You Ask, We Answer

Below is a list of our most frequently asked questions. If you have a question that is not listed here, please use our online Contact Form to send it to us and we will be happy to give you an answer.

Your Questions

1. What is the benefit of buying from you. Why don’t I just call the repairman?

2. Your igniter doesn’t look the same as my old one. Will it work?

3. I can’t find the part I’m looking for. Can you help?

4. My furnace lights for only a few seconds, and then turns off. What’s wrong?

5. My old igniter had a plastic piece on the end of the wires. Why are these wires bare?

Our Answers

1. What is the benefit of buying from you. Why don’t I just call the repairman?

The Igniter Source caters to the “Do It Yourself” homeowner. Why pay the service man to do what you can most likely do yourself?

2. Your igniter doesn’t look the same as my old one. Will it work?

We offer 2 different materials in our igniters. Silicon Nitride, and Silicon Carbide.

The industry standard igniters are made of silicon carbide, which is a very fragile glasslike material. Depending on the application, position or location, the lifespan of the old silicon carbide igniter could be jeopardized, however, in some applications, Silicon Carbide is the only option for replacement.

Silicon Nitride Igniters are more durable, longer lasting, stronger and more robust than silicon carbide. Which is why they come with a 2 year warranty.

3. I can’t find the part I’m looking for. Can you help?

Yes! Most manufacturers regularly discontinue items and replace them with improved models or designs. There are literally thousands of obsolete igniters that we can easily replace.

If you can’t find what you are looking for on our website from the pictures in our Products section or the part numbers in our Replacement Guide, there is a good chance we may still have a replacement part to match in stock!

Please use the online Contact Form to send us all of the information for the item you are looking for. If we don’t have it, we’ll find it for you!

4. My furnace lights for only a few seconds, and then turns off. What’s wrong?

The most common cause may be known as: direct sense. If your furnace does not have a separate flame sensor, it will use the igniter to sense the flame and keep the ignition cycle operating.

Our Silicon Nitride igniters cannot sense flame because of their dense insulated construction. So, as a safety precaution the furnace controls will shut off the gas because it has not detected a flame. In this application you will need a Silicon Carbide igniter.

5. My old igniter had a plastic piece on the end of the wires. Why are these wires bare?

The bare wires will connect to the existing two electrical wires just like on your old igniter. All you have to do is cut and strip the ends of the two electrical wires (with the power shut off), twist the stripped ends together and use the supplied porcelain wire connectors to ensure a safe and secure electrical connection.

Please make sure that there is no bare wire showing outside of the porcelain connector once you have made the electrical connection.