We have had a few customers ask us how they can test their rotisserie valve to determine what is wrong when the infrared rotissserie burner will not stay lit. Many customers mistakenly believe the ignition assembly has a problem and many want to know how determine of the problem is the safety valve or the thermocouple.
We just added a page to the site that will link from the DCS repair parts page where the DCS thermocouple and the DCS rotisserie safety valve are for sale. This page has step by step instructions for disassembling the valve assembly and then taking the safety valve apart to be able to test the thermocouple.
Many customers call to say they have to hold the button on a DCS barbecue grill the entire time the rotisserie is cooking their food. This is because when the safety valve is released the gas flow is blocked. The valves’ ability to block the gas flow is a life saving feature of gas fireplaces, gas heaters, barbecue grills and many gas appliances. Gas appliances that use a pilot system use a pilot flame because the pilot flame is heating the thermocouple so the heat holds this safety valve open for gas to flow. When the heat is removed the gas flow is stopped because the heat is being used to create a small electrical charge (millivolt system). This small electrical charge is then used to magnetize a piece of steel attached to a spring. The magnet is just strong enough to hold the steel and when the lack of heat weakens the magnet the spring pushes the solenoid back out and cuts off the gas flow.
Without this safety feature the gas would continue flowing when the flame went out and the cloud of gas could cause a serious fire and even cause an explosion. When customers call us to repair their barbecue they want to know if the safety valve or the thermocouple needs to be replaced. A thermocouple does not have any moving parts and they rarely fail. However, if the safety valve is only slightly damaged when a new thermocouple is installed the magnet is new and strong and the process of installing the new grill parts cleans the connections. Often the system will seem to be temporarily repaired.
This test will tell a customer if the thermocouple needs to be replaced or if the rotisserie safety valve needs to be replaced.
this is the safety valve button from a DCS gas grill
Thermocouple from a dynamic cooking systems barbecue grill
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