Igniter rod fried? You can still cook on your smoker

[Big Poppa]

About the only thing that can go bad on most pellet grills is the ignitor rod. I have lately seen posts where they had to cook indoors.

You can still cook with a fried rod.

If you are having =GFI tripping issues it is usually because the ignitor is bad. If this is the case then disconnect the ignitor rod from the circuit board and then the idea is to get the first batch of pellets lit. That is essentially what the ignitor does for you. You can keep a package of those little fire starters...but there are many ways...

I just twist up some paper towel and soak half of it in olive oil and light it and put in the fire pot with the fan off...when the pellets catch turn the unit on...some soak with whiskey...careful with that...some put a handful in a pyrex measuring cup with a little booze I emphasize a little...be smart. and then add to the firepot and turn on....be safe but you can work with it....you just have to realize that once your unit is smoking the ignitor is off....so just do the job of the ignitor.

 

[squirtthecat]

I've used the unscented hand sanitizer as well.. It's mostly alcohol. It is messy, but it will work in a pinch. Just let the pit run for a while to burn any residual odor out.

 

[ACW3]

That's the same advice that Bob gave me when I called him yesterday at MAK. Since I am limited in what I can do right now (I had surgery on my right rotator cuff two weeks ago), it is difficult to operate one handed, especially if I have to dismantle part of the grill to make it work. I will remember this for any future "igniter" problems. By the time the new igniter gets here, I should be able to get some help to lift the heavy pieces of the grill while I install the new one. I'm always learning something new on this site. Thanks for the input, BP.

Art

 

[Thom Emery]

been using WD40 to light em for years

 

[HoDeDo]

The weber paraffin (wax) cubes, are clean burning, no residue or hazardous startup smoke or sooting. There are also a couple brands of starter gels. Hasty Bake makes one that works great for lighting lump, or pellets!

I don't know that I would use WD-40 to start them, It is petroleum based - that initial smoke when it is not burning clean deposits itself in your cooker. It can be an irritant, or at least provide potentially offputting flavors eventually, when you shut the cooker up and the smoke intermingles with the sooting on the sides of the cooker. The die lubricants for stove pellets are petroleum based, for food pellets they are vegetable based. I would think you want to stick with that line of thinking when lighting them. I'd avoid petroleum based ignition sources. (or the long chained/ringed alkanes in WD40). Just my .02.

 

[Big Poppa]

Im with you Andy...

 

[Thom Emery]

Yea but the butts slide out real good ;0)
I have used the wax cubes, they work fine

 

[TentHunter]

My Stoven pellet cooker has to be lit manually & we just use a propane torch. Put a handful of pellets in the fire pot, light the torch, hold the flame on the pellets for about 35-45 seconds, turn the unit on and it takes right off. No muss - no fuss.

Best of all a propane torch is very inexpensive to purchase & keep on-hand.

 

[Thom Emery]

i saw small propane torches in a 3 pack at Costco
Would that be the same thing?
Looked very handy

 

[squirtthecat]

I've been meaning to grab one like they use for Creme Brulee, etc.

 

[TentHunter]

i saw small propane torches in a 3 pack at Costco
Would that be the same thing?
Looked very handy

Those would work too. Here's what I have.

 

[nepas]

Those would work too. Here's what I have.

I use the same thing Cliff. I use the Weber starter cubes in my PR36 to start the lump.

 

[roburado]

Not that I have had this problem, but I have had trouble igniting in the cold. Usually, I get a flame-out message when this is happening. Turning it off and on again has gotten me up and running, but that whole process takes forever. I had been wondering if I could jump start the process by lighting the pellets another way. I'll keep this thread in mind.

 

[ACW3]

Roburado,
It's funny you mentioned this. I experienced similar issues getting my MAK started a while back, and it wasn't that cold out here in NC. I believe these symptoms may have been the precursor to my igniter shorting out. Check with MAK and see if there is a way to "test" the igniter you currently have to see if it is getting ready to head south on you.

Art

 

[Deb]

i use the weber cubes. I have replaced three hot rods in the traeger , I'm pretty quick at it now

I've been meaning to grab one like they use for Creme Brulee, etc.

the reviews on the kitchen specific ones stink. I went to home depot and got one similar to Cliff's.

 

[harvey]

1/4 cup denatured alcohol added to pellets in a pint or quart airtight container, makes easy lighting pellets i have used to start my pellet heating stove before, burns clean and slowly

 

[roburado]

Thanks. I'll keep that in mind too.

 

[Chili Head]

Today was my turn to get the fried ignitor.
A couple months ago my gfi would trip when I fired up my MAK..it only did it a couple of times and I've had no problems since. Soon after that day I purchased a new GFI just in case and never installed it. When I fired the MAK up today it tripped in just 1-2 seconds. I thought for sure it was the GFI so I installed the new one and it tripped again..DANG IT! I thought about Dans post I read recently and figured it had to be the ignitor. Sure enough as soon as I unlugged the ignitor the grill stayed on. I ended up putting a handful of pellets in the pot and lit them with my propane torch..took a whole 20 seconds to get them going. As TH said it's "easy peasy". Well I got my turkey boulder on the MAK and then I made a call to MAK and in 2 minutes I have a new ignitor coming my way. THANKS MAK DADDY!
If I was thinking I would have taken pictures of the lighting proccess to help others..next time I will.

 

[sparky]

thats a cool thing about owning a few maks. if my ignitor goes out on one i just rape one of the other maks and away we go. i'm picky about what i cook and on who? i mostly cook on #336 & #63. #69 is the step child. never use her anymore. need a vacation home so she has a place to go along w/ my 49er weber. soon i should have a nice hasty bake.