Pellet stove repair question

[TheSiege]

Ok so long story short, my pellet stove does not have an auto ignitor so I am adding one. For those interested I am putting a heating element similar to this
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Traeger-Woo...900?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35b93e65a4
attached to a solid state relay similar to this
http://www.ebay.com/itm/OPTO-22-SOL...335?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43b6a4d40f
I am going to gate the relay with a timer that is activated by a push button that will be fed by 12v from the circuit board on the pellet stove. And the timer will output 12v to the solid state relay. So I am going to have to drill a hole through the fireblock and the metal behind it to run the leads of the element to the SSR. I am wondering what I would use to patch the fireblock so I don't transfer heat to the electronics...

FYI the element is 120v and I will obviously be getting that from the power cord attached to the wall.

 

[jmolayal]

Where are you getting pellets? I thought pellets and corn for these types of devices got hella expensive...

 

[TheSiege]

http://www.woodstufflandscapesupplies.com/Home_Page.html
224.50 a ton

 

[iRONic]

M230 High Temp Sealant

 

[Number1]

Is your stove designed to use those auto ignitors?

Up to codes?

 

[SparkyJJO]

Is your stove designed to use those auto ignitors?

Up to codes?

Who cares about code if it works :awe:

 

[Thump553]

Who cares about code if it works :awe:

Your insurance company will be very interested in it if the house burns down.

 

[DrPizza]

Your insurance company will be very interested in it if the house burns down.

How the hell's his house going to burn down from it? The auto-igniter is INSIDE an area designed to be very very hot (Fire!).

 

[snoturtle]

What model stove?
Did they offer a newer one with an auto igniter?

How often are you lighting the stove that this would save you any time?

 

[lxskllr]

How the hell's his house going to burn down from it? The auto-igniter is INSIDE an area designed to be very very hot (Fire!).

He could put it in backward, and catch his bookshelf on fire :^P

 

[TheSiege]

Whitfield advantage II t

It was not designed for an auto ignitor, And it will only turn on for 20 seconds at a time and only when activated by the push button.

 

[TheSiege]

I will be lighting once a day

 

[TheSiege]

He could put it in backward, and catch his bookshelf on fire :^P

I am an electrician, and yes even I am susceptible to make a mistake, I won't.

 

[Squisher]

Fireplace mortar in a tube. 2000F

http://heating-and-cooling.hardwarestore.com/98-580-stove-gaskets-and-cements/fireplace-mortar-145789.aspx

 

[snoturtle]

why not let it run instead of shutting it down and relighting every day?

found this link but its for one that was all ready to plug in an ignitor just didn't have one
http://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/whitfield-advantage-t-insert-got-it-working.84534/

Talks about how they work like a heat gun and need air flow over and through the tube that the ignitors in

Not sure if you can just drill in and add it in

 

[Rubycon]

Not sure if that ignitor is a pure glow rod or requires internal axial flow but these (pellet stoves) that are designed for auto light have trials for ignition just like a furnace/boiler. A dedicated combustion air fan or pump runs for the trial period to ensure ignition. Heat exchanger or stack temperature is the most common proof of ignition and a failure locks out the system so the auger does not overfill the firepot, etc.

Yes it would be possible to set up a modified, attended ignition cycle with this original idea providing your stove has a strong combustion air blower and the glow rod is installed at the correct location. Since a hole has to be drilled for mounting simple trial and error is not going to work.

EDIT:

Also one has to remember that even "premium" fuels develop somewhat of a corrosive mix of hard deposits of byproducts of incomplete combustion (clinker) that could eat up the rod if it's not made of corrosion proof material. This build up also can result in reduced possibility of ignition after a building up (and would be difficult to clean without pulling apart!) since it's a good insulator.

 

[Jeff7]

why not let it run instead of shutting it down and relighting every day?

found this link but its for one that was all ready to plug in an ignitor just didn't have one
http://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/whitfield-advantage-t-insert-got-it-working.84534/

Talks about how they work like a heat gun and need air flow over and through the tube that the ignitors in

Not sure if you can just drill in and add it in

Some pellet stoves lack a separate ash tray, and need to be extinguished for a daily cleaning.



Edit: ???
Or is that only for a later version of the stove?

 

[Sho'Nuff]

Where are you getting pellets? I thought pellets and corn for these types of devices got hella expensive...

www.woodpellets.com for me.

On a per million BTU basis, pellets are about 60-65% of the cost of heating oil, last I checked.

 

[DrPizza]

Two things worth mentioning, I see quite a variety of prices per ton of wood pellets, ranging from about $179 per ton to the upper 200's. However, there's quite a variation from brand to brand in the BTUs per ton. (The same, believe it or not, is true of anthracite coal - in fact, from load to load, there can be a huge noticeable difference. )

Also, of people I know with auto-ignitions on pellet stoves - it's probably the most common part to fail. If you simply get some of that gel starter stuff, after half a dozen times, you know exactly how many pellets to put in the firepot & how much gel to put in. Toss in a match & hit the "on" buttons, done. I could repair the ignitor on ours, but it's not worth the bother.

 

[Sho'Nuff]

Two things worth mentioning, I see quite a variety of prices per ton of wood pellets, ranging from about $179 per ton to the upper 200's. However, there's quite a variation from brand to brand in the BTUs per ton. (The same, believe it or not, is true of anthracite coal - in fact, from load to load, there can be a huge noticeable difference. )

Also, of people I know with auto-ignitions on pellet stoves - it's probably the most common part to fail. If you simply get some of that gel starter stuff, after half a dozen times, you know exactly how many pellets to put in the firepot & how much gel to put in. Toss in a match & hit the "on" buttons, done. I could repair the ignitor on ours, but it's not worth the bother.

QFT. When we purchased our stove last year, we were told to expect to replace the igniter every two years.

 

[SparkyJJO]

The igniter has never failed on my parents' pellet stove. Well, it has failed to light once or twice, but not due to a failed part.

 

[Rubycon]

Two things worth mentioning, I see quite a variety of prices per ton of wood pellets, ranging from about $179 per ton to the upper 200's. However, there's quite a variation from brand to brand in the BTUs per ton. (The same, believe it or not, is true of anthracite coal - in fact, from load to load, there can be a huge noticeable difference. )

BTU rating is only part of the story. Ash content and fines (to a lesser extent) are important. The heat output when the stove is set up correctly with regards to optimal combustion air and draft differential pressure - is going to be within 1mbh/#.

What determines whether an owner wants to pay a premium of $295/T over $199/T is how often they need to clean their stove between firings. Of course letting it get *too* dirty drives more heat out the stack (waste) as well...