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02-01-2012, 07:42 PM
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#1
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Site Team
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Santa Fe, NM
Posts: 1,202
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SMB stovetop left burner won't ignite--solved, I hope.
All is good with the new SMB except the SMEV stovetop. It's left burner won't ignite. The igniter sparks, gas flows but nothing happens. It will ignite with a match. SMB is shrugging its shoulders, saying its a known issue and they don't know how to fix it. Has anone had this problem and, if so, solved it? Nothing against matches, mind you, but I'd like the new appliance to work as designed.
__________________
-Don-
Life and baseball both sometimes are not fair, but it is how you play the hops that counts. —Scott Miller, NYT Sports
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02-01-2012, 09:39 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: So. Cal
Posts: 151
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Re: SMB stovetop left burner won't ignite
Spark yes, gas yes, fire no? WTF? This is one for Hephaestus.
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02-01-2012, 09:45 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Oregon Ciry Oregon
Posts: 2,843
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SMB stovetop left burner won't ignite
Are you sure you are really getting a spark not just he noise of the mechanism? My camp stove sounds like it is sparking but does not always throw the spark. Try using the igniter with the lights off to see it you get a spark at all. Are the igniters aimable? Maybe the spark is going the wrong direction.
Larrie
89 Ford 2WD penthouse
__________________
Larrie
Read detailed trip reports, see photos and videos on my travel blog, luinil.com.
Current van: 2002 Ford E350 extended body camper with Colorado Camper Van pop top and Agile Offroad 4WD conversion.
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02-01-2012, 09:49 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Anchorage, AK
Posts: 205
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Re: SMB stovetop left burner won't ignite
I had that problem with a natural gas range in a rental unit. checked it out and the hole in the flame ring closest to the igniter was partly clogged with some sort of deposit. End of a paper clip cleared it out and it ignited just fine.
__________________
Spenard
1991 VW Westy (N8IV) aka Vanna, of Ashland, OR
2012 Sprinter RB SMB PT (ALCES2) aka Moose, chill'n in Anchorage, AK
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02-01-2012, 10:33 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Blairsden, CA (when not on the road)
Posts: 1,109
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Re: SMB stovetop left burner won't ignite
Quote:
Originally Posted by Spenard
checked it out and the hole in the flame ring closest to the igniter was partly clogged with some sort of deposit. End of a paper clip cleared it out and it ignited just fine.
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Very true, be sure the gas is coming out of the holes right by the igniter. Also, be sure the spark is long and hot enough. You can check the other burner as a comparison. Sometimes all you need to do is bend the tip of the igniter a little farther away from the burner it arcs to.
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Scatter
You can be anything you want on the Internet,
it amazes me that so many choose stupid....
2007 RB50, 6.0
K1WGB
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02-02-2012, 08:19 AM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Rohnert Park, CA
Posts: 286
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Re: SMB stovetop left burner won't ignite
Quote:
Originally Posted by rionapo
All is good with the new SMB except the SMEV stovetop. It's left burner won't ignite. The igniter sparks, gas flows but nothing happens. It will ignite with a match. SMB is shrugging its shoulders, saying its a known issue and they don't know how to fix it. Has anone had this problem and, if so, solved it? Nothing against matches, mind you, but I'd like the new appliance to work as designed.
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We have had the same problem from the get go. The igniters have never worked right. We just use a long lighter to light the burners.
There is gas and spark but most of the time we just get tired of pushing the button with no results. We picked up our new SMB in December of 09.
Woody
__________________
2009 White E-350 Modified EB-43, 4x4, 6.0 PSD
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02-02-2012, 08:36 AM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: SE Washington
Posts: 1,023
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Re: SMB stovetop left burner won't ignite
Our van has the Dometic cooktop, it doesn't even have a sparker. I guess they gave up before they started.
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2009 E250 RB 5.4L "SilVan"
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02-02-2012, 10:47 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
Posts: 482
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Re: SMB stovetop left burner won't ignite
The igniter only worked for a few months. Now, today, the left burner will not stay on. As soon as I let go of the knob, the flame goes out. Does anyone know how to fix that?
Angel
__________________
2008 SMB E350 EB V10 White with Cruiser Top; EB-17 modified floor plan; Salem Kroger 4X4;
285/75/17E tires; Named: "The Lighthouse"
2000 Isuzu Rodeo V6 4WD
2006 Chalet LTW 15ft. Folding Travel Trailer 14 in. tires
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02-04-2012, 11:00 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Pacific Northwest
Posts: 378
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Re: SMB stovetop left burner won't ignite
I wrote about this on another thread somewhere... The SMEV installed by SMB uses an electro-piezo mechanism. I know, I know, piezo by its very nature creates its own electric discharge, but as hard as it has been for some on this forum to believe, the SMEV owners manual for this model shows a DC connection to the ignitor. Depite this, SMB doesn't install it per the manual. My guess is, DC gives the needed boost for a consistent and sufficient arc to ignite the propane - especially in damp marine environments.
Having said that, I decided not to press SMB on this because I'm not thrilled with the idea of hooking a chinsy electrical wire up to a propane gas ignition system. Just doesn't feel right. At one time I pondered contacting SMEV about it because it seems so unconventional, but Peter at SMB West said he knows of outdoor BBQs with battery piezo igniters. He was also miffed by the poor SMEV igniter performance until I pointed to the manual instructions (back in 2010). Doesn't sound like that changed their standard practice for installation though.
Like others on the forum, I just use a butane lighter instead.
__________________
2010 Ford E250 5.4L V8 Gas 2WD
SMB Mod RB36 w/PH Prop Stove & Furn Frig 10G Wtr Elect
Silver Bullet
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03-25-2012, 07:57 PM
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#10
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Site Team
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Santa Fe, NM
Posts: 1,202
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Re: SMB stovetop left burner won't ignite
Got this reply from Dometic recently but I haven't had a chance to check on it:
Quote:
From your description, it could be something related to the safety device (thermocouple), which is the tiny metal component close to the burner (the other one is the ignition sparkle).
If the thermocouple is not correctly touched by the flame, it will close the gas circuit so the flame won't stay alight.
One simple "acid test" that you can do is to keep the fuel open while heating the thermocouple with a match or a lighter: if the flame stays on it means that the thermocouple simply needs to be adjusted and bringing it closer to the flame (it must be completely inside the flame).
If instead the flame is not staying on, the cause could be
a) a faulty thermocouple, which then needs to be replaced, but this is an easy task
b) faulty gas taps (less frequent), then the whole gas group should be replaced.
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__________________
-Don-
Life and baseball both sometimes are not fair, but it is how you play the hops that counts. —Scott Miller, NYT Sports
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