Front Burners Delayed Lighting Dovre (Quadrafire) Sapphire DV425TR

[hurstmuscle]

Installed a new Pilot Assembly because my thermopile was giving low voltage with the main burner switched on.

Now when turning the burner switch on, the back burners light immediately. The front burners can take almost an hour to light themselves.

If you turn the switch off and let it sit for a minute until a clicking is heard, then turn it back on, the fronts light after a few minutes.

My the main log that sits in the back is split and is leaning forward. I am wondering if this is disrupting gas/airflow to the front burners.

I did remove all of the lava rock when installing the new pilot assembly .

 

[DAKSY]

Natural Gas or LP?
Is there more than one burner orifice in this set up. Can’t tell what the burner looks like from the online manual.

 

[gthomas785]

Check that there is no obstruction / debris on any of the burner ports. Basically each hole needs to be able to ignite the next one and if there's anything blocking it will stop there and not work correctly.
If it has multiple orifices there should be a crossover tube so check that it is clean and unobstructed as well.

 

[hurstmuscle]

The burner is one piece

No blocked holes in it.

I took the it off and then pipe off the bottom. I sucked the burner and then the pipe with a shop vac. Both seem clean and debris free.

Reassembled and it lighted the all burners 1 time. Then when I cycled the burner on and off switch only the rear lit

Tried with and without the logs. Same result

 

[gthomas785]

Can you pinpoint where exactly the ignition is getting interrupted and is it the same place every time? Is it able to light the vertical line of small cross over holes?

 

[hurstmuscle]

Can you pinpoint where exactly the ignition is getting interrupted and is it the same place every time? Is it able to light the vertical line of small cross over holes?

That vertical line of holes is what does not light which then keeps the front burners from lighting.

If I open the glass and move things around or take something apart, all burners the light very first time.

After that it’s just the rear. Toggling the burner switch on and off doesn’t seem to help. Even with waiting a minute or two between.

Sometimes the fronts will light randomly after a long duration.

Whenever they all light, they all work well.

Maybe I should clean that vertical row. Blast each with compressed air or even start with a solvent first then the air.

 

[Lennox65]

I didn't see any mention of ember material in the install manual, but I would try placing some small, thin pieces over the crossover ports that run from the rear to the front.

 

[gthomas785]

That vertical line of holes is what does not light which then keeps the front burners from lighting.

If I open the glass and move things around or take something apart, all burners the light very first time.

After that it’s just the rear. Toggling the burner switch on and off doesn’t seem to help. Even with waiting a minute or two between.

Sometimes the fronts will light randomly after a long duration.

Whenever they all light, they all work well.

Maybe I should clean that vertical row. Blast each with compressed air or even start with a solvent first then the air.

Yeah, I would suspect that there is some kind of blockage right around the first port that doesn't light (at the crossover), especially if it is consistently the same place. It just takes a small piece of debris or cobweb to divert the gas away from the flame and then it doesn't ignite.
Lastly is the air shutter adjusted correctly? If it's lean that could make ignition more difficult depending on the amount of draft in the box.

 

[hurstmuscle]

What is the best way to clean the ports?
Does carbon get build up on them?

Should I remove the burner assembly and soak it in something? Then blow it out with compressed air?

I don’t know anything about the air shutter.

I moved into this house in May and didn’t touch this unit until the fall. No previous experience with heating stoves or fireplaces.

Thank you all for the advice so far. I would be lost without this forum!

 

[gthomas785]

What is the best way to clean the ports?
Does carbon get build up on them?

Should I remove the burner assembly and soak it in something? Then blow it out with compressed air?

I don’t know anything about the air shutter.

I moved into this house in May and didn’t touch this unit until the fall. No previous experience with heating stoves or fireplaces.

Thank you all for the advice so far. I would be lost without this forum!

There should not be much carbon buildup on the burner but if it's running rich there could be. There could be rust, dust, spider webs or just a piece of dirt that fell in.
Compressed air or a shopvac would probably help, also, if you get the front to light or manually light it, check to see if the flame in that area are "weak" or blowing in a funny direction and that may help pinpoint the issue. You can poke a wire or an unbent paperclip in the holes and make sure they are all clear.

As a previous poster mentioned,check the manual, sometimes the burners are designed to run with some kind of ember material in place and may not work right without it, as everything in the box will affect the flow of air and fuel. If the embers / logs are placed incorrectly this can lead to inconsistent performance.

If you see wispy flames or if the flame "lifts" away from the burner, that is a sign that the fuel mix is too lean. If you are seeing a strong yellow color in the flame (not just yellow tips) or there is sooty buildup in the fire box then it's rich.

 

[hurstmuscle]

I took the burner off. Ran a drill bit through each vertical port then shop vac’d each.

The burner now lights every time without anything on top. Then put the burner pan on. Problem reoccurs. Will only light the fronts consistently without it.

With the pan on , the flames make it to the 4th port (which is where the burner pan crossbar is ) then stop there.

If I toggle the burner switch over and over, the fronts light rarely.

If I let it sit with just the pilot on for several minutes, the fronts are more likely to light.

Going to try placing glowing embers along the vertical ports once they get here.