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Alde comfort 2928 igniter


Musetta37

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I have just serviced my Alde boiler, re assembled and fired it up, all ok. However when i tried to re-light it 10 minutes later ,the igniter was intermittent, about 1 spark every 20 seconds or longer. I put a screwdriver from the electrode tip to closer to the pilot housing and got a weak spark but it wouldn't jump across with the regular gap (this wasn't touched during the service) I have just ordered a new igniter electrode assuming this is the problem. If i touch the wire up at the plastic housing, I get a 'Whizz' when the light is flashing so I assume it is sending out the current to the electrode. Any thoughts would be appreciated. I have had training in servicing these, by the way. 

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Hi Tony, Wiring appears good, obviously it's sheathed, so unless the wire got broken when I moved the burner unit I'm assuming its ok, haven't put a meter on it yet, but will. I didn't have one with me when I wason the boat. all connections look good. apart from the earth ring terminal, the only wire I diconnected was at the switch.

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1 hour ago, Musetta37 said:

Cheers WotEver, that's not cheap! I'll fit the electrode first! fingers crossed.

Very subjective but I'm onto about my third 'box' in around seven years.  They don't seem to like having the winter off.  I'm not looking forward to trying to light mine after months out of use.

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4 minutes ago, Musetta37 said:

The igniter is sounding more likely based on your experiences , any idea what current it sends out and i'll measure mine.

 

Could you do that with anything other than a high speed storage scope? I doubt even a Fluke muli-meter will be fast enough so is likely to give you an average. You need a sampling rate faster than the igniter impulses I think.

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I'm sure you're right Tony, I figured if I compared the readings at each end of the electrode wire (with a digital AVO) I could rule out a wire fault. As I'm getting a spark at the electrode I figured the igniter must be working but not sure if the piezo can go weak or fails completely. As the electrode is the cheapest part I'm starting with that. Sadly my training with the electronic side of these systems involved replacing and not testing.

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2 hours ago, Musetta37 said:

I'm sure you're right Tony, I figured if I compared the readings at each end of the electrode wire (with a digital AVO) I could rule out a wire fault. As I'm getting a spark at the electrode I figured the igniter must be working but not sure if the piezo can go weak or fails completely. As the electrode is the cheapest part I'm starting with that. Sadly my training with the electronic side of these systems involved replacing and not testing.

I am sure all the "electronic" are inside the igniter and I am not even sure its a piezo device even though it does click - that is unless you have a very old boiler with a push button ignition. The rest of the system is just straight electro-mechanical. Personally  I don't think there is anything in the electrode and wire apart from metal and insulation. The igniter shut down bit is done by the igniter sensing the "resistance" of the flame area with the "resistance" being lower when the flame is present (I think). The fact there is only  wire, metal & insulation between the igniter and electrode is what made me point out a weak spark could be the result of a short  between igniter and electrode or a bad earth preventing the small igniter current flowing back from the burner to the igniter itself. The igniter cable (called ignition cable in the manual) passes through a rubber grommet into the combustion chamber so if the cable has not been trapped between the burner assembly and the main body have a good look at that grommet area.

 

Still, if you change the electrode that I think comes with the cable you will soon find out if it was shorting

 

Edited by Tony Brooks
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28 minutes ago, Musetta37 said:

I'll check it all again, seems odd that it fired up perfectly after re-assembly and then wouldn't work again though. Thanks for your advice.

 

Firstly, the igniter is electronic not a piezo device. 

 

If your igniter is delivering only one spark in 20 seconds then it is goosed. Replace the capacitors in it, if you can get it to bits. If not, get a new one. They are a bar steward to fit in the Alde, IIRC.

 

The first time light after reassembly was probably a fluke, the one first spark lit the flame. 

 

What colour is the spark? Blue seems to light gas very well, a pink-ish coloured spark tends not to.

 

 

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  • 2 months later...

Ignition problem now fixed.

It was a cracked electrode insulation. By holding the electrode with a pair of insulated pliers near to the pilot, the spark was strong, as soon as the electrode was inserted into the holder, the spark disappeared, so was shorting inside the housing. A new electrode did the trick.

Thanks for everyone's input.

  • Greenie 1
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