Getting Piezo'd off with stovetop ignition

[Boxite]

Anyone else experience this problem: The little 2-burner cooktop in the Sport has piezo ignition. So,... hold IN the burner-knob (to start the flow of propane) then push the piezo button...and a nice little spark jumps from the post to the burner..... but NADA. No light!
Do it again. And again. And again. No light.

Get out the BBQ-lighter and push the burner-knob while holding the lighter-flame nearby..and WHOOSH! We got a burner working just fine.

Now the goofy part: The piezo will light 'er up just fine if I turn off the burner and back on to test the piezo. This will work for several minutes.

But if the stovetop is cool...the piezo spark just won't light the gas. I can see the spark. I can hear the gas. But no spark from that piezo will light it. But the BBQ sparker will do it every time.

Anyone?

[Adventure.AS]

I have found that ours lights easier with the Piezo if I start it by holding in the gas control knob on the high position rather than the light position. Also it appears that part of the Piezo is a thermocouple so you need to hold in the gas control knob for a few seconds with the flame until it warms up otherwise the flame will go out.

Using the BBQ lighter is also a lot quieter, so I use it first thing in the morning.

[ROBERT CROSS]

I gave up on the 'pizzo'....


Bob



The 'clicker' is always handy....

[Becky B.]

Yep. Same thing with mine. I quit trying to use it & just use a lighter. :-(

[HoffmanP]

Go to Walmart and buy several feet of that 1/2" corrugated tubing for holding wires together. Run each of your piezo wires through that tubing. It helps insulate the piezo wires and your lighters will work much more reliably.

[BigAl]

Make sure the gas tubes that run from each burner to the piezo lighter are installed correctly. Mine come undone when travelling.
Al

[Boxite]

Hoffman, the piezo fires a nice spark reliably every time. It's a 1/4" spark that jumps from the piezo-tip directly to the burner-plate crossing the direct path of the flowing gas. That's not the issue. The gas simply doesn't light.

BigAl, the gas flows wonderfully from the burner as evidenced by the flame-pattern when I light it with a BBQ lighter. It's a nice, even, large, blue/white flame with yellow tips.

I am stumped.

[Rich W]

We use matches or a Bic too. Sometimes ours will light just fine, sometimes you have to light one burner with a match and the other two will light fine, sometimes the knob is not exactly on 'light', sometimes any of them will light with a spark, sometimes there are too many clouds in the sky or the sun is in the wrong position...

I don't like to hear propane gas hissing and the wife snapping that piezo igniter thing for a couple of minutes, scares me. I've seen people lose eyebrows and arm hair trying to light a gas grill.
1. Light the Bic long neck lighter next to the burner
2. Turn the burner on
3. Cook
Keep it simple, soldier

[Native143]

Me too. Same thing on my Bambi. I'm thinking that after cooking on it previously there may be residue from cleaning up afterwards that gets on the end of the piezo lighter. If after a couple tries it doesn't go, I grab the lighter also. It lights after that with no problem.

[Kamiak]

We find that if you give it a second after turning on the gas before operating the piezo, then while standing erect, blow a gentle puff or two of air toward the subject burner while operating the piezo. It reduces the failure rate considerably, but not perfectly. Sometimes, you just have to use a hand-held igniter.

[Karrylou]

I'm in the process of replacing left burner on 2014 Bambi 16f. Had same problem. AS warranty is covering it.

[dkottum]

A couple of comments. It takes a few moments for the gas to clear air from the line from the valve to the burner. Ours was inconsistent and we mentioned it while at a stop for routine maintenance at Jackson Center. They adjusted the gas pressure at the propane regulator on the tanks and it has worked fine since, and the water heater lights more consistently on the first try. Don't ask me how that adjustment is done, they did it while we were on the factory tour.

[twbucksr]

We were having similar issues with our 22FB water heater. Our situation went away once I purchased new tanks and started taking them to the local LP Dealer to get refilled instead of using the more expensive but more convenient tank exchange at Lowes.