moved into a house in may with the above stove. worked great for a couple weeks. after the last time i cleaned it, the ignitor isn't working correctly anymore. it still gets hot (passes the finger test) but doesn't light the pellets in the pot unless i stick a pellet in the pot ignitor hole. the ignitor does not extend into the pot (i don't remember if it ever did, but seems like it should) and i cannot "pull" it out more. i've read about the ignitor "workarounds" but would like tot get it working again so it's wife friendly. do i need a new ignitor? if so, are they easy to replace? the previous owners left an invoice that they had the ignitor replaced a couple years ago, but if i could do it myself, i'd like to. i'm halfway handy, i've taken the stove apart and cleaned it myself since we've been here. tia
ashley king 5500m ignitor issues
- Thread starter mrscientist
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
- Status
I have a similar stove. The ignitor does not extend into the burnpot and is a bit behind it. I would try brushing the end of the ignitor again and if it still doesn't work, you may want to consider replacement. If you cannot swing a new ignitor right now, you may try starter gel.
thanks. do you know how the ignitor is supposed to work? right now, mine is kind of concave at the end and gets red hot during the ignition period.
It should slowly heat up after pressing the "on" button. You may have a different control board then mine but the igniter is still the same. Mine is concave and gets cherry red as well. What should happen is the draft fan should pull in air past the igniter through the large hole in the back of the burnpot and then through the pellets. It's the hot air from the igniter that ignites the pellets.
It's possible your draft fan is weak or your stove needs more cleaning.
It's possible your draft fan is weak or your stove needs more cleaning.
thanks. is there a test to check for the draft fan being weak? the stove seems to be working fine otherwise. is there somewhere specific i should make doubly sure is clean?
i've also read that the igniter (sorry about the previous "or," seems like it's spelled both ways) can work only halfway, that is, one of the coils can fail. in my case, if that's true, i guess it could just not be getting hot enough to light.
You may be able to go outside and put your hand near the cap and feel for it. Just set your draft fan to manual so its constantly running. As far as making sure the thing is clean, I would say check the draft fan.
As far as the igniter cartridge, I've never taken one apart to see how it's made, but have always figured them to be like the coil on an electric cook top (one coil).
As far as the igniter cartridge, I've never taken one apart to see how it's made, but have always figured them to be like the coil on an electric cook top (one coil).
thanks, i have no control of my draft fan, so it's running all the time, and it is running.
i ordered another igniter regardless. the original igniter used (80481) has been discontinued. although you can still buy it from some places, i ordered the 80619 which replaces it.
one more question... does your igniter tube actually touch the back of your pot? because mine is and i'm wondering if that's maybe the problem if it works like you said it did, with the heated air lighting the pellets. i'm going to take it apart and move it a bit, there's a good video on youtube that shows how to service it. if that fixes it, i'll still have a spare igniter to replace this one when it does go.
i ordered another igniter regardless. the original igniter used (80481) has been discontinued. although you can still buy it from some places, i ordered the 80619 which replaces it.
one more question... does your igniter tube actually touch the back of your pot? because mine is and i'm wondering if that's maybe the problem if it works like you said it did, with the heated air lighting the pellets. i'm going to take it apart and move it a bit, there's a good video on youtube that shows how to service it. if that fixes it, i'll still have a spare igniter to replace this one when it does go.
That's probably the best option. If the old one is still good, you'll still end up needing one in the future anyways.
took the igniter out. even before it was out, it didn't look like they said it should on the youtube video. the tip of the igniter was sticking out of the igniter tube. in the video, it said the igniter should be about a quarter inch behind the end of the tube. i moved it back, reinstalled it, fired it up, and it works great now. i'm surprised the last moron who serviced this stove installed it that way. anyway, i have a spare igniter coming for when this one fails, so i won't have to waste any time waiting for one. seems like with these stoves, it's a good idea to have a spare on hand. hope this can help someone else.
SteveB
Member
Just now saw this thread. Yes, it definitely needs to be back in the tube at least an eigth but if its working at a quarter inch thats even better. My 5510 came from the factory with the ignitor too far out and didn't even last a season. They replaced it under warranty but I installed it the way it was from the factory. guess what..... Yep, that one didn't last a season either. Then I read the instructions that I got from somewhere (I think with the next replacement ignitor) and installed it back in the tube at least an eighth, maybe more. That was about 3 years ago and its still working today.
- Status
Similar threads
