling. Now, on other 'real' gas hobs, there is usually a little screw on the air feed that can be adjusted to back the flame down a little. I cant see where that is on this hob. Below is the expanded drawing from the parts list for the hob.

Any ideas on how to turn down the flame on it's lowest setting?

I am sure it can be done but can I do it without calling out an engineer?

Screen Shot 2020-01-26 at 10.29.00.png

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I have come across hobs where the knob spindle has a hole down the middle and there is an adjusting screw at the bottom. Needs a very thin screwdriver to fit down the hole. Turn the screw to adjust the low flame setting.

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I have the same problem on kelpie - not being able to simmer stuff at the lowest setting - and I solved it by using a thing which I put on top of the burner with the pan on top. I have no idea what it is called but it is a sort of double metal mesh circle with a wooden handle. Works a treat!

 

haggis

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33 minutes ago, haggis said:

I have the same problem on kelpie - not being able to simmer stuff at the lowest setting - and I solved it by using a thing which I put on top of the burner with the pan on top. I have no idea what it is called but it is a sort of double metal mesh circle with a wooden handle. Works a treat!

 

haggis

Again someone else that needs Meccano Haggis, you could make one whatever shape and height you want.:)  Trivet.

Edited by bizzard
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2 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

Mecanno don't make haggis, they don't make diffusers either, but if they did........

s-l640.jpg

Stacks of old Meccano on ebay, cheap. So useful. My car and boat are fixed up with it. Throttle pedal clevices, rear parcel shelf support, door lock fix, self cancel indicator fixing,Boat Throttle linkage, dip stick, trivets, dongle holder, to name a few, self steering tractor, sports car, ect.

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The low flame is controlled by the bypass screw which is somewhere on the control valve.  The one down the spindle is usually a thermostat setting for oven gas valves not hobs.

 

Unless as a cost cutting measure they have just a precision drilling and no screw but its unlikely as they use the same valves for all sizes of burner and have to have some way of setting the differering flame levels required. 

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1 hour ago, haggis said:

I have the same problem on kelpie - not being able to simmer stuff at the lowest setting - and I solved it by using a thing which I put on top of the burner with the pan on top. I have no idea what it is called but it is a sort of double metal mesh circle with a wooden handle. Works a treat!

 

haggis

Called a diffuser (if using Amazon - don't get a perfume bottle by mistake).

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21 minutes ago, Graham Davis said:

Ah, that is what it is called, thank you ! Mine has a wooden handle though so I don't burn my fingers moving it ?  It is a very useful bit of kit and hangs on the wall behind the cooker.

 

haggis

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8 hours ago, haggis said:

I have the same problem on kelpie - not being able to simmer stuff at the lowest setting - and I solved it by using a thing which I put on top of the burner with the pan on top. I have no idea what it is called but it is a sort of double metal mesh circle with a wooden handle. Works a treat!

 

haggis

Thanks Haggis,

Mrs Bob has used these in the past when we had a gas hob in the house but found they were pretty useless and made the pan on top less stable. We may go down this route if we cant find an adjustment screw.

7 hours ago, Boater Sam said:

The low flame is controlled by the bypass screw which is somewhere on the control valve.  The one down the spindle is usually a thermostat setting for oven gas valves not hobs.

 

Unless as a cost cutting measure they have just a precision drilling and no screw but its unlikely as they use the same valves for all sizes of burner and have to have some way of setting the differering flame levels required. 

Yes Sam, that is what I figured. I posted to see if anyone knew about this specific type of hob. I will try and pull the knob off tomorrow and have a look. There must be some sort of adjustment.

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8 hours ago, haggis said:

I have the same problem on kelpie - not being able to simmer stuff at the lowest setting - and I solved it by using a thing which I put on top of the burner with the pan on top. I have no idea what it is called but it is a sort of double metal mesh circle with a wooden handle. Works a treat!

 

haggis

A search for a heat defuser should find what Haggis has. A ring reducer might also do the job if you got the disc kind. For my induction hob they are called a simmer mat (some induction hobs also have a bit of an issue getting a really low heat).

 

Good to see you are still with us and manage to out smart those pesky hunters for another year, Haggis. :D

 

 

Edited by Tumshie
Add a bit.
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35 minutes ago, Dr Bob said:

Mrs Bob has used these in the past when we had a gas hob in the house but found they were pretty useless and made the pan on top less stable.

They used to be pretty flimsy and often getting one to fit was a bit hit or miss but some have improved, and a more sturdy now so if you do find you need one have a shop around; the ones for the inductions hobs are very solid and you can get them in larger sizes but they will probbly take quite a bit effort to get up to the right temperature. 

 

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1 hour ago, Tumshie said:

A search for a heat defuser should find what Haggis has. A ring reducer might also do the job if you got the disc kind. For my induction hob they are called a simmer mat (some induction hobs also have a bit of an issue getting a really low heat).

 

Good to see you are still with us and manage to out smart those pesky hunters for another year, Haggis. :D

 

 

Thank you, Tumshie, I just kept a low profile and only ventured out in disguise . The haggis hunting season is now officially over  :-).

 

Re defusers, the one we have must be about nine inches in diameter and I have never had a problem with a pot sliding off it. No idea where it came from and as I don't need it with the gas cooker at home, it made its way to Kelpie where it is used a lot. 

 

haggis

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4 minutes ago, haggis said:

Re defusers, the one we have must be about nine inches in diameter and I have never had a problem with a pot sliding off it.

Yes - that's a good size, that would cover the ring well. I wonder if a good old fashioned hardware shop would have them, I know a lot of folks don't like amazon but they and eBay are usually pretty good at this sort of thing. 

 

Camping shops might be limited to the smaller sizes though. Just a thought. 

 

Anyway good luck to Mrs Bob. 

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4 hours ago, Dr Bob said:

Thanks Haggis,

Mrs Bob has used these in the past when we had a gas hob in the house but found they were pretty useless and made the pan on top less stable. We may go down this route if we cant find an adjustment screw.

Yes Sam, that is what I figured. I posted to see if anyone knew about this specific type of hob. I will try and pull the knob off tomorrow and have a look. There must be some sort of adjustment.

It is unlikely to be under the knob. It is usually on the side of the valve body where it clamps onto the distribution pipe.

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