Fixing a Jetboil igniter

Question

The electric igniter on my jetboil has been giving me trouble. It's not completely broken, but I'll only see a spark 5 or 10% of the time. This means I don't completely trust my stove, and have to carry a lighter.

I've tried moving the spark rod closer/further from the burner, cleaning the igniter, and speaking softly to it, but I'm basically shooting in the dark.

I know they sell a replacement kit, but I am also wondering if it can't be fixed first. What else could I be trying?

Answer 1

1. Remove the igniter from the stove.
2. Take a fine file or sandpaper and make sure there is only clean metal on the electrode tip. Often times these get corroded and dirty.
3. Use a Scotch-Brite pad or steel wool to clean the burner itself so that it also exposes clean metal. DO NOT use sandpaper on the burner.
4. Get some electrical contact cleaner and spray it directly into all orifices of the igniter. Also spray out the burner to clean out any dirt and dust. It's recommended that you wear gloves while doing this.
5. Shake the ignitor and the burner to remove any excess cleaner and let it dry for 10-15 minutes.
6. Reinstall the igniter in the stove and position the tip of the electrode about 1/4" or closer from the surface of the burner.
7. Try to ignite and check for spark.
8. If you still don't get a consistent spark, replace the igniter with a new one.

However my personal recommendation is forget the built-in igniter and keep the lighter (or other external ignition source), which has multiples uses, weighs very little, and is easily replaceable. The small built-in piezo-electric igniters all wear out rather quickly. I have a stove with one that no longer works and have friends with JetBoils with the same problem.

Also the replacement igniter is only $5.95. So in my opinion it's not worth trying fix the old one for that price if you don't want to depend on a lighter.

Answer 2

The original answer misses the mark for the jetboil flash. Here is what is happening in a nutshell. The white insulation on the piezo ignitor wire is of a poor quality and will not withstand the heat generated by the unit - so it melts. My new one worked 5 times and then stopped. Upon examination at home I discovered that the spark was shorting out underneath the ceramic sleeve to the base of the burner. Unless you have some high quality insulation that you can install yourself, you will be replacing this thing constantly. The original answer is right that you should bring a separate ignition source. The Titanium Flint lighter is a good backup.

I did try repairing the melted insulation with Permatex liquid electrical tape and the healthy spark is back - not shorting out anymore. I will run the unit for 10 minutes to see if it holds up. Jetboil does not offer a separate peizo unit for the flash as it seems to be an integral part of the burner. So if you want a piezo, you have to buy the entire burner for $50. Not really an option.

Update - The Permatex repair seems to be holding up. Unit works fine and time will tell.

Answer 3

ok it is possible to repair your jet boil with a multitool and piece of tape! Mine stopped working and I had no other way of getting anything hot, so here’s what I did..... under the burner ring and heat shield there is a circling which holds the heat shield and plastic base to the gas valve, remove this with multitool, remove burner head by unscrewing it, this allows the heat shield and plastic to be removed then the lighter can be lifted free. The ceramic sleeve was broken so I put some tape around this to insulate, then I cleaned the end of the lighter mechanism which is brass using the file on the multi tool. Finally reassembled and it works a treat. I will be doing a more permanent repair on the insulation at home.