What are the safety features of the HPC Electronic Ignition (EI) fire pit units?

This week’s HPC Fire Inspired™ Tech Talk is going to focus on Safety, specifically the safety features of our Electronic Ignition (EI) fire pits. Here are some of the features that we will talk about: safety pilot, limit switch, valve, hot surface ignition, CSA Certification, Bluetooth, and some optional accessories.

  • Safety Pilot / Ignition Box
    • If the unit (pilot or burner) is blown out, our unit will attempt to relight on its own
      • The max attempts it will try to relight is 15
        • After 15 attempts, the unit goes into lockout mode and power will need to be toggled
  • Thermistor or Limit Switch on Module
    • This prevents overheating damage to the valve box
      • The unit will auto shut off if the internal temperature gets too high
  • Honeywell Valve
    • If for any reason the valve would fail, our valve is designed to close in the off position, thus preventing the unit from operating
  • Hot surface igniter
    • More robust and reliable than typical hot wire igniter (brittle)
    • Hot surface powered by 24VAC w/ no fear of voltage drop

      • Hotwire powered by 3VDC w/ voltage drop may not get hot enough to ignite the unit
  • CSA Certification
    • CSA Certified in US & Canada to ANSI Z21.97-2014 / CSA 2.41-2014 requirements
      • HPC was the pioneer in helping develop these standards
      • HPC is ahead of the curve in regards to safety certification

        • Our EI system met the standards launching in June 2020…2 YEARS AGO!!!
  • Bluetooth
    • Designed for “line of sight”, meaning you have to be within a certain distance from the fire feature to turn on with Bluetooth
      • Wifi does not have “line of sight”, you could be in New York and turn on a fire pit in California
      • Commercial Application Approved
  • Optional Safety Accessories
    • Timer
      • Allows the unit to be shut off after a certain time
        • Commercial Application Approved
    • Emergency Shut Off
      • When the button is depressed it shuts the entire unit off
        • Needs to be restarted by a special key

Another safety feature that should be pointed out that applies to ALL units shipped from HPC is testing. In addition being CSA certified, HPC also has an in depth testing procedure for EVERY unit that leaves the factory. Here is an example of the check sheet used:

Check back next week when we talk about fire pit Certification vs. Compliance!