A cooking appliance and method of operating the same utilize a variable electromechanical valve to regulate an output power level of an oven broiler gas burner for a cooking appliance. Among other benefits, in some instances broiler control during cooking may be decoupled from oven warm-up, and in some instances support may be provided for automatic and/or user controlled broiler output power levels and/or automated broil profiles.

A gas supply tap having a control knob (2) connected to an operating stem adapted to operate a valve or a shutter for opening and closing the tap is disclosed. The gas supply tap includes a detecting device to detect the position of the knob, at least one component of the detecting device being translationally and rotationally integral with the operating stem.

A tip valve and a cook system incorporating same that automatically stops the flow of gas to a burner when tipped over and that automatically resets when disconnected from the fuel canister to allow the flow of gas to resume when righted and reconnected are provided. The tip valve includes a ball bearing freely moveable between a fuel canister actuator pin and a tip seal within a bore having two different diameters at each end thereof. The transition between the two diameters forms a taper that may be continuous forming a smooth tapered bore, or discontinuous formed by at least one counter bore. The automatic resetting is provided without the use of a mechanical pin or member.

A cooking appliance and method of operating the same utilize a multi-level valve system that regulates an output power level of a gas burner for an oven between a maximum output power level and at least one reduced output power level to selectively reduce the output power level of the gas burner during at least a portion of an oven warm-up operation, e.g., to improve burner operating characteristics during the oven warm-up operation.

Techniques determine if a gas service (e.g., piping and/or meter) is undersized for the customer's needs. In one example, flowrate information corresponding to gas usage at a service site over a first period of time is obtained. The flowrate information is disaggregated to determine an expected flowrate associated with each of two or more appliances having generally fixed-rates of gas consumption. Flowrate information is again obtained, corresponding to a second period of time. The second flowrate information is compared to one or more combinations (i.e., summations) of the expected flowrates associated with each of the two or more appliances. Based on the comparison, it may be determined that the service site is not appropriately sized. In an example, failure to detect two fixed-rate of gas-consumption appliances operating at their respective fixed-rates at the same time may indicate that the service cannot provide gas at a sufficient flowrate.

A gas burner may include a burner body, a first gas orifice, a second gas orifice, a mixed outlet nozzle, an injet body, a gas supply line, a secondary gas line, and a flow sensor. The first gas orifice may be directed towards a plurality of naturally aspirated flame ports. The second gas orifice may be spaced apart from the first gas orifice. The mixed outlet nozzle may be downstream from the second gas orifice and directed towards a plurality of forced induction flame ports. The injet body may define an air passage and a mixing chamber downstream from the air passage. The gas supply line may be mounted on the injet body. The secondary gas line may extend in fluid parallel to the first gas orifice. The flow sensor may be positioned in fluid communication with the secondary gas line to detect a flow rate of gaseous fuel therethrough.

Magnetic treatment of hydrocarbon fuel flowing through a fuel conduit. A plurality of magnets with repelling polarity affects the fuel structure and alternating said structure by aligning the hydrocarbons in a parallel uniform manner to increase combustion efficiency, thus increasing power while reducing pollutants and exhaust emissions.

A device for controlling a combustible gas supply to a heating apparatus burner includes: a valve with a respective valve seat which is associated with a corresponding closure member provided with a respective control rod for opening the valve seat, a system for amplifying movement of the control rod which has a snap-fit spring which acts on the rod and a pushing element which in turn acts on the spring, a first end of a lever acts on the pushing element which is hinged at a fulcrum location which is positioned at an opposing second end of the lever, actuator which moves the lever, operationally associated with the lever in a position between the opposing lever ends to control the lever about the fulcrum location resulting in movement of the closure member away from and towards the valve seat, the actuator comprising a linear actuator element with converse piezoelectric effect.

A system and a method is described for remotely controlling gas consumption by a power vented gas-fired water heater to reduce consumption of gas by a consumer connected to a gas distribution bank network of a gas provider during overload periods where gas demand is at a peak. The system comprises a consumer controller in communication with the gas provider whereby the controller can operate a modulating gas control valve either directly or through the control of the fan speed of a power vented blower to reduce the supply of gas to the burner of the gas-fired water heater when asked by the provider to do so. Temperature sensors are associated with the water holding tank of the gas-fired water heater to feed water temperature signals to a computer of the controller whereby to enable the controller to execute informed corrective action for the reduction in gas consumption by regulating the gas control valve to reduce the supply of gas to the burner of the water heater.

A burner tip apparatus which is resistant to plugging, and a staged air method of operation which reduces the peak temperature of the flame of the burner tip to provide low levels of NO.sub.x and other emissions. The burner tip can be used as an auxiliary burner tip for stabilizing a main burner flame, or for other purposes.