Retrofit standing pilot to electronic ignition

[dwatson3]

10 year old direct vent fireplace:
Do retrofit kits exist to change standing pilot to electronic ignition?

I’ve seen Honeywell kits for NG furnace changeovers but not for NG fireplaces.

Thanks for your opinions ....

[hearthman]

Check with the mfr. some do/ most don't. You can go freestyle and cobber something together that will work but if something goes wrong, YOU become the mfr. of record and if occupants/guests are hurt, you could face criminal charges.

Why do you need to convert to electronic ignition on a 10 y/o unit installed?

[dwatson3]

Thanks for your idea ...
This is a controlled study using an existing unit commonly found in residential application. Keeping the room envelope variables fixed, along with no change to venting and combustion chamber, we have a zero clearance appliance originally installed in a heat chase. By increasing air flow through the intermediate structure and changing to ici, the decrease in kilojoules per hour at a constant temperature can be measured.

[hearthman]

Definitely contact the mfr. for an OEM part and have a qualified tech make the changeout. Since this is a study, you'll want to get a really solid baseline with the standing pilot then the IPI. I'd suggest clocking the meter for as long as you can after using a Kuhlman meter to test the valve for leak rate. Are you doing calorimetric measuring? If so, you'll need a protocol for firing cycles because the heat projected into a space varies significantly at cold start versus 'steady state', whatever that term means. Of course, outdoor weather conditions, especially temp. and wind do affect the performance. Have you run a blower door test for baseline and used infrared thermography to document the thermal bypasses esp. in the fireplace chase?

Keep us posted please.

[dwatson3]

The heat loss study on this 60 year old home has several parts; air infiltration and infrared baseline scan measurements are used at quarter year points so that seasonal profiles of thermal movement can be created. Building envelopes of existing structures are becoming more prominent in the push for green alternatives. I like your idea to clock the meter in addition to volume measurements. There’s much to do in this project. Thanks.