The Curse of the Red Button

Jun 1, 2009
1,737
Hunter 49 toronto
The curse of the red button.

Like most Hunter owners of boats < 2011, the Seaward stove / oven has a red igniter button, which creates a spark which lights the gas burners.
The way these igniters worked is by piezoelectric. Inside the unit is a small mechanical plunger, which makes 2 pieces of crystal bang together when the button is fully depressed. The crystals hitting each other with force creates a high voltage potential across them, known as the "piezoelectric effect".
On the stove, there are 3 burners and the oven. Accordingly, the sparker button has 4 discrete outputs, with a single wire going to each burner electrode, plus an electrode in the oven. The sparker must have isolated outputs, so that each electrode fires independently.
FYI, your depth sounder works along the same principal, except in reverse. When you apply a voltage across a crystal, it causes it to resonate. This is how electronic pulses send acoustic waves down to the sandbar you are just about to run up on.
Now, the disadvantage of the mechanical sparkers is that you get one spark per push.
So, when you are trying to light your stove, you need to continually push the red button until there's enough gas flooded around the burner.
Now, this isn't so bad. Usually you can get it to light with 5 presses or so.
The oven is a different matter.
You need to press the oven gas pilot button, which allows a very small amount of gas to the pilot orifice.
In my experience, you are lucky to get the pilot lit after 10 -20 presses of the "red button"
Now, igniters have advanced in the past few years, and most are electronic. They have a black rubber button, which when depressed continuously sparks the electrode about twice per second. There is a battery (either AA or AAA) in the igniter, which can be changed by unscrewing the black button.
Obviously it is a LOT easier to light the stove with the electronic ignitor, cause you just turn on the gas for the burner, and press the button until it lights.
I got really tired of the cursed red button, especially for the oven. It took forever to light.
The good news is that updating your seaward stove / oven isn't all that difficult.
When you lift the hinged stove top, you'll see how the 4 wires are run to the sparker button. Now would be a good time to clean out all the old spaghetti strands. All of the wires have miniature slip-on terminals, which easily disconnect from the sparker.
You will need to buy a 4-output electronic BBQ ignition unit, which can be found very inexpensively on eBay.
But, the trick is that it has to fit into the space where the original sparker is.
The electronic units usually have dimensions on the eBay listings, so find something that fits.
It does not matter which wire goes into any of the 4 outputs.
You will be amazed how much easier it is to use your stove, and especially your oven!

Now, I had another "cursed red button", and this was in my sternrail Magna BBQ. As I'm sure lots of folks have experienced, the BBQ is running, stuff is cooking, and then a gust of wind blows the flame out.
And now with half-cooked steaks, you are frantically pushing the "cursed red button" to relight the damned thing.
Well, I noticed that Magna has updated their BBQs with electronic igniters. So, I contacted them to purchase an upgrade kit.
Their definition of upgrade was buying a new bbq. No thanks.
Back to eBay.
This time you will need a single output sparker.
This job was a little challenging, as I needed to drill a hole in the stainless side box where the original igniter was.
But, it all fit, and it lights in 1/2 second now instead of 20 frantic pushes of the "cursed red button"
These upgrades cost very little, but have huge benefit. Previously, we could only light our oven with a butane lighter, because the sparker was so frustrating. Now, you simply turn on the gas, press the electronic igniter, and it lights immediately.

This photo shows how I installed the igniter in the bbq.
The original sparker was on the front
Carefully drill the hole in the top. You must use Xmas tree drill bits for this. DO NOT try to drill this with a large twist drill. You will destroy the stainless housing.
Once you have the new igniter installed, get a snap in plastic hole plug to close the original sparker hole.
Note: the dimensions on this are critical. Get the smallest single output igniter on eBay. You will want the one that uses AAA batteries.

IMG_0767.JPG
 

Attachments

Nov 9, 2004
110
Hunter Passage 420 Rock Hall, MD
Art, great idea
By a Xmas tree drill are you referring to a tapered drill as used in countersinking wood screw as a pilot hole and then finishing off with correct size for the button? If not, a procedure with picture or pictures of the drill bit would be helpful.
Thanks
 
Jun 1, 2009
1,737
Hunter 49 toronto
No, not quite.
I meant a "step drill" it has multiple hole sizes, and the deeper you drill, the larger the hole.
They really are meant for sheet metal, as the step heights are about 1/8"

Does this make sense?
 
Jun 1, 2009
1,737
Hunter 49 toronto
Btw,
You'll only need to drill if you're upgrading your bbq.
For your stove, you will use the existing hole that the "red button" sparker is in. It should fit. Very worst case, you may have to open it a bit
 
Nov 9, 2004
110
Hunter Passage 420 Rock Hall, MD
Thanks, I thought that was what you were referring to, but wasn't sure
 

viper

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Jul 31, 2016
131
Hunter 380 Cape Coral, Fl
H380. Thanks for the info. Took forever just to get gas to my stove. Of course the ignitor does not work. Is not even RED. Suppose to be battery per manual, but could never find where Bats went. Same problem on 5th wheel. I settled on the old fashion way.. a propane BBQ hand lighter ($1) or long wooden matches...

Everything lights quickly. The pizo on the Magna Grill works good however.