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

[Ken S]

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

I grew up in Ohio and lived in Illinois, so TN feels downright balmy in comparison!

 

[Ken S]

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

It will be interesting for sure to see what happens when I try to light it tomorrow. If heat on the igniter makes it go that sure could be the problem. If so it would be fairly inexpensive to buy a regular (hot rod) igniter on Amazon to see what that does. I can't tell if they use the same mounting hardware, but they're good about returns if it doesn't fit or change anything.

 

[Ken S]

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.

Well, not that I doubted you, but you are absolutely correct. The issue is definitely cold temperature on the rapid igniter. It's in the 20's here today so I went out and tried to light the smoker. As I suspected, it wouldn't start, same issue, control panel goes off. So I tried pointing a hair dryer through the sear plate opening for a minute, still wouldn't start. Then I pointed the hair dryer into the open bottom of the electronics box for a minute, still wouldn't start. Then I took the sear plate completely out, pointed the hair dryer right on the igniter for a minute, and it fired right up.

I don't know where the cutoff is, but it lit yesterday in the 50's and today it won't in the 20's. I only know enough about PLC's to be dangerous, but my best guess is that freezing temps make the controller unable to communicate with the igniter, so the controller shuts down for safety.

Next I'm going to buy a standard igniter and experiment with that. It seems weird, but you've had better luck with your standard igniter, so maybe they aren't as sensitive to cold weather as the rapid design? It looks like Amazon has 2 packs for about $14, so it's not going to break the bank or anything. To be safe, I called PB support again today to ask if the igniters are interchangeable and they said yes, they are. Don't worry, I'll take take that with a grain of salt and make sure the plugs and mounting are compatible first. Stay tuned!

 

[acroyle724]

Well, not that I doubted you, but you are absolutely correct. The issue is definitely cold temperature on the rapid igniter. It's in the 20's here today so I went out and tried to light the smoker. As I suspected, it wouldn't start, same issue, control panel goes off. So I tried pointing a hair dryer through the sear plate opening for a minute, still wouldn't start. Then I pointed the hair dryer into the open bottom of the electronics box for a minute, still wouldn't start. Then I took the sear plate completely out, pointed the hair dryer right on the igniter for a minute, and it fired right up.

I don't know where the cutoff is, but it lit yesterday in the 50's and today it won't in the 20's. I only know enough about PLC's to be dangerous, but my best guess is that freezing temps make the controller unable to communicate with the igniter, so the controller shuts down for safety.

Next I'm going to buy a standard igniter and experiment with that. It seems weird, but you've had better luck with your standard igniter, so maybe they aren't as sensitive to cold weather as the rapid design? It looks like Amazon has 2 packs for about $14, so it's not going to break the bank or anything. To be safe, I called PB support again today to ask if the igniters are interchangeable and they said yes, they are. Don't worry, I'll take take that with a grain of salt and make sure the plugs and mounting are compatible first. Stay tuned!

Eagerly awaiting your results.

 

[BlackburnDB]

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?

Customer support rep recommended I heat up the probe with a hair dryer to "trick" it into thinking it's like 50 or 60 degrees out.

 

[Ken S]

Eagerly awaiting your results.

New igniter will be here Saturday, but it's getting warmer too. Hang in there and I'll let you know as soon as I have a chance to test it in the cold. By the way, thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience, that's what I love about forums!

 

[Ken S]

Edit: Ignore this post until I get a chance to delve further...

Okay, here's my conclusions on the cold temperature issue with my PB1600PSE which came with a "Rapid" igniter.

1) The controller in my PB1600PSE won't start my "Rapid" igniter at 43 degrees F (or below) but it will start it at 53. Today started cold and got warmer, so I had an opportunity to try lighting it a few times. In case you're wondering, I measured ambient temp using my ThermPro stick thermometer.

2) The controller will start my "Rapid" igniter in temps as low as the 20's if I take out the grates and sear plate, then blow right on the igniter with a hair dryer set to "hot" for about a minute. I haven't had an opportunity to try the hair dryer trick at temps below low 20's, but I'm fairly certain it would still work.

3) Some folks have noted that Pit Boss "Standard" igniters do light in freezing temps, but unfortunately I don't think they are compatible. They aren't very expensive, so I ordered one from Amazon to experiment with it. It appears to have the same wire length and plug type as my rapid igniter, but as you can see in the pictures below, the construction, shape and length of the two igniters is quite different. I didn't even bother trying it, because I didn't like the way it looked. I have to admit that a Pit Boss "OEM" standard igniter might look different than the one I got from Amazon, but I kind of doubt it.

4) Am I upset about the issue? Not really, since I have a workaround that isn't too difficult, and only necessary if it's below 45 degrees or so. Kind of clunky, but definitely classifies as a first world problem in my book!

 

[sparkyv]

In the final examination, all our "problems" on this forum are too...

but definitely classifies as a first world problem in my book!

 

[Ken S]

So, the saga continues, just when I thought it was over. Finally got the replacement igniter from Pit Boss, and it's not the rapid model. So I called to see what was up with that and they said right, those rapid igniters are giving us trouble with DC power supplies and they have trouble starting in cold weather, so we sent you a rod type. I told them it's quite a bit different and they said right, just tighten the mounting screw right onto the rod, with 3/8" sticking out. I said okey dokie, but please make a note that this was your idea in case my controller gets fried and they said right, it's already noted.

Stay tuned, I'll give this rod style a try to see if it works at all, and if it starts in cold weather. Yeesh, I feel like I should be getting paid for this!

 

[acroyle724]

So, the saga continues, just when I thought it was over. Finally got the replacement igniter from Pit Boss, and it's not the rapid model. So I called to see what was up with that and they said right, those rapid igniters are giving us trouble with DC power supplies and they have trouble starting in cold weather, so we sent you a rod type. I told them it's quite a bit different and they said right, just tighten the mounting screw right onto the rod, with 3/8" sticking out. I said okey dokie, but please make a note that this was your idea in case my controller gets fried and they said right, it's already noted.

Stay tuned, I'll give this rod style a try to see if it works at all, and if it starts in cold weather. Yeesh, I feel like I should be getting paid for this!

I’m waiting to hear when you get the rod Pit Boss sends you if it’s the same length as the Amazon ones you bought.

 

[Ken S]

I’m waiting to hear when you get the rod Pit Boss sends you if it’s the same length as the Amazon ones you bought.

Funny you should ask because it looks shorter to me, but I already returned the Amazon one so I'm not positive. I did find out Pit Boss igniters are 12 Volt DC, and most of the ones on Amazon (including the one I bought) are 120 Volt AC. So, I'm glad I didn't install it! Did I mention I know enough about electrics to be dangerous?

Another weird thing is the Pit Boss rapid igniter says 12VDC, 45 Watts, but the Pit Boss rod type igniter says 12VDC, 60 watts. I asked about the difference in watts when I called about the replacement, and the guy said that was no problem, it's plug and play. Seems weird that a rapid igniter would pull fewer watts but again, what do I know?

It's pouring down rain here at the moment, and also too warm to test the rod type in colder temps. It might be a few days but stay tuned!

 

[Ken S]

Well, I installed the replacement igniter that I got from Pit Boss today, and as you can see in the picture she fired right up at 40 degrees ambient. I'll try again tomorrow, supposed to be in the 30's, but I'll be stunned if it doesn't light.

A couple of weird things about this cold start fix. First, I've learned that the replacement Pit Boss sent me is a custom part, designed to replace certain Rapid Igniters only. You won't find anything like it aftermarket, and you can't even buy a spare yet from Pit Boss. I'm guessing they have a limited supply and they're keeping those for warranty replacements. For my PB1600PSE, the (unobtanium) replacement igniter is part number 90036, 12V DC, 60W. And get this, even though it's a round rod, the replacement is actually a rapid igniter!

Second, getting it installed was a bit of a project. The housing screw used for the rectangular model is too short, and they didn't send any new screws. So I took the housing to my local Ace Hardware to buy one that fit. Long story short, the screw is a metric, M4 x .70 pitch. To get those to work, I had to buy a metric tap to chase the threads in the housing, because they didn't go all the way through. Not too big of a deal but still, seems like Pit Boss is a bit behind the eight-ball so far with this cold weather issue.

 

[Ken S]

By the way, my rectangular rapid igniter is shown in the picture below. They told me the issue is the ceramic portion, I guess it's finicky in cold weather. Its about 3-1/4" long, and the custom replacement is about the same length.

 

[sparkyv]

Nice. And good on PB to get you going.

 

[Ken S]

Update: Lit it up again today in high winds and 32 degrees ambient with no problem at all, had a roaring flame in the firepot in about 10 minutes. Just for the fun of it I set the pit temp to 225 to see how long it would take to get there when it's literally freezing outside. Would you believe it hit 232 in 7 minutes! The double wall construction in my 1600PSE must really be doing its job, way to go Pit Boss!

Now it's time to do something fun with it, like, I don't know, cook something! I'm jonesing for some ribs, but I also want to try out my new MeatSticks so maybe a big hunk of protein will be next. Decisions, decisions!