Pellet Fan
Pit Talk -- Comments and Questions Regarding These Pellet Pits => Blaz'n Grills => Topic started by: westcoastsmoke on December 11, 2017, 02:15:37 PM
-
Hello, have a new ignitor on the way from Tim. Smoker shuts off 3-4 times until gets warm, then stays working. Tim is pretty sure it is a short in the ignitor.
Any hints on ease of replacement would be greatly appreciated.
-
I bought mine used and it had no ignitor. I have been starting it manually for the last year and not sure I have any interest in adding the ignitor even though 2 of them came in the deal.
-
I would rather not take out drip tray every time to get the fire going?
-
I would rather not take out drip tray every time to get the fire going?
Yeah, it is a bit of a pain, but it forces me to do that and then I clean the ash in the fire pot then too.
-
Things may have changed, I still think you have to remove hopper...but should be a set screw holding the plug in place, and clip where wires go into controller. Tape leads of new igniter on old plug and when you carefully pull old plug out, new one comes in right behind!
-
Tim said to remove bottom plate and then things would be clear? Will post more once ignitor comes in and I will replace it.
-
Tim said to remove bottom plate and then things would be clear? Will post more once ignitor comes in and I will replace it.
Pics would be helpful if I get a wild hair to install mine at some point.
-
I would rather not take out drip tray every time to get the fire going?
Why would you need to take out drip pan to start manually? With the pull out burn pot all you have to do is slide it out, dump in handful of pellets or so, light with torch till pellets are burning good, slide burn pot back in and turn on grill. Shouldn't be a need to take out drip pan to get the grill lit.
-
I would rather not take out drip tray every time to get the fire going?
Why would you need to take out drip pan to start manually? With the pull out burn pot all you have to do is slide it out, dump in handful of pellets or so, light with torch till pellets are burning good, slide burn pot back in and turn on grill. Shouldn't be a need to take out drip pan to get the grill lit.
I find that if you don't have a really good raging fire going before you turn on the grill it blows out as soon as the fan kicks in.
-
I remember when I did the Performance Test, soak paper towel in veg oil and wad up, light, put handful of pellets and away we go!
-
Not a difficult task to replace ignitor - I took couple pictures but do not feel they are needed.
0. Unplug the smoker!
1. Take out grates, tray, burner cover, burn pot
2. Undo 6 bolts holding bottom plate under the ignitor and remove the plate
3. Tim sent a hex wrench with the new ignitor. Use it to loosen set screw on the bottom of the clamp ring holding old ignitor in place.
4. Undo plastic plug marked in purple from the control board and gently pull out the old ignitor through the side hole near the fan.
5. Feed the new ignitor though the hole - wires are stiff enough to push it through.
6. Old ignitor was sticking out 1.25 inches past the auger tube. New one is marked in blue to stick out only .75 inches - I double checked with Tim to be sure.
7. Tighten the hex screw in the clamp ring. Try the burn pot to make sure ignitor is centered though the corresponding hole. Plug the ignitor back to the control board.
8. Re-install the bottom plate - couple screws came out at an angle - must be a bit of warpage from the heat. Just be careful not to cross thread them - use patience.
9. Re-install all the remaining pieces, plug in and smoke away!
10. No more popping breaker!
I also got a WIFI module, will try to install tonight or tomorrow.
-
Thank you for taking the time to share such detail...It will help other owners in the future!
-
Thanks for the directions. My ignitor went out today. First it went on, then the fuse blew, and when I replaced it (AGC 250 volt 5 AMP--getting harder to find these since there is less demand) the ignitor was dead. Was able to do this without removing circuit board. (hard for this old man to get down on my back on the cold porch and work from underneath--hard but I did it.) Hopefully Blaz'n will come up with an upgrade kit for the new ceramic ignitor, but I think it will take a whole new fire pot assembly?? Anyone know about this?
-
Hey westcoast and okie, were your igniters that went out the newer ceramic ones?
-
Mine was standard that came with the grill 2.5 years back. I asked Tim about retrofit option for ceramic and he said they are looking into it but at this point they felt it would be a bit too much for DIY at home. He did add that they are looking to see if it can be engineered for a home upgrade kit in the future.
-
When did the ceramic igniters become standard? I bought my GS in April. I don't know if it is ceramic or not. How would I know?
-
Call Tim with a serial number of your grill and they will know. Or check their video and compare ceramic to your ignitor?
-
When did the ceramic igniters become standard? I bought my GS in April. I don't know if it is ceramic or not. How would I know?
Just look in the fire pot. If there is a hot rod sticking in below the auger pipe, it is not ceramic. The ceramic does not protrude into the fire pot. My hot rod just failed yesterday, so I spoke to Tim today. Currently there is no retrofit for the ceramic ignitor, but he says they are working on it. Also it will be a bit expensive. However, my hot rod lasted 2.5 years, and is easy to replace. (if you don't mind working the unit from below while on your back) Should not take more than 30 minutes IMO. Only problem for me is finding a warmer day to do it. Currently rain, freezing and snow tonight. Most hot rods last even longer like 5 years on my son's Traeger. In the meantime I started up the grill tonight by pulling the fire pot assembly, placing a large handful of pellets into it and firing it up with a butane torch, then shoving the assembly back into the GS and pushing the start button. Make sure the pellets are burning well before you push it back in and don't push the start button until the pot is in place. Good luck, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Blessed Holidays to all. :cool:
-
Not a difficult task to replace ignitor - I took couple pictures but do not feel they are needed.
0. Unplug the smoker!
1. Take out grates, tray, burner cover, burn pot
2. Undo 6 bolts holding bottom plate under the ignitor and remove the plate
3. Tim sent a hex wrench with the new ignitor. Use it to loosen set screw on the bottom of the clamp ring holding old ignitor in place.
4. Undo plastic plug marked in purple from the control board and gently pull out the old ignitor through the side hole near the fan.
5. Feed the new ignitor though the hole - wires are stiff enough to push it through.
6. Old ignitor was sticking out 1.25 inches past the auger tube. New one is marked in blue to stick out only .75 inches - I double checked with Tim to be sure.
7. Tighten the hex screw in the clamp ring. Try the burn pot to make sure ignitor is centered though the corresponding hole. Plug the ignitor back to the control board.
8. Re-install the bottom plate - couple screws came out at an angle - must be a bit of warpage from the heat. Just be careful not to cross thread them - use patience.
9. Re-install all the remaining pieces, plug in and smoke away!
10. No more popping breaker!
I also got a WIFI module, will try to install tonight or tomorrow.
Just changed the ignitor on my GS 2 weeks ago. The above instructions are correct and easy to do. When done I found that the ignitor would strike the upper edge of the fire pot hole when pushing the firepot into place. Attempt at re-positioning the ignitor did not change the position since the clamp is welded into position. Solution: round rat tail file to the point of contact on the fire pot hole. Just took off about a 64th of inch and the hole was not enlarged significantly. Now easy slide into place without contact of the hot rod. All of this in 34 degree temp--but lot of sunlight and no wind. :clap: :cool: