I am not sure I understand your question completely. Plugged in or not the igniter can get wet if water is present... Water inside the pit is a, NO, NO! = very bad..There is too much to damage using water:
Controller; Pellets in the hopper and worse, auger; Electrical connections. Just, scrape, wipe and vacuum the inside. No chemicals either..Depending on the finish, stainless, powder coat etc, wipe down the
outside and use a detailing wax once in a while to keep it shiny and protected. If it's really bad a spray on cleaner (outside only) will help w/ the removal. Just don't neglect stains as they will bake on making
them more labor intensive to remove.