Heat n Glo main burner won't ignite

[Paul_77]

My propane fireplace won't start up this year. I purchased the home with the existing fireplace 2 years ago.

Some details;

- Model is HeatnGlo SL-550TRLP-IPID
- Guesstimating the fireplace was installed in 2006.
- Single wall thermostat working ok
- Pilot light works fine
- Re-seated all connections
- Vacuumed the main burner (though it was already clean)
- Will sometimes ignite for a split second, see link below (17 second mark).

https://photos.app.goo.gl/gDMB2HlOdhMzQBTx2

I've been reading up trying to learn but am unsure how to diagnose the issue.

My tank is about 40% full. ftw my gas stove/oven are working fine.

Any thoughts would be appreciated...

Added some files for reference.

 

[DAKSY]

There's a couple of things to check.
First, remove the thermostat & disconnect the wires.
Touch the bare ends together.
If the fireplace comes on & stays on, the t-stat is probably defective.
If nothing happens, the thermopile (tp) may be defective.
With the pilot burning, & the burner off, find the ends of the tp & take a reading with a multimeter set to millivolts.
The meter should read about 550mV +/- 50mV.
Turn the burner on & take another reading.
The meter should read anywhere from 190 - 250mV & HOLD STEADY.
If none of those readings are in the anges I stated, replace the tp.
If the tests above don't answer the question, pull the burner pan out
& make sure there is no blockage behind the burner orifice.
You will need to remove the logs.
There are generally 4 1/4" head zipscrews holding the pan in place.
You may need to loosen the wingnut holding the air shutter in position.
The pan needs to be lifted & slid off the orifice.
Remove the orifice with a 1/2" wrench & stick a Q-Tip or pipe cleaner in the tube behind the orifice.
Reassemble following the steps in reverse.
Adjust the air shutter to full open until you have your burner working
& make adjustments after the firebox gets warm...

 

[Paul_77]

There's a couple of things to check.
First, remove the thermostat & disconnect the wires.
Touch the bare ends together.
If the fireplace comes on & stays on, the t-stat is probably defective.
If nothing happens, the thermopile (tp) may be defective.
With the pilot burning, & the burner off, find the ends of the tp & take a reading with a multimeter set to millivolts.
The meter should read about 550mV +/- 50mV.
Turn the burner on & take another reading.
The meter should read anywhere from 190 - 250mV & HOLD STEADY.
If none of those readings are in the anges I stated, replace the tp.
If the tests above don't answer the question, pull the burner pan out
& make sure there is no blockage behind the burner orifice.
You will need to remove the logs.
There are generally 4 1/4" head zipscrews holding the pan in place.
You may need to loosen the wingnut holding the air shutter in position.
The pan needs to be lifted & slid off the orifice.
Remove the orifice with a 1/2" wrench & stick a Q-Tip or pipe cleaner in the tube behind the orifice.
Reassemble following the steps in reverse.
Adjust the air shutter to full open until you have your burner working
& make adjustments after the firebox gets warm...

thanks for the reply.

I don't see anything labeled TP on my unit. Am I missing something?

 

[DAKSY]

Can you post a pic of the pilot assembly? There wasn't one in the previous posting.

 

[Paul_77]

finally had a chance to work on it.

tried touching the t stat bare ends together and gave the same result. Pilot works just fine, but main wont go on.

Here's a picture of the pilot assembly;

 

[Paul_77]

 

[Paul_77]

It's a Christmas miracle

While following the troubleshooting steps found here https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/need-help-fireplace-won’t-flame-up.165554/ (post 13), the main burner decided to ignite. All voltages seemed to be OK at the time of test. I really don't know why it decided to ignite.

The only thing I did was disconnect the power supply from the power bar and remove the leads from the control unit (green box on top of the model number sticker) and tested it in another power socket. Then connected everything back, and poof, I had flame.

Perhaps disconnecting the power from the control unit for an extended time reset something??

Regardless, I'm happy it's working now. Thank you for this great forum.

 

[chrisarrington]

You may have issues in the future. That pilot assembly really needs to be cleaned good. The curved rod to the left is the ignitor rod which produces the spark. The straight rod is the sensing rod and the metal behind it is a grounding strap. Take out the grounding strap by unscrewing the 1/4" hex screw and sand it good with some emory cloth. Go over the sensing rod good too. If flame rectification doesn't happen it could cause it to not come on or come on and shut off. It will normally still be sparking when the pilot is going if this is happening.