"Which means that I cannot light them with a match during a power outage.'

That would be news to me. Are you sure that's true?

My DCS has electronic ignition, and I have lit the burners with a match during a power failure. But you cannot light the oven that way.

Asolo, well...Wolf's documentation clearly says that there is no pilot light, so I called their 800 number and the person I spoke with said no, without the pilot light you cannot light it with a match.

So then I started wondering about the others, also with no pilot lights.

I am only concerned about a burner, not the oven. It's backup.

Perhaps you need a different vendor with fewer lawyers running the company. Any stove with mechanical gas valves can be lit with a match. You do need to be somewhat smart about it which is why Wolf is probably keeping their lips sealed.

Nothing much residential comes with pilot lights any more. Waste of gas. Even the ovens are lit with electric glow plugs (for people who can't understand why all gas ranges want dedicated electrical outlets).

-Stooxie

Ok then...how do you do it?

You turn the knob to the light position and then CAREFULLY hold a match near the burner and POOF! You should use a long match or one the gadgets they sell for lighting gas grills that generate a spark.

Oh, the way we've always done it! No problem, then!

Thank you!

You can use a match to light the end of a piece of spaghetti. Then use the flaming spaghetti torch to light the stove. It's longer than a long match, cheaper than a lighter.

We've had 4 power outages this winter and we've lit our Wolf rangetop with a match each time. It's no big deal.

don't think exposed pilot lights are allowed anymore!

This thread brought up the memory of when I was a kid, and we had old-fashioned pilot lights for the oven and the cooktop. Every night before going to bed, my mom would check them all to make sure none had gone out. The fear was that the house would blow up from the gas escaping at an unlit pilot. I'm kinda glad those days are over.

Check the installation instructions. What you do need with Wolf, and probably Gaggenau, is a dedicated electrical circuit for the ingniter. My electrician pooh-poohed that without telling me (my idea is follow the directions, but I'm just a girl...). It worked for a month or so, then failed, taking the plugmold nearby with it.

Electrician said it was a short in the cooktop. Hearing that, even though they probably knew what the problem was, Wolf sent out a warranty repair man who had to unscrew stuff to pull the unit out and open it up. And then tell me that it was fine and wasn't on the dedicated circuit it was supposed to have. There are plenty of spots on the panel, and it wasn't a big deal (if you don't count the pot drawers living on the floor for a week until he could come out) to put in the circuit, so I don't know why he didn't do it from the beginning.

If it says you need a separate circuit, believe it.

If/when I light with a match I turn the gas on to a lower setting. Lights instantly without the big POOF and I don't want to worry about long matches. Then I can turn up the gas.

-Stooxie

Some cooktops can be lit when the electricity goes out and some cant. It is not because of pilot lights, I think I was told that it is because the valves on some gas burners lock when the electricity is off. You need to check out the user manual for each range/cooktop your interested in. I know we are prone to blackouts, so I chose a range that does light with a match when the electricity is shut.

I ordered a GE monogram that specifically says you can light it in the event of a power outage

^^ Thanks for this. I will re-read the documentation to discern if the valves are mechanical or electrical. I see where the GE monogram ranges say you can use a match. Nice!