Rapid Igniter Won't Start In Cold Weather, Solved (Again)

[Ken S]

Edit: For the latest on this skip ahead to post #27.

Well, no smoked turkey for us this thanksgiving, had to use the oven at the last minute. I've already reached out to Pit Boss support, but no call back yet which isn't surprising considering it's a holiday weekend.

Anyway, I thought I'd post the issue here to see if anyone has seen something similar. When I plug in my less than one year old PB1600PSE, the blue power button light (above the knob) comes on indicating there is power. But, when I push and hold the blue power button to begin the startup sequence, the flame and logo shows on the screen as it should, then the temperature and probe display comes on, but only for a split second before the screen goes blank. It kept doing the same thing over and over using different cords and different outlets. The smoker was clean, including the temperature probe. The only thing I couldn't control was the ambient temperature, which was about 35 to 40 degrees F. That's colder than than I've ever tried to smoke at, but not too cold, right?

Any ideas or suggestions?

 

[Ken S]

Update. Just spoke to customer service and did a video walk through so they could see the problem. They said it's an igniter issue, so they're sending a new one with installation instructions. Too bad this happened on Thanksgiving, but kudos to Pit Boss for having real people answer the phone on a holiday weekend.

 

[Cowboy1955]

Glad you’re gettin taken care of

 

[sparkyv]

Nope, not too cold. Plenty of interweb videos attest to this.

The only thing I couldn't control was the ambient temperature, which was about 35 to 40 degrees F. That's colder than than I've ever tried to smoke at, but not too cold, right?

 

[Ken S]

Nope, not too cold. Plenty of interweb videos attest to this.

I didn't think so, but good to hear from others. Assuming the new igniter fixes the issue I'm now wondering if I should buy another to keep as a spare. Danged electronic stuff! I still love the smoker though, have made some awesome meals on it!

 

[Cowboy1955]

I didn't think so, but good to hear from others. Assuming the new igniter fixes the issue I'm now wondering if I should buy another to keep as a spare. Danged electronic stuff! I still love the smoker though, have made some awesome meals on it!

Always good to have spare parts

 

[sparkyv]

Yup, and the igniter is rather inexpensive.

 

[WT2121]

I have an older Navigator pre-Wi-Fi unit. It will not start up in cold weather, below freezing. I pull it into the garage to warm up usually about an hour. It works fine once it starts. Trick is it warm electronic panel then it works fine. I have heard of people using heat to warm controller in cold weather. My newer Louisiana worked fine Thanksgiving Day at 8 degrees outside temp. Did a 7 hour cook without any problems.

 

[acroyle724]

This unit has the Rapid Igniter? I have the same issue with my Pro Series Elite Vertical. I have replaced the igniter twice and it still won’t start in cold weather. I think these Rapid igniters are faulty. I hit it with a small torch for about 30 seconds and the smoker fires right up.

 

[Ken S]

This unit has the Rapid Igniter? I have the same issue with my Pro Series Elite Vertical. I have replaced the igniter twice and it still won’t start in cold weather. I think these Rapid igniters are faulty. I hit it with a small torch for about 30 seconds and the smoker fires right up.

Correct, it's the rectangular rapid igniter. I was thinking I'd try it again when it warms up, but it's still pretty cold here! Thanks for letting me know about your experience, I'll try heating it up and see what happens. I wonder if the rapid igniter can be replaced with a regular one? When I looked at what was available on Amazon it didn't seem like they were interchangeable. Anyway, I'll let you guys know what I find out!

 

[acroyle724]

Correct, it's the rectangular rapid igniter. I was thinking I'd try it again when it warms up, but it's still pretty cold here! Thanks for letting me know about your experience, I'll try heating it up and see what happens. I wonder if the rapid igniter can be replaced with a regular one? When I looked at what was available on Amazon it didn't seem like they were interchangeable. Anyway, I'll let you guys know what I find out!

I’ve been wondering the same thing about replacing with a regular igniter.

 

[Ken S]

I’ve been wondering the same thing about replacing with a regular igniter.

So, here's the latest. It got up to mid fifties here today so I thought I'd try starting the smoker again. And guess what, it fired right up! Now I'm 99% sure it's a cold temperature problem, but I can't say for sure if it's the igniter or the panel that doesn't like the cold. For the fun of it, I called Pit Boss support again and told them what I found out. The lady I spoke with today said they actually send out rapid igniters to replace the standard ones because they work better in the cold. She also said I can try using a hair dryer to warm it up. It's going to be back in the 20's tomorrow so I'll try it again and use a hair dryer if it doesn't start. That should be easy enough to do because I've got the sear plate feature I can open up to get warm air onto the igniter. If that doesn't work I'll try warming up the control panel. Stay tuned, I'll let you guys know what I find out.

 

[Cowboy1955]

If I had to live in that climate I’d get the rapid igniter

 

[acroyle724]

It’s definitely the rapid igniter that’s the issue. First thing I replaced when I first had the problem was the Control Panel. It didn’t fix the problem.

 

[acroyle724]

I also have the Pro Series II 1150 with the regular igniter and I have had ZERO issues with it, even below freezing temperatures.