Water heater reignitor

[doorgunner]

Anyone have any experience with this item.? It's an aftermarket devise that will re light your pilot should it go out. This seems like a worthwile addition for those without the newer DSI thingie. about 50 bucks, I'm considering one just looking for a little feedback. Thanks Tim

[Condoluminum]

DG-

I'd opt for electronic version of water heater, if you're doing major upgrades... Ability to turn it off or on from inside and assurance that electronic spark will fire off main burner seems better deal now than pilot and thermocouple and having to outside in cold or dark or rain to turn on or off water heater...

McG

[Stefrobrts]

I have a reignitor on our water heater. I'm very happy with it. We camp at a lake a couple times a year where the wind blows really hard, and sometimes we'll hear the ignitor pop-pop-pop relighting the water heater. A couple times it has blown out, but that's got to be pretty windy.

It runs off a 9v battery, so all I have to do is hold down the pilot light for a minute while the ignitor lights it up, and then ignore it the rest of the trip. It was a HUGE improvement for us!

I can post pictures of it installed if you want.

[nickcrowhurst]

I agree with Stef. It's been a very worthwhile investment on our trailer.
Nick.

[doorgunner]

Steph , Pics would be nice, you could fulfill your pic for the day,please do not take it from a kite!! So you light the heater initially with the ignitor and then if the flame goes out the seein eye dog this thing has sences the no flame condition and restarts, don't you need to go to the pilot position first, dumb question, maybe someone could explain the theory of operation for me, Thanks again

[Stefrobrts]

Here's a picture of our setup. It's a little battery powered unit (it does not have a battery in it right now), attached to the sidewall of the WH. It has one red wire going to the ignitor. The ignitor has a short curved tip, which is adjusted to be just a very short distance from the pilot light, and when it sparks the spark actually jumps from the ignitor to the metal tip of the pilot light tube. When the pilot is burning, that tip is right in the flame. That is how it senses if the pilot light goes out, and causes it to immediately re-spark and light it again before the gas shuts off. If it can't get it restarted, like on a very windy day, then the gas will shut off when the thermocouple cools (as I understand it) and the reignitor will just sit there sparking. Usually it can spark and relight the pilot light before the gas shuts off, and you're none the wiser. I have been sitting next to the trailer reading on a windy day and heard it spark a couple times (it's a little pop-pop noise) and then stop because it managed to relight it.

When I go to light the water heater, I just turn on the ignitor and it starts sparking, and then I hold down the pilot button until it lights, and then switch it to on, and close it up and leave it alone. When we are ready to hit the road again I turn off the WH burner and switch off the ignitor. We've had it since 04 and we're very happy with it.

[nickcrowhurst]

Excellent photos and explanation, Stef. Now, if you want to replace that corroded burner assmbly:
Marksrv.com Atwood rv water heater parts

Nick.

[Stefrobrts]

The sad part is we replaced that in 04 when we had the new burner put in, and now it looks like that! Yuk! I hope I can get one a little more corrosion-resistant to replace it with!