Electronic Ignition Sequence of Operation for ON/OFF and HI/LO Inserts Here at HPC Fire Inspired™, we get many calls regarding the sequence of operations in the installation and fire-up process of the Electronic Hot Surface Ignition, so today we will go over how the “EI” appliances operate. Below is the sequence at which all “EI” units ON/OFF or HI/LO will go through before the burner ignition. Call for power, via remote, wall switch or timer, etc. The module is powered and the it will check for continuity through the thermocouple The igniter will begin to glow (30-second cycle) The pilot valve opens, shortly after the igniter is powered Igniter lights pilot gas The pilot flame warms the thermocouple and sends a millivolt reading [...]

Gas Pressure Basics Gas Pressure is very critical to the installation and operation of HPC Fire Inspired fire features. If the pressure being supplied to our appliances is not correct the units will not operate correctly. If the pressure in the gas line is too high, it can cause damage to the unit, and if the pressure is too low it can cause small flames and nuisance drops outs. Today we will talk about gas pressure basics. The pressure of a gas is the force that the gas exerts on the walls of its container, such as a gas line. We measure the gas line pressure with a monometer, which will read pressure as inches of water column (inch WC) or can be [...]

Wiring the Sebco 24v Power Supply to Fire Feature(s) As many of you know, HPC Fire Inspired™ offers our electronic ignition fire features in a low voltage (24v) configuration. We get many questions in regard to wiring the power supply to the fire feature. Today we will clear up some of the wiring questions we get from the field We will start with the primary side (120v) of the power supply. It will ship with a power cord and a grounded plug that will simply plug into an outdoor GFCI receptacle. Once the cover for the secondary side of the power supply is removed you will notice factory-supplied spade connectors for each circuit. A red wire marked X4 will pre-wired to the breaker [...]

Fire Pit Igniter - HPC Fire Inspired Newly Designed FPPK Ignition Box As many of our customers know, HPC Fire Inspired is continuously improving our product line. Today we would like to introduce you to our new Push Button Flame Sensing (FPPK) Ignition System. The new fire pit igniter is currently in production on all of our CSA certified Push Button Flame Sensing units and uncertified ignition kits. Let’s take a look at some of the features of the new fire pit igniter. Newly Designed Valve HPC has been working on the new valve for over a year. The new valve train will allow for larger BTU capacities across the product line. By using only 1 valve, we can eliminate SKUs. The new [...]

HPC Fire Inspire New Pilot Assembly Kits As many of you know, HPC Fire Inspired has launched its new smaller pilot assembly kits for both the electronic ignition and its manual ignition with safety pilot (FPPK) units. This week we will go over the new pilots and eliminate some of the confusion. As you can see the pilot is now much smaller, and less intrusive. HPC Fire Inspired has also gone to a silicon nitride igniter. The significance of the new igniter is longevity. It’s a much more robust igniter, and as you may know, we no longer need the protective perforated barrel around the igniter. We have also gone to thicker, larger thermocouple, to eliminate any brittle cracking that may happen during [...]

HPC Fire Inspired™ In House Fire Feature Appliance Testing Many are not aware of the testing procedures we have here at HPC Fire Inspired™. Today we would like to give a little glimpse into the testing we do here at HPC Fire Inspired™ for all of our assembled CSA certified appliances. Quality control is always a large part of our production and assembly process, from spot inspection of procured parts to full burn testing of our appliances. Below are just some points involved in our fire feature testing. Electronic Ignition ON/OFF and HI/LO All fire feature Electronic Ignition models go through a very thorough 43 point testing procedure to assure the quality and reliability expected from HPC Fire Inspired™. It starts with inspections [...]

Fire Pit Spring Maintenance Winter is winding down, temperatures are warming up and too many of us are excited to get back to our backyard oasis. Let’s talk about spring maintenance and firing up the fire pit or fire feature that you “winterized” last fall. HPC Fire Inspired™ offers a wide range of assembled, certified appliances. With each equipment line, there are some simple care and maintenance procedures that should be followed to ensure proper operation and longevity of your fire feature. ELECTRONIC IGNITION UNITS (ON/OFF & HI/LO): Perform a visual inspection of burner and pilot assembly. This may involve removing the media. Ensure there are no cracks in the burner and the pilot assembly (igniter/hood/thermocouple) are in good shape and have no [...]

How to choose between a Bowl Pan or Flat Pan This question is asked a lot, should I use a flat pan or a bowl style pan? Today we will talk about the different style pans that HPC Fire Inspired™ offers on our CSA certified stock appliances. Along with the many shapes HPC offers, you will see we also offer different styles of pans as well. Flat pans and “Bowl” style pans, each has its own advantages to apply to any fire pit that you may be planning. We will go over how to choose between a Bowl Pan or Flat Pan for your fire pit build in this tech talk. Let’s Start with bowl style pan, or spun pan as we call [...]

Indoor Ignition Kits In this week's tech talk, we like to introduce you to HPC Fire Inspired Indoor product line. Whether you are converting a solid fuel fireplace, adding a log set or just looking to replace your ignition system or components, HPC Fire Inspired Indoor products have what you need. Below is a simple guideline to HPC indoor ignition kits, and remotes Safety Pilot Kits: Adds a safe shutdown to gas supply in the event of gas supply interruption or flame blowing out Uses standing pilot, which add ease to lighting main burner Manual flame height adjustability Numerous kit configurations for easy and flexible installations Millivolt Kits: Adds safe shutdown of gas supply, [...]

With the cooler temperatures coming on and for some, an end to backyard living, this week's tech talk we should talk about winter maintenance of your fire features. Winter for most of us in the US means harsh temperatures and much more time spent inside. It's also time to maintain/winterize your outdoor fire feature. Let's look at some quick basic maintenance tips to ensure proper operation of the fire feature in the spring: Turn off the gas line supply with a service valve or key valve. This will reduce the moisture that may get trapped in the line If your fire feature is electronic ignition turn off the circuit via the installed wall switch or circuit breaker Clean out any debris from the [...]