Avalon igniter picture

any stick heater that glows like that will have the insulation breakdown and fail eventually........too me a poor design, but I would think a pellet touching that should ignite....is air suppossed to flow around the stick heater and ignite the pellets?
I'm very, very, unfamilliar with your stove

I have a Lopi Yankee also made by Travis, and that seems like the same as mine. The igniter sits just outside the burn pot and glows similar to yours. What about the draft setting? Didi you try opening it more or less?

Looks just like my Astoria when it gets hot....I would think that's hot enough to light pellets.

BTW, are the pellets new and/or dry?

Looks plenty hot enough for sure. Is it possible that the
ignitor got pushed back while cleaning and now it's not reaching
the pellets?

narles said:

stove is working fine after a manual light so I believe I can rule out air leaks, clogs, etc. and that my problem is the igniter.
MacMan is the end of the igniter spaced a little away from the firebox on your stove? From memory, last year it seemed as though igniter would shoot into the firebox.

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Yes, I would say that it's approx 1/8" - 1/4" from the back of the burn pot. What I observe is the ignitor getting hot, and any pellets that are close to the hole in front of the ignitor start smoldering, and after a few minutes, they get hot enough and suddenly "poof"....fire.

narles said:

Thanks for all your input. The auto ignite is working fine now. Don't know exactly what fixed it, but all is good..... and warm!

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Glad it "fixed" itself narles...LOL.

BTW, I just did my weekly cleaning, and the ignitor housing on my Astoria is just about touching my burn pot, and the actual element is about 1/16 - 1/8" behind that.

you could have had a draft leak
Stick in a tube ignitor systems work of the convection heat off the glowing stick
Air need to draft in the tube and into the burn pot. a small slot is in the side of the ignitor tube the hot air sucked threw it is what ignites the pellets.

Possible low draft caused on a 900 or firefox 400 pellet stove other than general cleaning off the flue system and heat exhange

(the firebox chamber is negative air if any kind of extra air leak, air will not draft pass threw the fire grate or suck air through the ignitor tube)

had air draft rod in to far not enough air

front door and or ash pan NOT shut tight and latched

Ash trap doors at the bottom of the fire box not shut and or the round plugs at the top left and right firebox missing or no put back in

My Lopi Yankee did the same. After reducing the amount of air with the restrictor, it started just fine.