Pellet Stove Igniter Replacement: How to Test It, and Which Igniter Fits Your Stove

No Sales Tax in any state on every igniter and auger motor below, and free shipping on orders over $300. Questions about fit? Email info@stovesource.com or text 1-888-866-8206.

How a pellet stove igniter works, and signs it has failed

A pellet stove igniter (also spelled ignitor) is an electric heating element that sits in a tube behind or under the burn pot. At start-up the control board powers it, the combustion blower pulls air across it, and that hot air lights the first pellets. Once the flame is established, the board shuts the igniter off. It only runs for a few minutes per start, but it heats up and cools down every time, so it is a wear part.

Most igniters are one of three styles:

• Cartridge (rod) igniters. A metal tube with the element inside, such as the Englander PU-CHA igniter and the Breckwell-style 13-1140 igniter.
• Finned igniters. A cartridge with fins to spread heat, such as the Harman 16-fin igniter 13-1129.
• Ceramic and quartz igniters. A ceramic or quartz element, such as the Quadra-Fire ceramic igniter 812-0180 and the ComfortBilt Gen 3 quartz igniter.

Rule out these causes first. A stove that won't light is not always an igniter problem:

• Dirty burn pot. Ash or clinker in the air holes blocks the hot air, so even a good igniter can't light the pellets. Scrape the pot clean and try again.
• No pellets reaching the pot. A bridged hopper or an empty auger tube means there is nothing to light. Prime the auger or drop a small handful of pellets in the pot.
• Vacuum or draft problem. If the door or hopper lid isn't sealed, or the vent is blocked, many stoves won't run the start cycle at all.

Our pellet stove troubleshooting guide walks through each of these by symptom. If the pot is clean, pellets are in it, and they never start to smoke, test the igniter.

How to test a pellet stove igniter with a multimeter

Safety: unplug the stove from the wall before you touch any wiring. Let the stove cool completely. The igniter runs hot enough to burn skin long after the fire is out.

1. Unplug and cool. Pull the power cord, not just the switch.
2. Find the igniter leads. Remove the side or rear panel. The igniter wires run from the back of the burn pot area to the control board or a connector. Your owner's manual parts diagram shows where.
3. Disconnect the igniter. Unplug its connector or remove the two leads from their terminals. Testing with the leads still connected can give a false reading through the board.
4. Set the meter to ohms (Ω). Touch the two probes together first. You should see close to 0. That confirms the meter works.
5. Measure across the two igniter leads. Read the result:

• Open circuit (OL, 1, or no change): the element is broken. Replace the igniter.
• Close to 0 ohms: the element is shorted. Replace it.
• A steady reading in between: the element is intact. If the stove still won't light, the problem is likely the burn pot, the igniter position, or the board not sending power.

What reading to expect. A resistive igniter's rated power and voltage tell you its approximate resistance, using Ohm's law: resistance = volts² ÷ watts. On a 120 V stove that works out to about 48 ohms for a 300 W igniter, 47 ohms for a 306 W igniter, 36 ohms for a 400 W igniter, 29 ohms for a 500 W igniter and 27 ohms for a 525 W igniter. Treat these as rough guides, not pass/fail limits. Ceramic and quartz elements can read quite differently cold than hot. The clear results are open (dead) and near zero (shorted).

The glow test. If you don't have a meter, start the stove with a clean burn pot and the door closed, and watch the igniter hole in the pot through the glass before many pellets cover it. A working igniter usually shows an orange glow or heat shimmer within a few minutes. No glow at all, with the leads connected, points to a dead igniter or no power from the board. Turn the stove off as soon as you have your answer, and do not reach into the firebox while the igniter is powered.

Igniter good but no power? If the igniter tests fine, check for 120 V at its leads during the start cycle. This is a live-voltage test, so if you are not comfortable with it, call a hearth technician. No voltage points to a wiring fault or the control board.

Which igniter fits your stove

Find your brand, then your model. Every igniter below is one we sell, with No Sales Tax in any state. Fitment comes from the manufacturer parts lists on each product page. Rows are sorted by brand. Where a model shows up twice, it used different igniters over its production run, so match the part number in your manual or on your old igniter before you order.

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Don't see your stove? We may still have the part. Castle and other brands not listed here: email info@stovesource.com or text 1-888-866-8206 with your model and the number stamped on your old igniter, or browse all pellet stove igniters.

How to replace a pellet stove igniter

The steps are similar on most stoves. Your owner's manual has the exact panel and fastener locations.

1. Unplug the stove and let it cool.
2. Open the access panel behind or beside the burn pot. On many stoves the igniter tube is reached from the back of the stove.
3. Note how the old igniter sits. Take a photo of the wire routing and how far the tip sits in the tube. Igniter position matters. Too far back and it won't light the pellets.
4. Disconnect the leads from the connector or terminals.
5. Loosen the retainer. Cartridge igniters are usually held by a set screw, clamp or collar. Some, like the SBI 44132 igniter, use an Allen set screw. Threaded igniters, like the SBI 44030 igniter, unscrew.
6. Slide the old igniter out and clean ash out of the igniter tube.
7. Fit the new igniter at the same depth as the old one and tighten the retainer. Don't overtighten a set screw on a ceramic or quartz element.
8. Route the wires away from hot surfaces and moving parts. Keep them clear of the burn pot, exhaust housing and blower wheels. Use the original clips or high-temperature ties.
9. Reconnect, close the panels and run a start cycle.

Handling tip: don't touch a ceramic igniter's heating element with bare hands. Skin oil can make it crack or burn out early.

Mounting hardware. On ComfortBilt and Alpine stoves each igniter generation has its own mount: bracket clamps for the Gen 1 steel igniter, a ring bracket for the Gen 2 ceramic igniter and a screw and centering cap kit for the Gen 3 quartz igniter. On the Lennox Winslow, the 13-1142 igniter comes with its tube and clamp.

If it still won't feed: the auger motor

If no pellets reach the burn pot, the igniter has nothing to light. The auger motor turns the auger that carries pellets from the hopper to the pot. Signs it has failed:

• The motor hums but the auger shaft doesn't turn.
• The shaft turns slowly, stops and starts, or only turns when you nudge it.
• There is no sound and no movement during a feed cycle, even with a full hopper.

Check these before you buy a motor. Unplug the stove, empty the hopper and clear any jam of fines or oversized pellets from the auger. A jammed auger can stall a good motor. Many stoves also cut power to the auger when the vacuum switch or a high-limit switch trips, so a stove that feeds briefly and then stops usually has a draft or overheating problem, not a bad motor. Our troubleshooting guide covers those switches.

How to test an auger motor. With the stove unplugged, disconnect the motor leads and check resistance across them with a multimeter. An open reading means the winding is broken and the motor is dead. If the winding reads continuous, the next test is for voltage at the motor leads during a feed cycle. That is a live test, so leave it to a technician if you're unsure. Voltage present but no rotation means a bad motor or gearbox. On ComfortBilt and Alpine stoves, a motor that hums but won't turn can also be a weak auger motor capacitor, which is a cheaper fix.

Match the speed and rotation. Auger motors are rated in RPM and turn either clockwise or counter-clockwise. A motor with the wrong speed or direction will over-feed, under-feed or push pellets the wrong way. Read the label on your old motor and match it. Some stoves were built with more than one motor speed, which is why a few models appear twice below.

Rows are sorted by brand. All motors ship with No Sales Tax.

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Browse every motor and feed part in pellet stove auger motors.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

• Pellet stove troubleshooting: won't ignite, won't feed or keeps shutting off
• Englander pellet stove igniter and auger motor by model
• Englander pellet stove control board chart
• Harman pellet stove troubleshooting: blink codes and fixes
• Quadra-Fire pellet stove troubleshooting
• ComfortBilt pellet stove problems and fixes
• Pellet stove venting guide

Shop all pellet stove parts at StoveSource: authorized dealer, No Sales Tax in any state, free shipping over $300. Email info@stovesource.com or text 1-888-866-8206.