Turkey fryer won't stay lit, I'm gonna shoot it

[gt2003]

I just went to Academy today and bought a turkey fryer. All is well and good except it has all the new "safety" features. First off, you have to hold in a button to even get the thing to light. It's supposed to light after 10 seconds, GOOD LUCK!!! You pretty much have to hold in the button and adjust the regulator hose to see if you can get it to stay lit. I have no idea what the problem might be. Any ideas on where I should start?

 

[tn_bbq]

Can you use a lighter or match?

 

[jimr]

Without knowing the brand I'm guessing that the one you have has a thermocoupling that is heated by a pilot. You may have to reposition the thermocoupling so the pilot heats it properly to keep the gas valve open. If that isn't the problem does this unit have the probe that sits in the oil and senses if the oil gets too hot? That probe has to be used in order to complete the lighting of the unit. That may also be faulty. A friend of mine has one like that and he replaced the probe with a jumper wire and has had no problem with it. Just do that at your own risk.

 

[travcoman45]

Second hand store an get a used old one without all the garbage? Sorry man, would have ta look at it, sounds like sumtin in that safety set up.

 

[gt2003]

That's my thought 100%. If I "jiggle" the hose that goes to the burner, I can get it to stay lit. However, if it goes out for some reason, I have to get it lit holding the button, then re-arrange the hose until I hear a distinct "click". Then it will stay lit for a while longer. What gets me is that if it is lit and burning well, I can accidently or for trial purposes, adjust the hose and immediately the flame goes out.

This is an Outdoor Gourmet brand Eleven piece aluminum fryer set (item 2517T). It has the timer control box so you can only run it for 20 minutes at a time. It also has the thermocouple that sits in the flame. I'm not 100% sure what the function of this is. However, obviously it's smarter than I am.

I'm seriously thinking of taking it back and getting a different one. I'll try it one more time tomorrow but I've read the booklet back and forth and know I've got it right. Hope this expanded explanation helps. If you've got questions, please ask. Thanks again, Greg

 

[gt2003]

OK, let me ask one (or two) more thing(s). Could I either take the timer box/thermocouple assembly off the hose and then connect the hose directly to the burner? Or maybe buy an entirely new regulator hose without the timer/thermocouple assembly?

What does the thermocouple do? Should it be directly in the flame so that it stays super hot and keeps the gas valve open?

 

[supervman]

GOT A RECEIPT?
Return the dog and get another.
SAME PROB ?
Return it and buy another brand.
My two cents.
V

 

[gt2003]

I tried to bypass the timer/thermocouple box. The only problem is, the male end of the LP hose is a little smaller than the opening into the burner. I plan on taking both the hose and the burner to the hardware store in the morning and get whatever part I need. I'll let you know how it turns out. Thanks, Greg

 

[tn_bbq]

That thing sounds like it was engineered by lawyers.

I've not shopped or bought one of those things in years. Are they all being over-engineered for safety's sake?

 

[erain]

what ever you do, do not bypass the thermocouple except say for test. the thermocouple is what signals valve to shut gas off if say fire blows out. not only would your tank drain but depending on situation could be an accident waiting to happen. the button you hold in bypasses thermocouple until it gets hot enough to generate an electrical signal to the valve and make it stay open. usually the probe is right there by or into the flame area.

 

[glued2it]

I have the same one from academy.
I'm not sure about the hose wiggling part.
Make sure that your thermocouple is positioned in the right place.
Also you have to hold that button for more than 10 seconds to keep it lit.
Seems like I had to hold it for 30-60sec. I havn't used it in awhile.

 

[gt2003]

Yep TN, you got it exactly. This one has a timer on it so it can't run for more than 20 minutes as well as a thermocouple that does something. Anyway, there are some that come without all the safety crap on them. They are only like 25 bucks so that's my next option if I can't find the correct hose to safely connect the hose directly to the burner.

Erain, I do not leave my fryer unattended at any time. All the "over-engineering" is quite a bit overboard in my opinion. All I'm wanting to do is have the LP hose connect straight from the propane tank to the regulator then to the burner. Like i said, there are many that are already manufactured like this so it shouldn't be a safety issue. I am going to take it to a propane dealer to make sure I get the correct/safe hose. I'm going to the experts because I don't want to put myself or my family in harms way.

 

[willkat98]

If you go this route, and you mentioned never leaving unattended like me, go with the 180,000 BTU Bayou Classic. Thing is built like a tank and is easy to light, large squared off base for larger pots like the 36qt (comes with) and 50+qts for crab boils.

Only bad thing is you sometimes need to set up a wind block on very bad days, but I got 1" plywood cut specifically for this.

Good luck

 

[pineywoods]

GT try to find one without all that extra stuff (crap) bout the only thing I like to find on one is the built in valve on the pot for draining oil. 20 minutes wouldn't even give you enough time to fry a turkey

 

[gt2003]

I FIXED IT!!!!!!!!!

Basically I took off the timer and thermocouple. Then I removed the plunger device that acts as the gas shutoff. This way, the burner was not getting too much flame and wasn't burning all yellow. Now it burns just as it was before except there is no timer or thermocouple device to deal with. I knew I'd figure it out, it just took some time and about $6 in parts. Off to fry some fish for dinner!!!!

 

[gt2003]

Just FYI,

Here are a couple of pics of the fryer, before and after. Notice the timer device in the first picture. The thermocouple actually sits right on top of the timer but you can't see it when the fryer is assembled. The burner actually screws into the back of the timer. Keep this in mind when you look at the modded fryer and see the brass colored piece between the fryer hose and the burner. Basically this is the inside of the timer/thermocouple box with everything removed except what is absolutely essential. The brass piece is acting as a "gas orifice" to regulate gas flow between the fryer hose and the burner. The outlet hole to the burner is very, very small allowing only a limited amount of gas to the burner. When I ran the hose directly to the burner, without the brass piece, there was way too much propane and the flame was 100% yellow and unuseable. It works perfectly now! Hope this helps someone else in need. Good luck all, Greg

 

[waysideranch]

Crap, I wanted to see the pic of it all blown up. Glad ya fixed also.