Lopi leyden ignitor

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nksdad2007

nksdad2007

Member
Dec 24, 2009
117
Central, Maine
I just spoke with the dealer I bought the stove from, and they told me drill out the hole in my burn pot that lines up with the ignitor. They said that this increases the airflow to the pellets, and allows the ignitor to not overheat so it lasts longer. Mine have been lasting about a year and a half on average and he said it would probably make it last 2-3 times as long.
 
I would fire off an email to Travis Industries before doing this. I know about what you spent on this stove if you brought it brand new and I don't believe the manufacturer would make something that would require an owner to physically alter something they manufactured. It may also be due to whether you use the stove on thermostat and it keeps cycling on and off that could be burning out the igniter so quickly. I have gone to manua mode and turn it to low heat or off if the temps are warm enough durin the day. Then my wife can turn it on mid afternoon as the sun starts to go down and it gets colder. Let me know how you make out as I am on my 2nd igniter (self replaced).
 
I changed the ignitor last night. Last time took 45 minutes, this time almost 2 hours. It didn't help that they have shortened the leads on the new ones so when I had the hole for the grommet on the wrong side, they wouldn't quite reach so i had to take it back apart and start over. There will be a new light, and a new magnetic nut driver of the right size in my tool box very soon.
 
nksdad2007 said:
I changed the ignitor last night. Last time took 45 minutes, this time almost 2 hours. It didn't help that they have shortened the leads on the new ones so when I had the hole for the grommet on the wrong side, they wouldn't quite reach so i had to take it back apart and start over. There will be a new light, and a new magnetic nut driver of the right size in my tool box very soon.
Click to expand...

Knock on wood, but I also have a 2008 Leyden, but still have the original ignitor. Still seems to be running strong.
 
Do you have enough clearance behind the stove to get back there or did you have to lay across the top of the stove and work upside down, taking breaks to allow the blood to clear from pooling in your head like I had to?
 
Last time i was able to do it by laying over the top. This time i ended up unhooking it from the vent and just pulling it out where I could get at it. Took no time after that.
 
Just received an email back about enlarging the hole for the ignitor.


Hello,

The current burn pot has a 3/8” diameter hole for the ignition, we recommend increasing the diameter to 1/2 ” for more consistent ignition and to increase the longevity of the igniter. I hope this is helpful.

Regards,

Glen Payson
Travis Industries
Customer/Technical Service
[email protected]
 
So for those people who spent good money (and a lot of $$ as these are not cheap) and are not mechanically inclined OR don't visit this site are not really getting the best quality product if Travis recommends altering their original factory product. They really should issue some type of recall and reimburse the dealers for make this adjustment. I remember they had a fuel gate installed in the drop chute which was clogging the auger and drop chute. If I didn't do my own research and send them an email I neve would have known to tak out that piece of genius engineering. Makes you wonder what their R&D and QA processes are like.
 
Has anyone done this mod? I went and checked and the hole size on mine is about 1/4", which is smaller than the 3/8' original size claimed by Travis Industries.
 
I haven't yet, but I will be trying to get it done this weekend. Have to replace the door gasket as well so I figured it would be a good time to get it done.
 
Great. Please let me know your results.
 
I drilled out the ignitor hole to 1/2" today, and first start up afterwards seemed quicker. I will keep an eye on it post what I find after a few days. It was pretty easy to drill out. I didn't have a vise so i just put a couple of screw through the bottom into a 2x4 and rolled it up on one side a drilled it out.
 
nksdad2007 -

How did this burn pot mod work for the rest of last years heating season? Mine is still original.
 
richkorn said:
nksdad2007 -

How did this burn pot mod work for the rest of last years heating season? Mine is still original.
Click to expand...

Seemed to work good. It seemed to light quicker, still waiting on seeing if it makes a difference in how long the igniter lasts.

Have you had any trouble with the exhaust motor? I'm thinking my issues with the ash are caused by not enough air being pulled through.
 
My exhaust (combustion) blower was replaced about 3 years ago under warranty because made loud noises. It is sealed unit with no oil ports. Convection blower was replaced once also around same time. No problems with either since then. I oil the Conv blower 2x year and keep things clean. Still original igniter also. Maybe I'll drill out that hole a bit anyway.
 
@nksdad2007 Sound like the same issue I was having last year and replace the exhaust motor and all is well.
 
LarryH said:
@nksdad2007 Sound like the same issue I was having last year and replace the exhaust motor and all is well.
Click to expand...

@LarryH Than you. I am really believing it is my problem. I think I will get a new motor and try it, and just keep the old as a spare. I it works, great, if not at least I have eliminated that.
 
Just an update. Since I driilled out the hole in the burnpot for the ignitor, I haven't had to replace the ignitor since. Been just over three years, and they were lasting about a year and a half. I did develop some cracks in the welds on the burnpot recently. Had a friend weld it up and it is still going strong.
 
I drilled mine a few years ago because of this thread. Still original 2008 igniter on thermostat :cool:
 
Ignitor went yesterday. It lasted 3 1/2 years this time, much better.
 
Replaced the ignitor tonight, only took 34 minutes. Part of that was getting a screwdriver I had forgotten to grab. The long handled magnetic nut driver made it much easier. Still need to get a better light though.
 
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