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damn pilot light
hey there we have a low end frymaster fryer mj140. we run a seasonal restaurant had it for about 5 years. no real issues with it but this year, I can light the pilot when i first get in and it stays lit. once i fire it up it goes out after a few minutes and i cannot light the pilot for a few hours and keep it lit. iff i wait it lights again but still goes out after a bit. any advice? PS i work on an island and getting techs here is nigh impossible.
thanks in advance!
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3 Replies
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That sounds like a simple one. Your not having to reset the high limit safety, right? So you probably have a pilot wire connection that has corroded or loosened. Do you have a DVOM to use for testing? I can walk you through finding it if you do.
Being a seasonal use fryer, Have the gas supply connections been opened at all? Are the gas valves fully open? Is the gas line damaged in any way?
When you try to light the pilot after the shutdown, Is the flame normal on the pilot, or is it lazy and low to start?
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hey there just got home . I will attach a vid if necessary tomorrow. it’s odd I lit it again and left it for an hour or so then fired it up. ran for about 5 min blew out again. after these attempts i must wait again to try the pilot or it wont remain lit.
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Frymaster’s MJ series (Master Jet) fryers use a strut & tube type of high-limit thermostat which is designed to automatically reset at around 350°F (if memory serves). A user/operator has no easy access to that high-limit thermostat since there’s nothing there for someone to push in order to reset it.
That fryer’s operating thermostat is probably a Fenwal. If the temp control is merely a knob located behind a drop-down panel with a very limited turning radius, then that’s what you have. It so happens to ALSO be a strut & tube design. Those particular thermostats are the most accurate mechanical thermostats available on the market.
You said it takes awhile before the pilot can be re-lit after it’s gone out. SO…it sounds like that auto-resetting high-limit is opening and must cool down before it closes again. You either have a failing operating thermostat, a failing high-limit thermostat, maybe a sticking gas valve or (most unlikely) something was wired incorrectly.
So YES, as fixbear stated, some troubleshooting is necessary. Not only with a VOM, but also a pyrometer (to read oil temperature)…and some knowledge of how a millivolt electrical system works.
Sorry I’m no help there since that sort of training isn’t simple over chats on the internet. If you’re wanting to fix it yourself, you’ll need learn that and have the tools to troubleshoot it. Perhaps fixbear can walk you through it. He is INDEED very knowledgeable.
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