Force 10 burners won't light

[sailingharry]

We have a Force 10 3 burner stove on our boat. It has the burner caps with two screws on each cap. The last 2 years, we have spent 4 months each year aboard and the stove has performed flawlessly. This weekend is our first cruise of the year, and only one of the three burners will light. We hear no gas and it will not light with a butane fire stick. One burner works fine, and the oven works fine, so clearly propane is getting to the stove.

It seems to me that somehow propane is not emanating from these burners. Either the valve, the orifice, or the vents in the side of the burner. None of them really make sense to me.

Any suggestions? At first glance, it does not seem to be readily disassembleable to investigate further. I am not digging into it right now because for our purposes this weekend, it works and I certainly don't want to make matters worse!

[Mike OReilly]

Certainly sounds like fuel blockage at the burners. Could it be a thermocouple issue?

My Force 10 uses screw-lock caps, so not exactly the same as yours. Not sure if mine is newer, or older. But occasionally I have to take the caps off, and clean the burners to allow the gas to flow properly.

[deblen]

https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...force+10+stove

[deblen]

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...lem-51275.html

[bgallinger]

I would check the orifice for blockage

[sailingharry]

Deblen, the review is for a newer model stove than mine. The link to the other discussion focused on thermocouples, but they don't come into play until after the burner is lit and warm. I don't get any gas at all, even when I push the knob.

Mike and bgallinger, I suspect you might be close. The challenge I am facing is that the little tiny stainless steel screws go into an aluminum casting, and we know how that works out! So I cannot easily pull the tops (the last time I tried to take one off just to clean it, I wrung off a screw). When we get back from this weekend, I will find what it takes to tear into the entire stove and maybe disassemble the burners from underneath.

[hlev00]

The knobs can get gunk behind them and other issues preventing them from being pushed far enough to allow gas. I had to clean one of mine once though I don’t recall the specifics right now. A call to Force 10 on Monday will go a long way too.

[deblen]

Originally Posted by sailingharry

We have a Force 10 3 burner stove on our boat. It has the burner caps with two screws on each cap. The last 2 years, we have spent 4 months each year aboard and the stove has performed flawlessly. This weekend is our first cruise of the year, and only one of the three burners will light. We hear no gas and it will not light with a butane fire stick. One burner works fine, and the oven works fine, so clearly propane is getting to the stove.

It seems to me that somehow propane is not emanating from these burners. Either the valve, the orifice, or the vents in the side of the burner. None of them really make sense to me.

Any suggestions? At first glance, it does not seem to be readily disassembleable to investigate further. I am not digging into it right now because for our purposes this weekend, it works and I certainly don't want to make matters worse!

The Youtube link that I posted leads to several videos,if you scroll down.
They are not all specific to your stove/burners,but I hoped that you may pick up a hint that will help.
You would hear "no gas" if the thermocouples were "stuck"in the off position. Try heating the t-couples for 30sec or so with your long barbecue lighter-it may shock them.

Also,ream the tiny port in edge of burner that lets gas drop on the igniter as well as the inlet port at bottom ctr of burner.

Hope this post helps. /Len

[pjShap]

I had some trouble lighting a Force 10 burner. It was fixed by removing the burner cap and cleaning all the slits in the side. I had to drill out some of the screws.

[sailingharry]

Just wanted to circle back and give the outcome.

I spent time on the Sure Marine website, with good diagrams of the stove. Then I emailed them and they gave a good response.

Assorted corrosion clogged the orifice. Apparently from inside the pipe as well as from in the burner. All the little tiny stainless steel screws in aluminum castings all froze together and made a complete mess. For $150, I bought three burner bodies, gaskets, and screws. The remaining parts I was able to salvage and reuse.

One remaining question. Now that I have the entire top of the stove open, I can see that there is only about three quarters of an inch of fiberglass insulation. This may explain why the oven never comes up to temperature. Can anyone give a good reason why I shouldn't double or triple the amount of insulation in there? I'm thinking some fiberglass insulation like used in a house wall.

Thoughts?

[deblen]

Congrats!
Look into fiberglas filled fireproof hanging ceiling panels 2'x4'.
Len

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by sailingharry

...
One remaining question. Now that I have the entire top of the stove open, I can see that there is only about three quarters of an inch of fiberglass insulation. This may explain why the oven never comes up to temperature. Can anyone give a good reason why I shouldn't double or triple the amount of insulation in there? I'm thinking some fiberglass insulation like used in a house wall.
Thoughts?

Congratulations!


I’d consider using a Mineral Wool insulation [like ‘Rockwool’], rather than Fiberglass - if you have space [you don’t want to compress any insulation].

While, both unfaced fiberglass and unfaced mineral wool [eg: ‘Rockwool’*] are noncombustible, and help delay the spread of fire, mineral wool does have a much higher melting point [2,900ºF], than fiberglass [1,100ºF], and, as such, it is often considered the more fire-resistant material - tho’, hopefully your stove/oven will never get that hot.
Usually, the density of a material is directly correlated with its fire-resistant capabilities, which is why Rockwool batts are widely used as a firestop between the different floors of a house.

However, fiberglass insulation may release dangerous toxic fumes, on burning.

The greater density of mineral wool also gives it a higher R-value. Rockwool mineral insulation has a minimum R-value of 3.0 per inch, while the minimum R-value of fiberglass is 2.2 per inch of thickness.

Over time, mineral wool also tends to maintain its structure better than fiberglass.

* 'Rockwool' is made from a mixture of igneous basalt (a type of volcanic rock), and recycled steel slag.