Firegear Outdoors All Weather Ignition System (AWS)
REV. C Page 20
• Insufficient Power
- If the glow plug is not getting enough power, it will not get ignite the gas.
• Thin Wire
- The recommended minimum wire gauge is 12AWG . If wire is less than 12-gauge there may not be
enough power to get the igniter hot enough.
• No Gas
- Was the gas line purged of air. If gas line was not bled it may take a while before the gas gets to the fire
feature.
• Manual Shut Off Valve
- Is the manual shut-off or key valve open?
• Debris
- Debris can get trapped inside the screen of the gas valve. Excessive amounts of pipe dope or Teflon tape
and restrict gas flow.
• Debris in Pilot Burner
- New gas lines, until bled, have air and will have some debris. Ensure gas it turned OFF and
electrical is unplugged. Remove the two brass fitting from the gas valve, then use “canned air” to blow through the
pilot outlets.
• Wrong Pilot Orifice
- If the wrong pilot orifice is installed into the primary pilot it will not light.
• Oxygen Starvation
- To ignite gas we need oxygen, fuel and a heat source. If the pilot assembly is buried under-
neath the glass media or lava rock it will not allow the pilot to light.
• Weak Igniter
- In some cases, from the manufacturer’s glow plug will have slight difference in assembly which can
cause some igniter’s burn hotter than others. These are tested before they are sent to customers but sometimes a
weak one can get out. If this occurs, the symptom will always be the same - inconsistent or no ignition at all. In this
case, replace the pilot burner.
• Valve Box Installed Backwards -
Check the label on the gas valve box and ensure the burner is connected to the
OUTLET side of the gas valve box.
• Thermopile Pins Not Secure
- Check the pins in the pilot burner connector, remove it from the gas valve and check
for loose pins. If loose, push inward until tight and try again. If this happens, the glow plug will stay ON for up to 30
seconds before turning OFF. It normally shuts off in about 5 seconds.
• Defective Thermopile
- Thermopile’s rarely go bad however if a product is used consistently for extended periods
of time a thermopile can get too hot (like a blow torch) and eventually cause it to swell. Simply loosen the thermopile
from the pilot assembly and slide it out. If it will not slide out because is it too tight, then it will need to be replaced.
• Debris
- Debris can get trapped inside the screen of the gas valve. Over time rust and other debris can restrict the
gas flow on the Outlet screen of the valve that can partially or sometimes even stop the flow. Inspect the screen,
remove it and clean it then replace it.
• Defective Controller or Main Gas Valve
- If you have inspected the thermopile connections and no debris is on the
controller or gas valve; checked the power, then the gas valve or controller may be defective and will need replaced.
3. Glow Plug Glows, But Does Not Ignite the Gas
4. Pilot Lights, But No Flame to the Main Burner
5. Fire Features Lights... Turns OFF Within A Few Seconds...
and Restarts Again (Keeps repeating this sequence)
• Gas Volume Insufficient -
When initially turning ON the fire feature pilot is lit and there is enough gas for the pilot to
light, however once main gas valve is turned ON, the flow of gas to pilot drops not providing enough gas to keep the
thermopile hot enough therefore the pilot will drop out and relight. This is usually caused by insufficient Gas Volume
and can be caused by installing gas pipe too small to deliver proper amount of gas or by installing a Manual Gas
Shutoff (Ball valve or Key Valve) with a capacity that is too small to allow enough gas to pass through to the feature.
• Main Burner Orifice Not Installed
- Ensure the correct orifice is being used. If using LP gas it should have vent
holes, Natural gas does not. See Fig. 3, page 8. The orifice/air mixer restricts the amount of gas flowing to the Main
Burner. This restriction ensures that not ALL the gas will flow to the Main Burner, so there is still enough gas left for
Pilot Burner.
• Oxygen Starvation
- to ignite gas we need oxygen, fuel and a heat source. If the pilot assembly is buried underneath
the glass media or lava rock it will not allow the pilot to light.
• Defective Thermopile
- See Symptom 4, page 29 for Defective Thermopile.
• Defective Controller
– If your plumbing is supplying enough gas, the Main Burner orifice is installed, the Pilot Burner
is getting plenty of air and the Thermopile is not defective the only thing left is a Defective Controller inside the valve
box. If you have a Defective Controller the only way to fix it is to replace it.
TROUBLESHOOTING
