Hearth Products Controls electronic ignition kitElectronic ignition kits are the ultimate in elegance. Just imagine starting your fire pit with just a flip of a wall switch or squeeze the remote control. The unit consists of a burner, a pan, sensor assembly, and a valve box containing the valve and the control electronics. Configured for either natural gas or propane, a choice of valves will deliver either 150k BTU or 300k BTU to the burner. The 150k valve is suitable for burners up to 24 inches in diameter. The 30 inch burner can use either. Burners larger than 30 inches produce better flames with a 300k BTU valve. (The bigger the fire ring the smaller the flame at the same pressure.) The pan that supports the fire ring can be either flat or bowl style depending on you design.
Built as a single unit, the electronic ignition kit is designed to be suspended from the pan lip. The manufacturer requires a 2 inch gap between the bottom of the valve box and the bottom of the fire pit. This is to keep the valve box above possible standing water. The valve box is water resistant, not water proof.
There is heat transfer between the fire ring and the valve box. If the valve box overheats, the valve will shut down and your flame will go out. The manufacturer insists (for warranty purposes) on 36 square inches of ventilation space (18 sq. in. on opposite sides of the pit) in the walls of the fire pit to avoid heat build up around the valve box. You can split up the ventilation space so that it fits the look of you fire pit, as long as the total is still 36 sq. in.
The electronic ignition kit operates on 115vac regular commercial house voltage. That is how the wall switch would work. Just install a wall switch in a convenient place and run the electrical wire out to the pit. The electronic ignition kit comes with a 3-prong plug. Some people cut that off and wire the unit directly. That saves on making an outlet type connect for the plug. Either way work just fine.
Remote operation uses a receiver in the pit. Its sole purpose is to interrupt or cut through power to the electronic ignition kit. The 3-prong plug goes into the receiver and the receiver has its own 3-prong plug. Again this can be cut off and wired directly to the electrical wire.
Another serious benefit is the unit's fail safe. If the flame goes out, the sensor will detect this condition and signal the valve to close and stop delivery of gas to the burner. This is especially important in any commercial use. Raw natural gas or propane uncontrollably flowing into the air is extremely dangerous.
As always, I highly recommend the addition of a manual shut off valve at the fire pit in the gas line before the electronic ignition device for safety. I have never heard of one of these units flowing gas out of control, but anything can happen. Saving $30-$40 by skipping the valve is just not worth the risk. One drawback to using a valve in this case is that you cannot use the valve to control the height of the flame. Restricting gas flow to this electronic ignition system also starves the pilot, and it will seem that the flame will go out inexplicably.
The ability to turn your fire pit on and off remotely is the ultimate in coolness. Aside from minor problems; ventilation and mounting the unit, the electronic ignition kit delivers an excellent flame for the appropriate burner for your fire pit.
Update: The manufacturer, Hearth Products Controls, has redesigned this device. The sensor module is subject to intense heat positioned inside the outer ring. The bowl pan is now one size larger so that the sensor module can be mounted on the outside of the fire ring. This will reduce the amount of heat and extend the life of the module. When considering the electronic ignition kit's size for your pit you must check to see if the larger bowl will fit. That should not be a problem if you have observed the 4 inch rule (the minimum distance between the fire ring and the inner edge of the capstones. Using an 18 inch fire ring as an example, the bowl pan is now 25 inches (for the next sized ring plus one inch, 25 inches in diameter). The 4 inch rule is 4" + 4" + 18" = 26". You have an inch to spare to place the unit within you fire pit.
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