# Lifespan of Pellet Stove Igniters



## jasonmunson (Aug 5, 2013)

Pellet Stove Igniters are a tricky group of products.  I say this because they are not all built the same and they can be unpredictable in how long they last with a few exceptions.

The Pellet Stove Igniter used by Quadrafire pellet stoves fails the most frequently of any pellet stove igniter I know of.  A lot of my customers go through two a year.  However they are less than half the price of normal pellet stove igniters so I guess you get what you pay for.  It’s hard to say if the manufacturers of Quadrafire’s Pellet Stove igniters purposely make this igniter to fail so quickly or if they just don’t know how to make it better.  

In any case, once you have bought a Quadrafire Stove you are stuck with their igniters and will be buying a lot of them if you heat your house with their stove.  As of this writing you can only get a replacement igniter from Quadrafire, there is no one else who makes a better one.

All other pellet stove companies (as far as I’ve seen) use a pellet stove igniter that lasts longer and here is where it gets tricky; some last longer than others.  I have had customers go through highest quality igniter in 1 year.  I have some who have used the original igniter for 8 years before it failed.

What makes one pellet stove igniter last longer than another?

In my more than 15 years of being a technician and having replaced thousands of igniters I can say with certainty; I’m not totally sure what makes one last longer than another.

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.

I sell two styles of Pellet Stove Igniters; the first is the Standard Igniter which is the same that came with your stove.  The expected lifespan of a Standard Igniter is 3-5 years.  This is not a guarantee, it is what is normal.  Some last longer and some fail after only a year.

The second pellet stove igniter I carry is the Super Igniter.  This igniter has been redesigned to last longer.  There is a lot of technical explanation around how they get it to last longer and the short story is it maintains a more uniform temperature, cools down faster, and doesn’t flex or bend when hot.  The claim is that it lasts 5 times longer than a standard igniter and that if it ever bends so badly that it has to be cut out of the stove the manufacturer will replace it for free.  By definition that is a Limited Lifetime Warranty.

The Super Igniter costs about 25% more than the Standard Igniter.  The question you might have is, “does it really last longer and is it worth the extra money?”  My answer is you have a good chance of a Super Igniter lasting longer than the Standard Igniter and I each year I have people who bought the Super Igniter and it failed sooner than expected.  Would they have been better of just buying the Standard Igniter?  Maybe, it’s a gamble.  As time has gone on the majority of people who bought the Super Igniter are having it last longer than the Standard Igniter.

I worked with a guy name Jack who sold hot tubs and I remember a customer grilling him about warrantees and guarantees on a particular hot tub.  After a few minutes Jack finally gave him this reply;

 _“If everything for sale in the world had full disclosure of how well it really worked, then the only thing that would ever be sold is a Rock!”_

_by Jason Munson_
_pelletstovepro_


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## smwilliamson (Aug 12, 2013)

There are three factors that contribute to the demise of an ignition cartridge heater or the coil type igniter quads use.

1. Thermal stress. Igniters heat evenly when energized, from the center outwards, however, when they cool, the air that passes o we may be unevenly distributed. As one area cools quicker than another side the heater will bend slightly and will eventually crack the inner core.

2. Out of phase current. The electricity passing through the core of the igniter flows best when it is in phase. This is controlled by a triac on the board. If the current is of of phase, hot spots can occurs within the filiment strands in the core causing thermal stress and failure.

3. Use. There is a finite number of times the igniter can be energized before thermal stress is achieved


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## Lousyweather (Aug 12, 2013)

How well does the Super Igniter retrofit in, say, a Harman? Is one igniter made to retrofit into other units, or are there a myriad of Super Igniters (different models for different stoves)? I think the latter, most likely. So, the igniter fails, and you simply get a new one? Who determines its bad? Any monies for the actual labor of replacement? Curious minds wanna know......


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## stovelark (Aug 12, 2013)

I don't agree with the PRO above.  I've sold Quads for years, with the exception of the MV AE, I don't believe the others are that bad with longevity.  Certainly turning the stove on and off several times in a day will go thru an ignitor quicker, but to say its the ignitor and not the way quad controls the stove is wrong.  Run your quad on low or med, turn their tstat up all the way, the ignitor will last for years.....   I will say Enviro, Whitfield's old hot air ignitors lasted well, but most people when using the tstat, the stove didn't fully shut down.  Stoves with low end ignitors (Bosca, some Hudson River (originals) had ignitor issues but to say a blank statement like you have, "in all of my years as a technician" I just haven't seen it.


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## Augmister (Aug 12, 2013)

I have a Castille that is going on season 8, runs on thermostat, mostly on medium and it is the original, heating the whole house. So my days are numbered?


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## St_Earl (Aug 12, 2013)

maybe he meant "lifespam".


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## slls (Aug 12, 2013)

On real cold days mine cycles 20 times a day, I do have a spare. I am waiting for it to fail. it's not cooperating.


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## will711 (Aug 12, 2013)

Dude you're not kite boarding today? no just cut paste and troll


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## DexterDay (Aug 12, 2013)

Yep. . . Pellet stove Master? We already have one of those  He goes by Don2222 

Troll....


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## will711 (Aug 12, 2013)

Munson checked out you're web site saw your mug nice hat immediately thought of this


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## Harman Lover 007 (Aug 13, 2013)

Lets' see...15 years as a tech and "replaced thousands of igniters". If I stay on the low side (thousands) that means you have replaced 2 to 3 igniters a week, year round for 15 years.....

Sorry, I'm not normally like this.....


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## Bioburner (Aug 13, 2013)

Wish someone could make a longer lasting ignitors for my "Ole Gray Mare" 91 ford pickup. At least two per year.


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## kinsmanstoves (Aug 13, 2013)

Hmmmmm, I am at a loss here, beer me!

Eric


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## Lousyweather (Aug 13, 2013)

Harman Lover 007 said:


> Lets' see...15 years as a tech and "replaced thousands of igniters". If I stay on the low side (thousands) that means you have replaced 2 to 3 igniters a week, year round for 15 years.....
> 
> Sorry, I'm not normally like this.....


yes, you are....


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## Lousyweather (Aug 13, 2013)

kinsmanstoves said:


> Hmmmmm, I am at a loss here, beer me!
> 
> Eric


 
me too, and since I don't drink, Eric can have mine as well.......BTW, are there any Designated Driver perks?


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## will711 (Aug 13, 2013)

kinsmanstoves said:


> beer me!


I'm havin' one


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## smwilliamson (Aug 13, 2013)

will711 said:


> Munson checked out you're web site saw your mug nice hat immediately thought of this



That's funny.... "An extra case of the naked lady T's"


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## smwilliamson (Aug 13, 2013)

will711 said:


> I'm havin' one


Hardcore dude... It's not even 10am!


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## will711 (Aug 13, 2013)

smwilliamson said:


> Hardcore dude... It's not even 10am!


Yeah but I get up at 2am got rained out at work so I've been up for 8 hrs


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## pen (Aug 13, 2013)

Closing things down.


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