Pellet Stove Lighter Longevity Question

[EastMtn]

This one is for all the stove servicers out there and seasoned pellet burners. I read an article today that said:

"The only thing I know that can for sure make an igniter fail faster is having a Pellet Stove on a thermostat. Let’s say that an igniter has a lifespan of 750 starts. (This is just a round number I picked out of the air.) If the stove is not on a thermostat and it is turned on once a day for 150 days of the year then the igniter will last 5 years. If the same igniter is on a stove with a thermostat and the thermostat turns the stove on and off 3 times a day then the igniter would fail within 2 years.

Taking your stove off the thermostat is the only for sure way I know of increasing the lifespan of Pellet Stove Igniters."
Is this true? By telling the stove to go to its lowest setting after reaching temp, rather than having it power down, will that extend the life of the igniter?

 

[MountainSean]

Short answer: Yes it is true.

Long answer: The life of an igniter depends on a multitude of factors ranging from the quality of the igniter, to the number of times it lights to how clean your stove is, to how long the start up cycle on your stove is etc. But in the end, the less time your igniter spends being hot the longer it will live.

 

[BUBIBEAR]

If you have your stove set up to run ,in a high/low mode,and run it 24/7 you cut down your start and stops on the igniter a lot. Which means longer life.

 

[DBCOOPER]

And if you light your stove manually the lighter will last indefinitely...

 

[Pellet-King]

Glad I dont have to worry about that problem

 

[IHATEPROPANE]

Pellet savings > new igniter cost...especially if you can change it yourself. Which I am sure most people can do if they try. Heck, I just did it

 

[rowerwet]

it will also save you a ton on electricity, my dad shut the ignitor off on his Harmon, he ligts with gel and never lets it go out until he wants to clean it. The savings on his electricity is noticeable

 

[Stevekng]

it will also save you a ton on electricity, my dad shut the ignitor off on his Harmon, he ligts with gel and never lets it go out until he wants to clean it. The savings on his electricity is noticeable

Here's a way to heat with pellets without using gel or an igniter. All you need is a match. The hot dogs would be an added cost.

 

[Bioburner]

it will also save you a ton on electricity, my dad shut the ignitor off on his Harmon, he ligts with gel and never lets it go out until he wants to clean it. The savings on his electricity is noticeable

Sounds like some of the people who buy a hybrid car and start using extraordinary and unsafe practices to get every last nickel out of a gallon of gas.

 

[richkorn]

Going into 6th year with original igniter and stove on thermostat. Stove does not have hi/low mode. Guess i got a good one

 

[EastMtn]

How long can an igniter last when cycling the stove once a day for the time that you aren't home vs high/low method and just cycling for cleaning based on the amount of ash in the pan? My wife and I both are away from home 13hrs/day so I was thinking of using the programmable function of my stove in the same manner that we run our hot water circ pump. By having the stove turn off when we get up in the morning that gives it time to cool off and I can clean out the burn pot and ash pan just before leaving for work. The stove would then be programmed to come on before the first person gets home to pre heat the house. So that would be 4 days per week at 12hrs per day down time. Assuming you go through a bag of pellets once per 24 hour period that would theoretically save 1/2 a bag per day or $2.50 out of a $5 bag.
$2.50/bag x (7.5 bags x 5mos) = $93.75 per heating season savings. By adding a plug in timer to my hot water circ pump I'm saving $20 per month in electricity and approx 50 gallons per fill of propane.
The igniter for my stove cost $78. When it goes bad I will change it myself so no cost of labor, just time. Is it still worth it to use the high/low method?

 

[EastMtn]

Going into 6th year with original igniter and stove on thermostat. Stove does not have hi/low mode. Guess i got a good one

Do you recall how often your stove would re-light per day? My neighbor just bought a Lopi AGP.

 

[rowerwet]

Sounds like some of the people who buy a hybrid car and start using extraordinary and unsafe practices to get every last nickel out of a gallon of gas.

my dad does own a Prius, but isn't a hyper mile nut.
I know more than one person with a harmon who has done this to save electricity.

 

[Woody1911a1]

you might want to factor in the wear and tear on all the other components by running your stove for 12 more hours each day than necessary . price out combustion and convection blowers , auger motor , snap discs and other sensors etc . .

sorry but i'm not going to bake in my house because i'm worried about maybe burning out my $150 ignitor . easy enough to light manually for a couple of days . i'm already saving a whole bunch by not burning oil up here in the northeast and very happy with that .

 

[rowerwet]

my dads Harmon has a setting that kicks the fan and auger on every so often to keep the coals lit even if there isn't a continuous heat demand. Once the outside temp is low the stove runs almost all the time to keep the house comfortable.
His furnace air return is behind the stove and there is a thermostat on the wall to kick the fan on once the stove room hits 70, the whole house is warm but never gets baked.

 

[EastMtn]

you might want to factor in the wear and tear on all the other components by running your stove for 12 more hours each day than necessary . price out combustion and convection blowers , auger motor , snap discs and other sensors etc . .

sorry but i'm not going to bake in my house because i'm worried about maybe burning out my $150 ignitor . easy enough to light manually for a couple of days . i'm already saving a whole bunch by not burning oil up here in the northeast and very happy with that .

My point exactly. A new combustion fan is $530. Room blower $190, auger motor $300. The thought of increased wear and tear on those parts to save a $78 igniter vs cycling the unit 1 or 2 times does not seem prudent. Then again this is why I'm asking these questions.
Those of you using the high/low method how often are you having to replace the auger motor or combustion fans? Those using the T-stat function to cycle the unit or program the unit to come on at certain times of the day, how often are you replacing your igniters, combustion motors, and auger motors?

Thanks for all the input. Keep it coming.

 

[IHATEPROPANE]

My point exactly. A new combustion fan is $530. Room blower $190, auger motor $300. The thought of increased wear and tear on those parts to save a $78 igniter vs cycling the unit 1 or 2 times does not seem prudent. Then again this is why I'm asking these questions.
Those of you using the high/low method how often are you having to replace the auger motor or combustion fans? Those using the T-stat function to cycle the unit or program the unit to come on at certain times of the day, how often are you replacing your igniters, combustion motors, and auger motors?

Thanks for all the input. Keep it coming.

$530 for a new combustion blower...yikes

Edit: didn't see only 4 days

 

[rowerwet]

the people I know with Harmons haven't seen a motor change yet, but until they shut off the ignitors the two year mark on a ignitor seems to be average,

 

[Mike D]

I agree with the article - I ran it on tstat 1st two seasons and it burned out during second season (January). I replaced it myself and stopped using the tstat because and it has been good since (knock on wood)...