Welcome to the eighth entry in September’s Mini Mod Contest. One Mini Mod will be published in every Email Alert in September. At the end of the month, we’ll hold a reader vote to determine September’s winner. Click here for information about the 2023 Mod Contest, including how to enter.
Chad Redlin, Cottage Grove, Minnesota
Snap On Stove Knob Locks
2020 Chevy Silverado 3500HD
2023 Northern Lite 10-2EX CD LE
This is purely a safety mod prompted by a scary situation we experienced, and research says others have experienced it as well.
We were at a campground for the night while visiting our son. The three of us are sitting around the table playing games just after dinner. My wife, being the avid weather watcher she is, informs us that there is a storm coming in. Despite her noting potential 70mph wind gusts, we, like most, decide to see how things develop before giving up our game to head to the storm shelter.
It wasn’t long and the winds picked up and the rain came down. Suddenly, CRASH! The dreaded sound of a branch slamming down on the roof of the camper. Yep, that’s enough development for us. We’re outta there! To the shelter we head, post haste.
Well, following a lovely time waiting out the storm in the women’s bathroom, we decide it’s safe to return to the camper. We arrive at the camper and the sound of the alarm sounding; the LP alarm!
After mitigating the potential for an explosion by shutting off the propane tanks and allowing time for the propane to evacuate from the camper, we felt it was safe to enter. We entered, of course, puzzled by what in the world could have happened to set off the LP alarm, to find one of the stove burner knobs had been turned on.
The only plausible explanation we could come up with was that, in our rush to get to the shelter, we suffered, what my wife calls, “the dreaded butt bump!”
One of us bumped into the stove knob, pressing it in enough and at the right angle to turn it on. We were mortified at the disaster we had just dodged. We immediately did some research to find that this is an all-too-common occurrence, which was even more mortifying. We, as immediately, agreed that “This can never happen again!” And began looking for a way to absolutely prevent the knobs from being able to be accidentally turned on.
As you are all probably thinking, the first thought went to child safety devices that can be used on your home stove to prevent children from using the knobs as a toy. We did some searching and did find some purchasable solutions. However, I happen to have a 3D Printer and decided to come up with a custom solution that met our personal wants and needs.
What we ended up with was a very simple device that can be slid and snapped into place between the knob and the panel. This prevents the knob from being pushed in enough to turn to the on position. It can be removed easily when the stove is needed for cooking. Below is my wife demonstrating how it works.
This design was based on Suburban Elite Series model SRNSQB3S2QAG3EC in a 2023 Northern Lite 10-2 EXCD LE wet bath.
Our solution has worked as intended so far. The Stove Knob Locks (STL) install easily and are easily removed when we want to cook. While cooking we store the lock in the tilt-out drawer in front of the sink. We haven’t found any issues or concerns with the design of our stove.
The STL format file for the design is available for free download for printing on your 3D printer or an online or local 3D printing service. We used PLA 3D printing filament on our prints, but for higher temperature climates, PETG filament may be a better choice as it has higher temperature stability.
Below is a dimensioned drawing of the device that can be used to cut it out from plastic or other sheet material.
Another similar but more universal solution can be purchased on Amazon.
It took me one hour to complete this modification and cost me $0.30 for three printed parts. There is a $15.99 Amazon alternative. In my opinion, the skill level of this modification is easy to medium.
Disclaimer: The modifications above are submitted by Truck Camper Magazine readers. It is your responsibility to make sure that any do-it-yourself modification project you undertake is safe, effective, and legal for your situation.
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