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Technical Manual - Page 14

The ﬂ ame also plays a very important role in this process. Because the ﬂ ame is conductive, it

allows the voltage to pass through its body like a bridge to the burner spreader ring. This {bridge}

allows the built up spark voltage to bleed off of the igniter tip and move to ground more easily. The

resultant ionized ﬂ ame bridge has now become the path of least resistance for the spark to take

across the gap between the spark electrode and the burner body.

By bleeding off the buildup of voltage we stop the spark from occurring. The spark is, in effect,

still there, you just canʼt see it.

* Ionized / To separate into Ions or to become electrically charged.

In order to successfully detect a ﬂ ame we ﬁ rst need to;

1. Place the electrode in the correct position under all ﬂ ame conditions.

2. Ensure the ﬂ ame is stable and does not “lift off” the burner at the ports adjacent to the

electrode and put the ﬂ ame beyond the electrode. It is very important to have a stable ﬂ ame

especially around the igniter tip.

3. Ensure there is a secure ground path to earth from the burner spreader ring / burner head.

4. Conﬁ rm the appliance is properly connected to earth ground.

Current Path

The current path for detection is through the spark electrode, outer plume of ﬂ ame, burner spreader

ring, burner head, burner base, chassis and earth ground. If this path is broken, the current cannot

ﬂ ow and sparking will occur. A proper ﬂ ame will keep this from happening. In other words, the

current will always ﬂ ow through the path of least resistance and it might not be on top of the

cooktop, it might be below the top frame and out of sight. In this case, suspect a defective spark

wire or a pinched spark wire.

Do you have a ground prior to the igniter tip?

If there is a current path (leak / ground) prior to spark electrode,there will likely not be a spark

pulse between the electrode and the burner spreader ring. This phenomenon is what leads most

servicers to believe they have a defective spark module.

The spark module can tolerate a relatively large leakage before going into fault condition and

generating a spark. The tolerance to leakage decreases with an increasing amount of ﬂ ame current

therefore it is desirable to obtain a high ﬂ ame current at the appliance design stage to provide

some allowance for increasing leakage with age and use. The better the ﬂ ame current / ground,

the less likely there is to be reignition.

Possible Causes Of Continuous Sparking:

Defective spark wires.

Continuous high heat can cause spark wires to degrade. Use volt/ohm meter to determine continu-

ity of spark wires. Look for obvious cuts/ abrasions or pinch points. A defective wire can allow

spark voltage to transfer through insulation to ground prior to reaching spark electrode. Under

normal circumstances all igniters ﬁ re together and if the burner in question has found an easier

ground path the spark will go there. It will not, however, in most cases have found a CONTINUOUS

ground path such as what the ﬂ ame would provide under normal circumstances. This will cause

the spark module to re-ignite.

Dacor ECPS User Manual

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