I also have a mid-40's Merrit-Okeefe gas stove...It's in pretty good condition but I was wondering if anyone had suggestions for bringing it up to date for use with propane? Thank you, Enjoy your life.

-- Deborah (bearwaoman@Yahoo.com), April 08, 2001

Answers

natural gas and propane are almost identical,, only differance is the size of the "jet",, propane would need to be bigger. You could take the jet to a good arware store,, or applliance store. If that doesnt pan out,, you can drill the hole sligghtly bigger yourself,, slightly

-- stan (sopal@net-port.com), April 08, 2001.

I would give anything to have my old stove back, how cool if you had mine! Anyway from gas to propane, my propane company when we moved to the woods fixed it for me. Ask them! I have a brand new Whirlpool! Jealous? Want it? The oven is huge but it feels like a feather, very light weight and a bear to keep clean. I will take you big ole iron horse of your hands anyday! :) Congratulations! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), April 08, 2001.

Vickie,

I've had this one for about 4 years now and still haven't been able to use it! I was still renting places when I got it...and I am anxious to put it to use. It has 4 burners plus a center grill. It's in pretty good shape too. I like some of the older stuff a lot better than the new. The posting about the Montgomery Ward Wood stove is mine too. Just got that last fall from a friend who'd had it in an old house. I figure it's an 81 if I read the code right. Small, with a warming shelf and a blend of cast iron and other materials. I'm working on refurbishing it. Have a small "parlor" stove to redo also. I've been collecting things to live "off the grid" for the past few years...not there yet but slowly making progress. Take care...can't remember what I used to use on fire ant hills...it was non-toxic though...Ran into those both in Wichita Falls,TX and in Loxahatchee, FL. Enjoy your life. Deborah

-- Deborah (bearwaoman@Yahoo.com), April 09, 2001.

If you can't get it converted locally, maybe these guys can get you the parts you need. It's a good site for referenceing your stove anyway. I have a Rheem Wedgewood that is about a 1960's according to a local guy who restores antique stoves. I plan to have him convert mine soon and install it in my kitchen. Here's the link: http://www.lloydsappliances.com/index.html

-- Nancy (sonflower35@icqmail.com), April 09, 2001.

Deborah check to see if there is a regulator of some sort in the stove. If not, simply changing the size of the orifice in each burner should do the trick. If there is one it will have to converted. Propane appliances operate at 11 inches of water column (Gas pressure) and natural gas,less than half of that. Most newer stoves have a kit that comes with the stove so they can be altered to operate on either gas.

-- jz (oz49us@yahoo.com), April 09, 2001.

Check with the propane dealers in your area, new jets cost, (the last time I bought them) about $5 each. As for drilling them out, it's the other way around, you can drill out a LP for natural gas but not natural to LP. We also have a M&O 50s probaly, they have become quite spendy in some parts of the country, Californina especially. Recently we had new LP lines run in and when we re-fired the stove the ovens would not light. We called two differnt repair guys who claimed they new about these old stoves but they could not figure it out, finally my daughter in Berkley, who has one, tols me about the reset button in the oven,for the piolet light duh?

-- Hendo (redgate@echoweb.net), April 10, 2001.

The info given to decrease orifice hole size for propane conversion is correct. I do only old gas stove repairs the last 8 years. I am in Berkeley at 510 655-1345. I like the Berkeley daughter that showed her dad the safety button that the experts couldn't figure out. Wedgewoods and O'Keefes are the greatest but many makes survive. Finding parts is sometimes difficult. The Lloyd's web site is nice but they are in Southern California. Blessings, Henry

-- Henry Rutgers (henru99@yahoo.com), August 20, 2001.

i also have old wedgewood (1950's)and had to call my old friend LEE who has been working on stoves for 50 plus years learning the trade from his father. I needed to go from natural gas to propane. LEE told me how to adjust the needle valves to accomplish the conversion older stoves have the capability of conversion w/o the need to change any parts. if you wish to contact me by email i will give you LEE's landline #

-- kate miller (xray_sih@hotmail.com), February 02, 2002.