Pilot lights have always bothered me. They seem so out of place in a modern society, reminiscent of the hot coals that cavemen would hoard from lightning strikes so they could start fires back at camp. My car doesn't have a pilot light, so I'm sure there's some alternate technology that could be used to light natural gas, and yet even new appliances like water heaters require you to have a standing open flame in your house. I just counted in my head, and there are at least five pilot lights in my house burning gas continually.
I wonder if there's a way to build a gas-powered television that doesn't just convert the gas directly into electricity?
The alternative to a pilot light is a pilot spark. The cooktop in my new house uses a spark to light the gas--not a pilot light. The water heater, on the other hand, still has a pilot light.
The other device that should be able to eliminate the pilot light is the electric igniter, seen in cigarette lighters.
The problem with using electronic ignitors is that they are tied to your electrical supply. The gas works have backup generators to run the pumps there, which means that even if your power goes out, you can still cook on a gas range that has a pilot light, you will still have hot water in a gas heater, etc.
You also see the same thing with phones. People who have only wireless phones have problems calling 911 when the power goes out. The guy with the old princess phone, though, (like me) has no such limitation.
(Wireless meaing cordless, not celular. Cell phones usually end up working even after the land line works go down.)
Phelps: You can light an electric-ignition appliance with a match, right?