Frustration with Pentair Ignitors

[sjsoldo]

Minimax 250 heater, prone to parts failure as many of you know. Long story short:

1) Igniter broke after 6 years of use, replaced last October, failed 6 months later
2) Ordered one from Amazon, carefully opened the package, the element was cracked into 2 pieces, sent back
3) Got a new one on exchange, element cracked into several pieces, gonna send that back too...

Why are these so delicate? The item is actually manufactured by Norton, model 271R. There are "replacement models" online, cheaper, but I am hesitant to do this.

Any ideas? Thank you in advance.

 

[ps0303]

One thing you have to watch out for is that the connector on the end of the ignitor of the heater is shaped differently than many of the units sold that are not specifically for the heater. So you could buy a cheaper version but the connector might not match up. I'm sure you could try and cut the connectors off and wire nut the wires. I've never done this but I guess you could try it.

They are coming in a box of some sort with the ignitor sandwiched in between foam right?

 

[danpik]

The element parts are a type of ceramic material. Do you have any local heating supply houses in your area? I usually get all of my parts from either of the two located near me. Most of these parts are the same as used in home heating systems. If the connector does not match up on the end you can swap them out for the one that does fit. Either wire nut them or solder the leads together. The igniter in my moms furnace has been soldered together for 5 years now as the end was not the same on the "direct" replacement

 

[sjsoldo]

I am tempted to try an igniter from another vendor that is functionally equivalent. Would be about half the price. At this point not much to lose.