Modern Alternatives
An alternative to the pilot light is a system to create a high voltage electrical arc or spark between two electrodes, in order to light the gas flowing to the burner. Fail-safe design for such a system requires the burner flame to be detected by passing an electric current through the flame, which is received by a control box. While the flame is burning, electrons flow through the flame so the control box keeps the appliance working. Should the flame extinguish, the electron flow is broken, causing the control box to shut down the appliance.
A red-hot surface can also be used to provide ignition. Such igniters are often made of silicon carbide, silicon nitride, or another material that is durable under prolonged exposure to extreme heat. Hot-surface igniters are commonly used in cooking ovens and boilers.
A disadvantage to modern alternatives requiring high voltage is that the appliances become useless during a power outage. Pilot light solutions work independently of the electrical system.
Read more about this topic: Pilot Light
Famous quotes containing the words modern and/or alternatives:
“Perhaps a modern society can remain stable only by eliminating adolescence, by giving its young, from the age of ten, the skills, responsibilities, and rewards of grownups, and opportunities for action in all spheres of life. Adolescence should be a time of useful action, while book learning and scholarship should be a preoccupation of adults.”
—Eric Hoffer (1902–1983)
“Clearly, society has a tremendous stake in insisting on a woman’s natural fitness for the career of mother: the alternatives are all too expensive.”
—Ann Oakley (b. 1944)