Paging Seaworthy Lass, and other GN Espace owners

[tamicatana]

Good morning
In research regarding the GN Espace stoves, I seem to recall that SwLass has one.

My question to her and any other parties who have GN cookers: are there any quirks about the cooker? I only have seen glowing reviews.

The one thing I did note was that the oven does not heat evenly. The manual does mention that oven temp per the dialed setting is in the oven center, and the top shelf will be hotter, the bottom shelf cooler.

Thank you in advance for any advice.

[Seaworthy Lass]

Hi Tamicatana

Our GN Espace is now just over 3 years old, but has had little use for the last two years as in summer solar power is sufficient to cook electrically and in winter the hotplate on the Refleks diesel heater has been used.

For the first year apart from stovetop cooking, the oven was used almost daily. I can report the heat distribution was reasonably even horizontally. No stone plate was required, nor did dishes or trays need to be rotated during cooking time.

The main negative I have to report is that spots of surface rust occur. It appears 316 SS was not used in construction, which for an expensive marine item is a poor corner to cut.

We have a lot of SS in the interior (3 benchtops in the galley, 4 sides of the cavity for the Espace are lined in SS including a tall splashback, we have numerous SS poles and other handholds, the Reflex and its tray are SS, door hardware and latches and hatch handles and security bars are SS etc) and none of these items have shown even a spec of surface rust.

The rust cleans off the Espace reasonably easily, but needs to be done every few weeks both for cosmetic reasons and to eliminate the risk of the surface actually pitting.

The other minor issue is that the guards that the pot holders secure to are only loosely pushed into the stove and frequently slip out of place if I knock them. This seems bizarre, so I am not sure if something was missed in construction.

Otherwise, the build quality of the Espace is excellent, very much better than any other marine stoves I have used or seen. The gimbaling is very good, which is particularly important as this feature has ended up being the main benefit of the stove given our induction hotplate is resting on top .

SWL

[tamicatana]

Thank you for taking the time to answer. I’ll watch for the rust.

[Westcliffe01]

You should look into using a passivation cream on the stainless. Its very easy to contaminate the surface of stainless steel with carbon steel from tooling, fixtures etc. Many companies skip the passivation step unless they get a great deal of negative feedback from customers because the process is not that easy to automate, time consuming etc. Accountants rule the manufacturing world, believe it. One example of a 4oz gel below for <$20



https://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Ste...83KMB1YX&psc=1

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

Hi Tamicatana

Our GN Espace is now just over 3 years old, but has had little use for the last two years as in summer solar power is sufficient to cook electrically and in winter the hotplate on the Refleks diesel heater has been used.

For the first year apart from stovetop cooking, the oven was used almost daily. I can report the heat distribution was reasonably even horizontally. No stone plate was required, nor did dishes or trays need to be rotated during cooking time.

The main negative I have to report is that spots of surface rust occur. It appears 316 SS was not used in construction, which for an expensive marine item is a poor corner to cut.

We have a lot of SS in the interior (3 benchtops in the galley, 4 sides of the cavity for the Espace are lined in SS including a tall splashback, we have numerous SS poles and other handholds, the Reflex and its tray are SS, door hardware and latches and hatch handles and security bars are SS etc) and none of these items have shown even a spec of surface rust.

The rust cleans off the Espace reasonably easily, but needs to be done every few weeks both for cosmetic reasons and to eliminate the risk of the surface actually pitting.

The other minor issue is that the guards that the pot holders secure to are only loosely pushed into the stove and frequently slip out of place if I knock them. This seems bizarre, so I am not sure if something was missed in construction.

Otherwise, the build quality of the Espace is excellent, very much better than any other marine stoves I have used or seen. The gimbaling is very good, which is particularly important as this feature has ended up being the main benefit of the stove given our induction hotplate is resting on top .

SWL

[tamicatana]

Thanks,
Just an FYI, you can get a 32oz container of Ospho for the same price as that 4oz you linked. I keep ospho on board anyway.

[tamicatana]

@Seaworthy Lass

I now see the way the rails are installed; it’s just friction. Maybe try bending the arms of the ‘U’ either out or in such that friction is increased as you push the rail back into the receptacles on the stove edge, hope that makes sense

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by Westcliffe01

You should look into using a passivation cream on the stainless. Its very easy to contaminate the surface of stainless steel with carbon steel from tooling, fixtures etc. Many companies skip the passivation step unless they get a great deal of negative feedback from customers because the process is not that easy to automate, time consuming etc. Accountants rule the manufacturing world, believe it. One example of a 4oz gel below for <$20
…..

Originally Posted by tamicatana

@Seaworthy Lass

I now see the way the rails are installed; it’s just friction. Maybe try bending the arms of the ‘U’ either out or in such that friction is increased as you push the rail back into the receptacles on the stove edge, hope that makes sense

Many thanks for all the suggestions.

Yes, bending out the arms a bit more may help. It just seems very stupid to design the pot holders to attach to rails that slide up and fall off so easily. It would have been so simple to secure these rails with bolts from the side.

SWL

[tamicatana]

I am surprised at how hot the oven handle gets. Inquiry at GN replied, ‘it’s in standard for British legislation.’ I looked that up, quickly Google:

“ The BSI regulations state that a glass or painted metal (stainless) control panel is safe if it reaches 60˚C above ambient room temperature operating at 200˚C or an enamel fascia can be 65˚C above room temperature. So you take the room temperature, usually about 20˚C and add that to the rise allowed so, for example, a stainless fascia would be allowed in this case to reach 80˚C and still be within operating specifications. As you can appreciate this is pretty hot since hand hot is regarded as 50˚C so 80˚C is way over that.

Other rises that are based on the same circumstances are:

Control knob (plastic) - 60˚C above ambient
Door handle (metal) - 35˚C above ambient
Door handle (plastic) - 60˚C above ambient
Glass oven door - 60˚C above ambient
This allows the surface temperatures to be pretty high, in fact hot enough in some cases to cause light burns if you held your hand there but not enough to burn by simply touching or brushing against the appliance when it was at temperature.”

Wow. For the price, both your and my complaints should have been addressed- simple to drill and tap for set screws to hold the rails, and a bit of silicone tube for the oven handle

[IslandHopper]

Originally Posted by tamicatana

Thanks,
Just an FYI, you can get a 32oz container of Ospho for the same price as that 4oz you linked. I keep ospho on board anyway.

The reason for the huge price difference is because you are comparing two totally different products designed for completely different applications...there is good reason for the price difference...

Ospho is a metal treatment, or as more popularly referred to, a rust converter that is used to treat steel prior to painting, It turns iron oxide (i.e. rust) into iron phosphate, an inert, hard, blackish material....I've used gallons of the stuff in car restorations and it's great for what it's designed for.

Ospho Rust Treatment - Since 1947

The product Westcliffe01 linked to is a gel specifically designed for cleaning rust and rust stains from Stainless Steel and leaves no residue, it's not a converter and can safely be used on SS refrigerators, microwaves, ovens, stoves, grills, sinks etc....I also use it on things like stanchions and other SS fittings on deck...

If anyone put Ospho on my SS Stove/Oven (or anything SS) they would be replacing it quick smart

[tamicatana]

Ospho works just fine for stainless, but don’t take my word for it…

https://www.passagemaker.com/the-vet...tainless-steel

The term is ‘oxidation-reduction.’

PS: vinegar works too. BTW, the expensive stuff is just citric acid…

[IslandHopper]

Originally Posted by tamicatana

Ospho works just fine for stainless, but don’t take my word for it…

https://www.passagemaker.com/the-vet...tainless-steel

The term is ‘oxidation-reduction.’

PS: vinegar works too. BTW, the expensive stuff is just citric acid…

Lol.....Yes i have seen and read that article but i don't think you took it all in, from that very article....

I believe to this day that Ospho was the key to the success of our slap-dash procedure. Essentially Ospho is a solution that prominently features phosphoric acid, a clear, watery, relatively mild liquid that has a very cheery, time-saving, work-saving capability: It instantaneously turns iron oxide (i.e., rust) into iron phosphate, an inert, hard, blackish material that actually inhibits further rusting. You simply apply it to a rusted component, usually using a brush or a spray bottle, let it dry overnight and then either paint over it or simply leave it alone.

The results I get are, again, not exactly yachty—the black iron phosphate is often noticeable if you look closely. But then again, Ospho gives me a decent, improved appearance with virtually no time-wasting elbow grease whatsoever.

I have tried it and it is noticeable and i don't want black marks all over my SS just for the sake of cheaping out on buying and using the correct product.

...so no, i certainly won't take your word for it

Edit: and NO, the proper stuff is definitely not just citric acid......

[Roby sarah jane]

We had a gn levante 3 burner. We are italian, we love cook and we spent more than 4 months a year onboard. Let me say i’m very disappointed . The burner has maximum 1,5 kw of power, not enough to boiling water for 6 people or to make a quick roasted meal. The oven do not cook the low side of a meal. The burner is only in the back. To use the grill you must not have tu use the oven before, and you must leave the oven door open in order not to stop the flame. It is not a cheap piece of equipment so consider it before.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by Roby sarah jane

We had a gn levante 3 burner. We are italian, we love cook and we spent more than 4 months a year onboard. Let me say i’m very disappointed . The burner has maximum 1,5 kw of power, not enough to boiling water for 6 people or to make a quick roasted meal. The oven do not cook the low side of a meal. The burner is only in the back. To use the grill you must not have tu use the oven before, and you must leave the oven door open in order not to stop the flame. It is not a cheap piece of equipment so consider it before.

Welcome to the forum...

[ItDepends]

Originally Posted by Roby sarah jane

We had a gn levante 3 burner. We are italian, we love cook and we spent more than 4 months a year onboard. Let me say i’m very disappointed . The burner has maximum 1,5 kw of power, not enough to boiling water for 6 people or to make a quick roasted meal. The oven do not cook the low side of a meal. The burner is only in the back. To use the grill you must not have tu use the oven before, and you must leave the oven door open in order not to stop the flame. It is not a cheap piece of equipment so consider it before.

WOW! 1.5kW burner? That's AWFUL, especially at that price point! I was actually skeptical of that number, since it seemed too low to be real, but checking the published specification, it is exactly right.

The large burner on my Force 10 is 2.4kW and sometimes I wish for more. My opinion of GN Espace equipment just went down a LOT...

[tamicatana]

Likely not the stove but the regulator setting is too low