Jandy JXi 400 - Igniter Problems

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dtmb

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Nov 27, 2021
3
Manhattan Beach, CA
Had the unit installed 10/28/2018, no issues except for having to replace the Thermal Regulator Valve about 6 months ago (rusted shut)

Now 2 weeks ago: Got a fault: CHECK IGN STEPS
  • Found the igniter element was broken
  • Replaced with a new igniter, worked fine for one day, then the new igniter element broke
  • Replaced with another new igniter, worked for 3 days, then this new igniter element broke.
Why?
 
Hot surface ignitors (silicon carbide) are sensitive to being touched by your skin (skin oils) much like halogen light bulbs, so be careful not to touch the black part of the ignitor. They are also very sensitive to shock, so be careful not to even lightly tap the black part of the ignitor on a hard surface (that is why they are packed fully encased in a foam jacket).
 
Are you using the newer style or older style ignitor? I have replaced mine twice in 5 seasons. 1 at the beginning of the 2nd season which I replaced a couple months ago with a new one. That one was used at the 2nd season, however, and may have been defective as it did not look broken.
 
I am back again:

Had the unit installed 10/28/2018, no issues except for having to replace the Thermal Regulator Valve about 6 months ago (rusted shut)

Now 2 weeks ago: Got a fault: CHECK IGN STEPS
  • Found the igniter element was broken
  • Replaced with a new igniter, worked fine for one day, then the new igniter element broke
  • Replaced with another new igniter, worked for 3 days, then this new igniter element broke.
Talked to Jandy Tech, however since I am not a service tech, they would only give so much advice due to their liability policy.

He did state, that it may be the Power Interface Board, and maybe a solution would be to switch it from 220 to 110, since the board may be causing a voltage spike to the igniter.

So, I switched it to 110 power coming in and flipped the circuit card to 110 on the Power Distribution Board and installed a new igniter.

Now the heater will fire up for about 5 seconds before I hear the gas valve switch off, then it cycles 2 more times to ignite before ignition lockout and then I get the message: CHECK IGN STEPS. This is the continuing cycle.

I noticed that when it would fire briefly, it seemed to have quite a combustion, so I took a temperature flue test: 1st ignition was 167 degrees, 2nd and 3rd was 158 degrees.

Any troubleshooting insights as to why this is happening and what may be the solution?
 
The saga continues - replaced the Power Interface Board (PIB) and the Power Distribution Board (PDB-Fenwal) and I am getting the same thing - the heater will fire up for about 5 seconds before I hear the gas valve switch off, then it cycles 2 more times to ignite before ignition lockout and then I get the message: CHECK IGN STEPS. This is the continuing cycle.
 
Your heater uses a combustion air blower and negative pressure gas valve rather than a natural draft or induced draft blower, making it a bit out of the ordinary in the residential heating area. You need both knowledge about how the heater works and all of the appropriate test instruments in order to troubleshoot the heater correctly. Many technicians who work exclusively on residential heaters do not have this knowledge. Combustion on your type of heater can be affected by many variables such as gas pressures, combustion chamber gasket leaks, dirty/partially plugged burner kit screens Et al.. Rather than throwing parts at the heater in an attempt to get it working, you might have better luck with using an HVAC company with NATE certified technicians who also have experience with heaters that use combustion air blowers and negative pressure gas valves ( such as the Trane Voyager commercial rooftop package unit ). You can use this link to find companies with NATE certified technicians in your area (the more certified technicians in the company, the better). NATE It could be something as simple as a dirty burner kit screen.
 
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