Thelin Providence Insert igniter

[thedjm]

I have a Thelin Providence insert and it seems like the igniter went out on it. There seems to be very little info about this unit I can find online and none of the people I've contacted in my area (Northern California - 95033) know much about it and/or want to work on it.

I'm not even sure how it pulls out of the enclosure. It in a framed wall, not in a firebox and as far as I can tell the only way to replace the igniter is from the back.

If anyone can point to someone in the 95033 area that services these that'd be great. Alternatively I could try to do this myself if I could find some decent videos and/or documentation on this unit as to how it's installed/uninstalled.

 

[Mt Bob]

Call and talk to chimney cleaners. They usually know all the near by stove repair people.

 

[thedjm]

Call and talk to chimney cleaners. They usually know all the near by stove repair people.

Yes, I called about 6 chimney cleaners in the area, all the fireplace stores, including the one where the unit was originally purchased some years ago. Everyone I talk to says they don't do that work, don't know anyone or don't know about pellet stoves. One 'independent' guy who local fireplace store from where it was purchased came over, spent an hour and couldn't figure out how to pull it out of the wall, charged me $100 and said he could come back but it'd probably cost $800 for the time it would take him to 'figure it out'.

So I'm on here hoping that someone who actually knows what they're doing lives in the area and maybe hangs out on here.

 

[Mt Bob]

Take some pictures of it and what it is mounted into, and, the flue, if it is external and not into a chimney. An igniter is not really that hard to replace, it is just getting to it. You also can still use unit, by lighting it manually.

 

[thedjm]

Thanks. I did try lighting it manually with a torch lighter and sat there for a good 2 minutes trying to light, but never ever caught and kept. It seems like the igniter is a constant source of ignition that says on the pellets for the length of the burn. When you mentioned it I figured I could just get it going and it would stay lit. It didn't turn out that way though.

Attaching a pic of the front of it, but the problem is I'm not even sure how it's attached or secured and I don't want to start wiggling and yanking on it and make something worse. The fact that the guy from the fireplace store couldn't figure it out doesn't give me a whole lot of hope. Is it hanging on a lip? I pull up on it and there's no give. There's nothing anywhere that indicates how it's attached or secured.
Next step is to just rip it out forcefully and replace it with something useful like a firebox, but I don't have the time or money for that project.

 

[Mt Bob]

No the igniter does not stay on. It goes out after fire starts. Can't help you with taking it apart.

 

[johneh]

Thanks. I did try lighting it manually with a torch lighter and sat there for a good 2 minutes trying to light,

In most cases, you need to soak some pellets in
starter fluid to aid in starting the pellets
using just the torch will work but takes longer

 

[thedjm]

Thanks, yes, tried that method, but the blower on this stove is really intense and no way it seems to turn it down.
Even with the pellets soaked in lighter fluid, the fan blows the flame out with repeated lights. I didn't even think that was possible.
I'll probably have to find something a bit more potent to start it with.

 

[Washed-Up]

Can you let the soaked pellets burn for a few minutes before closing the door and turning the fan on?

 

[Mt Bob]

Manuals show stove operation, adjustments, igniter location, and removing fireplace surround.

THELIN PROVIDENCE OWNER'S MANUAL Pdf Download

View and Download Thelin Providence owner's manual online. INSERT PELLET STOVE. providence pellet stove pdf manual download.

www.manualslib.com

https://thelinco.com/product/providence-pellet-insert/pdf/providence-manual-epa_label-2019.pdf?v=1.02