Bah, aftermarket igniter lasted less than 18 months.


 
Yep, it is almost a given that the igniter will need replacing on any of the older Genesis grills that I rehab. I have maybe salvaged 1 out of 20. But almost always it is the actual electrode and gas collector that has failed. The vast majority of the piezo igniter buttons are still working fine after 20 years.
 
I consume igniters over time. The gas collector boxes burn up and deteriorate. I should probably order some soon actually, my current collector box is less of a box and more of a shelf!
 
Thyde, I have found that most of the time, the igniters still work fine even with gas collector boxes trashed on them. As long as the holes in the burner in the area of the igniter are clean, your grill will likely ignite just fine even if the top part of the gas collector is burned away.
 
Bruce, yes, that's what I find too. I still ignite just fine, but the box is more like a shelf! I might just grab a couple of ignitors soon just to have a stockpile. I don't collect grills, but I do end up hoarding replacement parts for my current grill. I have extra burners, two sets of extra flavorizers, an extra handle, etc. I'm low on ignitors lol
 
Thyde, that is a great idea to ensure you will have your vintage Genesis for years to come.
I bought about ten of the Weber Genuine ones last year from Home Depot when they were selling them out at the end of the year. They were only $3 plus each and got the last of what they had. I only have one or two left now. There are several sources for aftermarket ones still available and I have used a lot of them. They seem to be right on par with genuine Weber ones and under $10 each.
I wish they would sell just the igniter and gas collector portion for them. I have a couple dozen used piezo igniters that still work just fine.
 
The goal is for my grill to outlast me. The rcplanebuyer grates definitely will, I keep refreshing different aspects of the rest of it as time goes by. This year, I finally got a chance to really redo my wood slats, and mine has the nine slat lower shelves so there were thirty wood slats. Then I put the side burner back on, so I have an "extra" side table lol.
 
I don't ever use the swing tables, and the grill sits in a place where people and the dog are always walking past. So I just have the left side table and the side burner cover on the right. But that's enough for me. If I leave any food, raw or cooked, out on the side tables, Jack the Gigantic Poodle would eat it faster than I could say "z bars"!
 
Something I wish an enterprising person would make is an igniter collector using much thicker gauge metal that would not disintegrate so quickly.
 
If I can source a small piece of 20 gauge SS, I may attempt it. I just don't know how well that will work with a pair of tin snips and a bench vice. LOL.
I suspect the steel they use on them is probably 22-24 gauge. I had also thought about trying to tack weld one of those ceramic igloo igniters onto a burner.
 
Jon Tofte said:
Something I wish an enterprising person would make is an igniter collector using much thicker gauge metal that would not disintegrate so quickly.
Click to expand...
It could probably be done but you'd have to mount it with a little through-bolt and use that bolt to attach the ground wire outside the cookbox (using a ring terminal). If everything was stainless (maybe even use a stainless ring terminal) it might hold up pretty well. The cookboxes all seem to have a little round hole where the ground tab comes through anyway so it might not even need to be drilled out to make it work.

And, yeah... Most of the piezo units I have salvaged still work - and most of the gas collectors have dissolved. In fact, the first few grills I stripped had gas collectors that were so bad I couldn't even figure out *what* they were supposed to look like. I eventually came across a good one and said, "Oh - THAT's what they look like" :ROFLMAO:
 
Bruce said:
If I can source a small piece of 20 gauge SS, I may attempt it. I just don't know how well that will work with a pair of tin snips and a bench vice. LOL.
I suspect the steel they use on them is probably 22-24 gauge. I had also thought about trying to tack weld one of those ceramic igloo igniters onto a burner.
Click to expand...
Bruce, I have one of these vise mount bending brakes that I got on sale for $15. It works well for small jobs like that igniter box. Harbour Freight might have them.

 
Yah, see, you guys are always looking to spend my money. :oops: But, I will keep that in mind. Maybe look for a better deal.
 
Yeah, that price was way too much but it had good pictures for you to get the idea. I have used it numerous times over the years to make brackets etc or to fabricate repair pieces. At $15 Canadian it has paid for itself.
 
Bruce said:
If I can source a small piece of 20 gauge SS, I may attempt it. I just don't know how well that will work with a pair of tin snips and a bench vice. LOL.
I suspect the steel they use on them is probably 22-24 gauge. I had also thought about trying to tack weld one of those ceramic igloo igniters onto a burner.
Click to expand...
The dart that’s stamped into the rear surface to make a charge concentrator might also be a little tricky in a homebrew setup.
 
Bruce said:
Yep, it is almost a given that the igniter will need replacing on any of the older Genesis grills that I rehab. I have maybe salvaged 1 out of 20. But almost always it is the actual electrode and gas collector that has failed. The vast majority of the piezo igniter buttons are still working fine after 20 years.
Click to expand...
I just had to replace the original piezo igniter button on my daily driver '97 1000. It's the first time I replaced one for an actual failure.
 
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