Convert Genesis 1000 igniter and gas collector to E300 Ceramic Igniter


 
Bruce

Bruce

TVWBB 2-Star Olympian
Nice Wisconsin February weather so I thought I would take on a small project I had been thinking about for a while. I always thought the gas collector/igniter design on Genesis 1000's left a lot to be desired. I like the simplicity and reliability of the Piezo igniter, but the electrode/igniter setup was problematic. The gas collectors always corroded away to the point they stopped collecting gas well enough to ignite it or they just corroded to the point they no longer generated enough spark. When I first saw the ceramic igniters on the Genesis E3xx grills, I was impressed and thought that would be a great conversion for the older style Genesis grills. They are ceramic, so they handle heat well and do not corrode like the thin SS gas collectors do on the older grills. Plus, the ceramic dome protects the electrode and area under it from getting gunked up. The igniter itself is also totally covered by the flavorizer bar unlike the gas collector style. So, this is what I came up with. It was very easy to do with about 20 seconds on the mig welder for two tiny spot welds. I stripped the bracket for the electrode off an old rusted out burner tube, cleaned it up and spot welded it to the Genesis 1000 burner. I then mounted the ceramic igniter on in the bracket I welded on and reinstalled the Genesis 1000 burner into my grill, hooked up the original Piezo igniter and that was it. I suspect the igniter will outlast the burners now and should provide trouble free use during that time. I am not sure how feasible this would be for use on rehabs, but it would certainly be a LOT less expensive than having to replace the igniters on just about every one of them. I can replace them this way for a couple bucks. Of course, you would need a welder as well, so there is that.

 
Looks like some clearancing was needed in the burner tube hole in the firebox to allow it to fit?...?...?
I assume the ceramic is slid into the holder after the burner is mounted also since the hole doesn't look big enough to slide the burner tube out with it attached?...?...?

I do like this approach.... I wouldn't have thought about still using the piezo myself --- I probably would have tried to figure out how to get the battery pak to work somehow.
 
Jim Weber said:
I do like this approach.... I wouldn't have thought about still using the piezo myself --- I probably would have tried to figure out how to get the battery pak to work somehow.
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Something like this with a separate switch/battery pack might work (I did not try to find the best price).

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Also, I've always thought something like this would work for those that have a broken igniter rocker switch and bezel assembly. A trim plate could be made to cover the rectangular opening in the control panel.

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But then the original igniter is so simple, inexpensive, and lasts a good long time that it's really not a problem that needs fixing. Either that, or I am just plain too lazy.
 
Jim Weber said:
Looks like some clearancing was needed in the burner tube hole in the firebox to allow it to fit?...?...?
I assume the ceramic is slid into the holder after the burner is mounted also since the hole doesn't look big enough to slide the burner tube out with it attached?...?...?

I do like this approach.... I wouldn't have thought about still using the piezo myself --- I probably would have tried to figure out how to get the battery pak to work somehow.
Click to expand...
Jim, I did not have to modify the grill at all. It was a tight fit, but I was able to get the burner tube in without much difficulty. I prefer the Piezo due to the durability of it, but if a guy wanted to, he could certainly figure out how to mount an electronic igniter in the grill.
 
Ed P said:
Something like this with a separate switch/battery pack might work (I did not try to find the best price).

View attachment 86810

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Mom's 2009 Genesis 320 ( side controls ) has a single burner igniter that is battery powered like that one.

The weber part number is 67847. A non-weber branded one from Only Fire is $ 6.99

 
I would not try to drill a hold on the control panel to fit the electronic igniter. I suppose you could make a bracket for it and attach it to leg on the grill or something. But, I am quite happy with the existing Piezo.
 
Something that I want to try but never got to is to fabricate a heavy duty gas collector for my silver b. Same design as the original, but heavier gauge of SS304.
As Bruce said, it's always the gas collector that corrudes.
 
Yair, I thought about that as well. It just seems a lot more involved to fabricate a heavier gas collector. I was able to complete this mod in roughly a 15 minutes and it basically cost nothing since I used spare used parts I already had on hand. I just did this one for personal use but, I was thinking that a guy could sit down and do a dozen of these at a time for rehabs. It is a lot cheaper than $10 plus to replace the regular igniters.
 
That is a very interesting project. If one wanted to copy your idea, but had no spare parts laying around, what parts would need to be ordered?

Thanks,
Gerry
 
Gerry: all you would need is an old burner tube from a grill that uses the ceramic igniters...E3xx or Genesis II. It doesn't matter if the burner is shot, as the igniter bracket is all you need from it and they usually are still in good shape. Then tack weld that to the new burner....you have to do a little estimating. Then as for the electrode, if you don't have an old spare, you can buy this entire set, complete with the electronic button for $6.

 
Bruce said:
Gerry: all you would need is an old burner tube from a grill that uses the ceramic igniters...E3xx or Genesis II. It doesn't matter if the burner is shot, as the igniter bracket is all you need from it and they usually are still in good shape. Then tack weld that to the new burner....you have to do a little estimating. Then as for the electrode, if you don't have an old spare, you can buy this entire set, complete with the electronic button for $6.
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Thanks Bruce. I just ordered the electrode kit. I don't have any of those burner tubes, so once I get the electrodes I will see if I can fab something up to mount them.

Gerry
 
Well, you "could" just spot weld the little mounting clip from the electrode onto the burner tube directly, but then it wouldn't be removable or adjustable any longer. You would probably also have to adjust the electrode gap up a bit since it would sit lower.
 
Ed P said:
I wonder if a worm-drive hose clamp could be used to strap the igniter to the burner tube in this area without having to have the E3xx bracket or a welder.

View attachment 86803
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I just installed the one with the shortest wire on our Junior, using a 5/8" by 1-1/2" clamp as pictured. 'This wire might be too short for the bigger x000s.
Some contortions, I had to remove the ceramic from its holder, strap the holder in, then feed the ceramic from inside the box,, tested and working. I did a little rework on the live wire where it meets the piezo igniter. The Junior is the garage, the others will be done later....
Thanks, Bruce and Ed P!
 
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