Natural gas shortages this winter

[Captain Nemesis]

How many gas appliances still have pilot lights?

How many were designed to have a 2-step procedure to light them, first turn on the gas to the pilot light and light that, and then turn on the gas to the main burners which the pilot flame ignites?

 

[CBW]

How many gas appliances still have pilot lights?

I wouldn’t know for certain, but given how many gas fires there are, I don’t say that accounts for a lot, plus any old boilers that are still out there. As for 2 step, still on a lot that have thermocouples fitted to them.

 

[Notch7]

My gas boiler has a pilot light that stays on the whole time….far more reliable than these new boilers…their pilot lights is always going off

 

[Captain Nemesis]

Its just I always thought the whole point was that the pilot was on all the time to light the main burners. Obv thepilot had a thermocouple safety in case the gas went off, so to light it youd have to hold a button in or something until it would keep itself lit, but it was never, I thought intended that youd turn it off (at least during the "heating season" ) and then go through the faff of lighting that first (which I guess would have needed a match, cos if you had spark ignition you could just use that to light the fire/oven/whatever) and then light the appliance...

 

[Justin Passing]

Pilot lights were certainly disappearing in the early 80's if not before. There are still many, though a small %age, left. Things like back boilers and other big iron lumps.

 

[fillyboy]

Pilot lights were certainly disappearing in the early 80's if not before. There are still many, though a small %age, left. Things like back boilers and other big iron lumps.

I've not seen a pilot light since the 70's.

 

[transam]

there are loads of boilers still out there with permanent pilots

also boilers with intermittent pilots

some dfes are still around with no pilot ignition or flame failure devices open a gas tap and light with a match

older gas hobs no ffd

 

[Ihavenojob]

Thousands of multipoints with pilots, warm air heaters, and as Justin Passing said, old reliable back boilers and cast iron boilers.