I have a gas fireplace which worked when we bought the house, but after turning off the fireplace for just over 4 years, it does not want to turn back on (the igniter does not glow).
From what research I have done, it appears that we have a fireplace that does not contain a pilot switch but instead it has a intermittent pilot ignition system. The fireplace has a wall on/off switch and a on/off switch on the Honeywell sv9501m2528 smart valve.
When I turn everything on, which is basically
- turn the wall switch in a on position,
- turn the switch on Honeywell smart valve controller in on position, and * turn the gas valve on
All I hear is a little buzzing noise coming out of the transformer.
The way the wiring is done on this fireplace is that, the power coming out of the wall with around 120V goes into 2 of the "LINE" ports on the transformer and then the power coming out of the transformer with 24V goes from the "LOAD" ports on the transformer to the Honeywell sv9501m2528 smart valve.
I have taken a few pictures to show how this system is setup currently. I am wondering if anyone has any pointers on what I can try to DIY fix this.
Below are the things i have done so far:
- replaced the igniter – model Honeywell Q3400A1024
- used millimeter to measure voltage going through the system. I am getting around 124V going into the transformer (one thing I am not sure if its expected to be this way is, even though there are 2 cables from power line from wall plugged into the "LINE" ports on the transformer, only 1 of them is registering 124V the other one is not showing any voltage at all), and then the 2 ports from the igniter plug on the Honeywell sv9501m2528 smart valve are registering 29V coming out going to the igniter, which basically tells me that the power is flowing correctly?
Please let me know if there are any additional details I can provide.
Best Answer
You indicated that you replaced the igniter/flame rod and that you're getting 29v to the igniter. That 29v should cause the igniter to glow red and the smart valve should sense this and open the valve to the pilot releasing the gas flow. The fact that you're getting 29v to the igniter indicates that the transformer is working properly. Since you have voltage but the smart valve is not releasing gas to the pilot your only recourse is to replace the smart valve. According to Honeywell the smart valve cannot be repaired but must be replaced in it's entirety.
Edit: I did more research on your model. At this point I'm convinced that the smart valve needs to be replaced. I am attaching a link to a troubleshooting guide from Honeywell that supports that diagnosis. It's for the 40" model instead of the 36" but the ignition mechanisms are the same. The ignition is electronic not millivolt. Although you're getting a 29v output to the igniter it isn't operating the gas valve which is in the smart valve. The Honeywell part number is 62L1801. Below is a link to the part - it's expensive. You might try used.
https://www.allpartsinc.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=Honeywell+62L1801 https://www.manualslib.com/manual/170931/Superior-B-40ren.html?page=15#manual
Replacing the gas valve will obviously entail redoing the gas connections. If you're uncomfortable doing that you may want to bring in a technician.