An outdoor gas cooking system having multiple burners in which, if the individual manual control valves for all of the burners are placed on a high heat setting or some other specified or recognized activation position, a single electronic master control valve can be activated to control the total gas fuel rate to all of the burners in the cooker based, for example, upon a cooking or operational control set point or upon a target flow rate equaling the sum of the design flow rates of all of the burners at the current operating set points of the manual valves.

A barbecue arrangement comprising a barbecue body having a cooking volume, one or more burners positioned to provide heat to the cooking volume; a gas source adapted to supply a gas to the one or more burners, and one or more control means to control the flow of gas from the gas source to the one or more burners producing a flame when the gas is ignited; a flame detection assembly, the flame detection assembly adapted to sense the flame from the one or more burners and a control means adapted to shut off the gas flow to the one or more burners if the flame is not detected within a pre-determined period of time.

The invention relates to a flame control device for managing the operation of a gas burner apparatus, comprising: an input prepared to receive a supply signal, an output intended to be connected to said gas burner apparatus, a control unit connected to said input to be supplied by the supply signal and to said output to control the operation of said burner by means of at least one output signal, a load configured to be controlled by the control unit so as to absorb power in a varying manner over time when said input is supplied by the supply signal.

A method of improving an endothermic process in a furnace utilizing steps a) calibrating the simplified physical model of step c3) by measuring one or more tube temperature for at least a tube impacted by the throttling of a burner in standard and in throttled state, b) acquiring information on a tube temperature for the tubes present in the furnace with all the burners present in the furnace under standard non-throttled conditions, c) getting a map of burners to throttle including c1) choosing at least one parameter representative of the performances of the furnace with a target of improvement, c2) choosing at least one or more power ratio for the burner throttling; c3) utilizing the information of step b) and a simplified physical model of the impact of throttling a burner on the tube temperature, c4) getting a map of burners to throttle, step d) throttling the burners.

A gas meter (10) includes a normal measurement mode in which the flow rate is measured in a predetermined sampling period and a detailed measurement mode in which the flow rate is measured in a sampling period shorter than the predetermined sampling period in the normal measurement mode. A center device (40) gives an instruction to the gas meter (10) to measure the flow rate in the detailed measurement mode. The center device (40) further collects flow rate data measured in the detailed measurement mode from the gas meter (10), and generates, based on the collected flow rate data, failure diagnosis information for diagnosing a failure in a gas appliance. With this configuration, the failure part in the gas appliance can be remotely identified, which accelerates the repair work.

Systems and methods for operating a gas-fired appliance such as a gas-fired cooking grill are provided. An embodiment of the system includes a gas burner for heating a chamber of the gas-fired appliance. The system includes a first valve associated with the gas burner to control a gas flow to the gas burner. The system includes a second valve configured to controllably supply gas to the gas burner via the first valve. The second valve is automatically adjustable based on a desired temperature of the chamber and an actual temperature of the chamber.

A system includes a modulating furnace and control circuitry. The control circuitry is configured to receive a call for heating associated with a quick heat cycle. In response to the call for heating, the control circuitry is also configured to operate the modulating furnace in a quick heat operating mode for a threshold time period. Subsequent to the threshold time period, the control circuitry is also configured to operate the modulating furnace in a modulating heat operating mode.

A remotely actuated pilot valve provides for a pilot gas valve that includes safe lighting and complete shutoff capabilities in the event that the flame that is heating a thermocouple is extinguished, the pilot valve having a pilot flow interrupter to provide pilot gas only when initially opened. A heater system that utilizes such a pilot gas valve is provided as is a method whereby the pilot gas valve used in such a system can be remotely and electronically actuated when required. Remote actuation is accomplished by use of a solenoid that is incorporated within the valve design and which is controlled by a remote operator.

A backlit temperature control knob for water heater valves used with water heaters and more particularly to gas water heaters provides a way to read the temperature indication not previously known in the art. Some embodiments rely on a thermocouple or thermopile normally used to power a safety magnet with the pilot light system as a source of electrical energy to selectively illuminate a Light Emitting Diode (LED) which directs light through at least a portion of the knob to assist in reading the temperature indications.

A burner appliance is disclosed. The burner appliance includes a byproduct sensor in an exhaust flue and/or a barometric pressure sensor to detect an environmental pressure at the burner appliance. By calculating concentrations of combustion byproducts in the exhaust with the byproduct sensor, a controller can adjust blower speed and/or fuel rate to modify combustion efficiency. By calculating the environmental pressure at the burner with the barometric pressure sensor, the controller can adjust blower speed and/or fuel rate to modify combustion efficiency. The barometric-pressure data can also be used to adjust blower speed control bands, thereby calibrating the control bands based on environmental pressure. The environmental pressure can be indicative of altitude and/or weather conditions. Methods of operating said burner appliance are also disclosed.