Glow Igniters: Go Original Or Go Risky
- OEM glow igniters won't fail prematurely or damage the gas valve
- If the amps or power flowing through glow igniters are not what should be, they will fail
- Universal glow igniters last a quarter of what original equipment will
We recently published a discussion about the risk of relying upon universal glow igniters. Many asked us why this is the case. Let us fill you in.
Our glow igniters are the original manufacturer product and the only one that can be installed into a Viking range that won't either fail prematurely or damage the gas valve. There is a sneaky thing the knock offs promote that gives the impression their product is viable, and we'll explain why it is not.
A little lesson in how this system works.
Electricity flows through the gas valve and igniter. The igniter glows and a preset amount of amps to do its glowing. Those amps cause a channel in the valve to open, allowing gas to flow. Those valves are like little heaters, and if the amps or power that flow through them are not what they should be, they fail. The coil-style igniter documentation states it draws the correct amps, and it may...but that is not the factor that is causing the issue with the gas valve.
How quickly it gets to its target is the problem.
Imagine original igniter goes from 0 to 60 in 10 secs, and coil igniter goes from 0 to 60 in 1 second. This difference causes the heaters in the valve to overheat and fail. These coil igniters are 80% of what is offered out there as replacements.
What about the others? Well, they fail prematurely, meaning they last a quarter of what the originals do, if lucky.
All in all, staying with the originals is best on all fronts.Find OEM parts here: https://raappliancesparts.myshopify.com/collections/top-sellers