Electronic Stove Ignitor Options

[Joy A]

Well here's my latest mod to my Little Marshmallow. I added an electronic ignitor to the stove. This is a project that I'd had in mind for sometime. My friends Ted and May had given me this idea which they added to their Scamp. I previously purchased necessary compontents to complete the mod but one of the electrodes had to be modified because it wasn't long enough. It was a task that I simply con't get right.

The other day I was in WalMart looking at accessories for my home grill and an ignitor kit jumped out at me. It's made by Grill Care and is a universal electronic ignitor kit for aboiut $26. What actually caught my eye was 2 long electrodes, the kit comes with 3 as it's made for big grills. Out the store I went with my new purchase.

Today I took a scrap piece of aluminum and bent it as the following picture shows to accept the electrodes.

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I then cut the electrodes to length and bent them as the instructions stated. The hardest part was the adjustment so the electrode was far enough from the burner flange that it didn't spark there as well as from the stove top.

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[Joy A]

I continued on by drilling a hole through the wall of the stove, running a non-combustible sleeve (which came with the kit) through it and then snaking the 2 wires through the sleeve.

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Once that was done I drill a 13/16 inch hole through the cabinet and affixed the ignitor's spark generator. I plugged the wires into the back of the generator, capped the extra slot for the third electrode, wound up & zip tied the excess wire and added the battery.


All done.

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The ignitor's starter button is the black button left of the silverware drawer.

This post has been edited by Joy A: Apr 27 2009, 01:28 PM

[james kent]

Now That's neat!
No more searching the drawer for a light or a match and no more burning the hair off the back of your hand.

[Joy A]

James, you're correct. I happen to use a piezo lighter that simply sparks, I've never cared for the ones that have a flame and are I think filled with butane. I've always figured the piezo was safer as it contains no volitile substances. But that's just me, I know lots of you folks use them and that's OK.

My piezo lighter looks like a gun and had a nice spot on the side of the stove cabinet until I added the counter extension under which sits my toaster/oven. Now I can do away with my piezo.

I will still carry matches for campfires. Oh, in thinking about outside fires, maybe I should keep my piezo for the campstove that I will be using more now that I have a "Y" and a long hose the big propane tank. I think I'll go out right now and put it in with the campstove.

This post has been edited by Joy A: Apr 27 2009, 05:03 PM

[Anne H]

Cool Mod! I had one of those universal igniters for my BBQ but could never get it to work - maybe I'll repurpose it.

[Steve L.]

Nice mod! I considered this also. Even bought the ignitors. I seem to have a similar stove as you but my tray hugs the burners much closer and I didn't have the room to get the probe up to the burner without grinding away on the enameled tray. Couldn't bring myself to do it.

I'm going to go back out and study it some more. I wonder if that enamel stove touchup paint is heat resistant enough to work in that area (after grinding a bit of a notch for clearance).

Good job!

[Joy A]

Thanks Steve,

I'd say that when you look straight down at the burner there is about a 1/2 inch gap between the lower burner flange and the enamel cooktop opening. When the electrode comes up through the gap it's about mid way between the two. So roughly 1/4 inch from both which was just enough to stop the electrode from arcing to them.

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I should have taken a picture of the electrodes before installed and cut them. As you can see in one the my first pictures the electrode sparker wire extended out of a white piece of enamel or something. The sparker was about and 1 1/4 inches long. It was this longer sparker that I needed to get it through the gap. The original components that I had trouble with had a very short sparker so it had to be extended that's what I just could get correct. With the short sparker there wasn't enough room to get it to the burner. Hope this is clear as mud.

This post has been edited by Joy A: Apr 28 2009, 01:37 PM

[Patrick M.]

This is a great mod, and I'd do it in a minute if I ever used the stove anymore! (Corrupted by the microwave.) Here's the igniter at the WalMart online store for $17.96: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=8587363

[Joy A]

What was I thinking!! I found my receipt and I paid $17 even for the kit at the store.

Patrick, yes that's the kit.

I used the 2 long electrodes, 2 wires and the generator, heave hoing the rest. The electrode in between the 2 wires in the picture is just way too short to use. Didn't need the metal box or bag with screws etc.

[Ulysse G.]

I continued on by drilling a hole through the wall of the stove, running a non-combustible sleeve (which came with the kit) through it and then snaking the 2 wires through the sleeve.

 109_7632.JPG ( 97.13K ) Number of downloads: 120


Once that was done I drill a 13/16 inch hole through the cabinet and affixed the ignitor's spark generator. I plugged the wires into the back of the generator, capped the extra slot for the third electrode, wound up & zip tied the excess wire and added the battery.


All done.

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The ignitor's starter button is the black button left of the silverware drawer.

Did you not have to use that 3rd connection to a ground screw,??

I just picked up the kit a Wall Mart yesterday for 14.99,
and hope to have time to install it this weekend.

Thanks for the great info BTW.

[Joy A]

Ulysse,

The kit said when using 2 electrodes, use the third to ground. I was thinking that if I had 3 burners there wouldn't be a fourth to use as a ground so why am I worrying about grounding. I didn't cut the electrode off to ground the wire. I simply capped the jack.

I guess I could ground it.

[Ulysse G.]

Ulysse,

The kit said when using 2 electrodes, use the third to ground. I was thinking that if I had 3 burners there wouldn't be a fourth to use as a ground so why am I worrying about grounding. I didn't cut the electrode off to ground the wire. I simply capped the jack.

I guess I could ground it.

Well, I got it all done today,
and it looks/works great.

I grounded the 3rd plug, because I actually got a small shock from the stove while testing the ignitor,
so I decided to use the 3rd plug to go to a ground.
All is good now.

Thanks again for posting the great Idea.

[Joy A]

Ulysse,

You are very welcome. I know you'll enjoy it for years to come, I sure will.

[Gilles D]

I think I have seen a similar mod in Janary on the Casita forum but the author install the complete system in the stove here the link :
http://www.casitaforum.com/invboard/index....pic=4362&hl

Well done Joy A

[Joy A]

Thanks Gilles,

I just went on the Casita site and looked at the photos from the January mod. I'd never thought to add the button to the stove top or put all the works inside it. Good idea, but I like having the wires and generator button as far way from heat as possible.