Laser 30 Igniter

[TechEditor]

Yesterday I removed a tired burner from my 30 and replaced it with a low hr unit and I intend to rebuild the one I just took out. When I reassembled and test fired, apparently I disturbed the old internal seal of the igniter. I had smoke and fumes coming out the end of the igniter around the wires. I removed the brittle plastic cover and coated the area with Permatex Ultra Copper high temp copper silicone seal, rated up to 700 F. intermittent. The box stated it was rated for exhaust gaskets. It was all I had on hand. The next day, I fired up the 30 and it is operating correctly, with no smell or smoke.
Q1: How often does this happen? It is an "A" model from 1999, so I can't complain about longevity.
Q2: Is this the acceptable fix for a $135.00 part?
Q3: Or will the seal fail and require a new igniter?

I don't have any experience with this failure.

Greg

[hawkins111]

The igniter gets very hot. I would not use any sealant on the igniter. The igniter also gets heated up by the fact the circulating fan gets dirty and reduces the air flow over the burner. All this heat can cause the wires to become de-soldered. If this happens you will have failed ignition. To continue to try to start the heater will cause a flooding of the burner, which is a big clean up job with a number of new parts. My choice is a new igniter and inspection of the burner on the "low time unit".

[TechEditor]

That is what I needed to know!
Thanks.

Greg