The AWEIS is available in 3 popular sizes; mini, standard, and high capacity. The mini maxes at 100k BTUs, the standard maxes at 290k BTUs, and the high capacity maxes at 510k BTUs. The price varies based on the unit, with the least expensive mini to the more expensive high capacity. Generally, you should size the AWEIS off of the fire ring and appliance output. Most small fire bowls with a 12" or 18" fire ring would be fine with a mini at 100k BTUs. Most normal sized fire pits would be fine with a standard, as 290k BTU's is quite a bit of flame. Most would be happy with this. The 510k BTU high capacity unit is designed for BIG fire features pumping out a TON of gas that require a HUGE flame. This is more the exception than the rule. If you're not sure if 100k BTU's is enough, we recommend going with the 290k BTU standard AWEIS. It will do anything below that and is often perfect for most applications.
the electronic ignition systems are priced sky high, not even a consideration for the average person. The push button 15.00 one is all you need. I have my pushbutton 20 feet away from the pit, and so is the gas turn on valve, for safety. You can extend the distance use high voltage wire dont run it next to the grounding wire.
Thanks for the feedback! You're right, adding an electronic ignition system can add $1500-3000+ to a fire pit installation. Of course this is typically required for a commercial location or for someone that wants to tie the fire pit into their home automation system. There's also many safety features; for instance, if a strong wind comes and blows out the flame, the gas shuts off automatically and the unit will try relighting itself. If it fails to relight, it will shut off the gas and shut the unit down. A match lit or push button 1.5v system doesn't typically have a thermocouple system to help in this type of scenario. To keep costs down, a match lit or 1.5v battery spark kit is a good solution. I will say that keeping the battery module more than 36" away from the spark ignitor can often lead to loss of power preventing the gas from igniting. As electricity travels down the wire, it loses voltage and even if you see a spark, it's not hot enough to ignite the gas. This may not be your particular situation, but it's something we've seen many times in the past. Finally, most building codes require the gas shut off valve be within 5' of the burner. If you are turning on/off your gas from over 5' away, your system may not be done according to code and would fail inspection. These are little tips and tricks that our NFI Certified team can assist our customers with. Please give us a call and tell us about your project, we'd be happy to assist in helping you get your fire pit built with the features you want and on your budget.
@@StarfireDirect thanks for the great reply. I do see a spark, don't know yet if it would work yet. I'll find out and let you know. That the shutoff needs to be 5' of the pit doesn't make much sense to me but so much for rules made in conference rooms without windows heh..My valve is 8' away.
@@auctionmusic Yes, I'm curious if the spark will be "hot" enough to light the gas. Natural gas lights at around 1100 degrees. If the 1.5 volts needed to generate a spark capable of reaching 1100 degrees diminishes over a long distance, you might still see a spark, but it might only be 900-1000 degrees which won't be hot enough to light the gas. Of course, this is theory and you may have a different result. This is simply general guidelines and best practice, which is why we include a maximum wire of 36", so that the spark is hot enough. Regarding the valve, you can have multiple valves if you wish. One at the start and one at the end, not a bad practice at all. But the reason for the valve being within 5' of the burner is if there is an issue right at the burner, you can shut it off immediately without having to go to an emergency shut off further away. Also, for match lit ignitions you should be able to adjust the gas flow with one hand and light the gas with the other hand. This would be impossible if further than 5'. Again, these are best practices and also follow code in most jurisdictions. Hope this info helps, best to you and your project!
@@StarfireDirect I got the firepit working by leaving the igniter at the pit and moving the igniter battery 12 feet away, along with the gas value the same distance away. . What I did was, instead of extending the high voltage wire, I extended the battery wires. On the pit side, I soldered two wires in the igniter compartment where the battery normally resides onto the two ends the battery normally touches. Positive and negative. I'm using 12 gauge stranded wire and running those two wires to the remote location 12 feet away, underground in pvc pipe, separate from the gas line. So at the pit I put the igniter in a watertight plastic box, and the two high voltage wires now run from that box into the pit to the deal where the spark occurs (don't know what that is called heh). Now, on the other end, the two 12 gauge wires go into another waterproof box. Bought a single AA cell battery holder and battery is easily replaced. Not soltering to the battery. The batteyr holder has two wires plus and minus. One I joined directly to the incoming wire (the negative side on both) and then the other wire from the battery holder goes to a push button momentary contact switch, so only a connect while the button is pushed and held down. The other end of the button switch is connected to the positive incoming wire. The button box and gas line from the pit are together in a regular landscaping box usually used for zone valves.The turn on valve with the key is in the landscaping box. Next to that box I dug out and put in a brick wall, square, bricks are no cemented. Then into that I put a heavy duty metal container that has a lid and this container is usually used to hold a 20lb propance tank. It looks good and you dont see the propane tank itself. Then I put the propane tank in the container. Next ran a gas line from the tank to the landscapiong box to the gas valve. The propane tank has a meter on it to tell if gas is coming from the tank or not and a vertical pressure regulator. So all valves are initially off. I turn on the gas valve on the propane tank itself, the meter shows gas is present, then turn on the gas valve in the landscaping box, then push the button, and the pit fires up right away, every time. There won't be much voltage drop over the 12 gauge stranded wire, and there are no grounding out problems as the voltage is so low. I can send pictures cannot do it here apparantly. What I dont know is how long will the battery last, but will find out over time for sure heh. I sent pictures using your email. Thanks for your info it was helpful for sure. I sent the pictures to
@auctionmusic Pictures received, and thanks for sharing how you architected your fire pit project! You've clearly put some effort into this and I think your commitment is to be commended! After reviewing your pictures, we do have a few areas of concern. If you're interested, feel free to give us a call at 866-578-8538 and ask for Steven. He'll be able to offer some advice if you want it. Otherwise, best to you and your project!
This was very well done, easy to understand and your recommendations make sense.....thank you
Thanks Harley! Glad to have helped!
What are the differences between the low, standard and high BTU capacity AWEIS systems?
The AWEIS is available in 3 popular sizes; mini, standard, and high capacity. The mini maxes at 100k BTUs, the standard maxes at 290k BTUs, and the high capacity maxes at 510k BTUs. The price varies based on the unit, with the least expensive mini to the more expensive high capacity. Generally, you should size the AWEIS off of the fire ring and appliance output. Most small fire bowls with a 12" or 18" fire ring would be fine with a mini at 100k BTUs. Most normal sized fire pits would be fine with a standard, as 290k BTU's is quite a bit of flame. Most would be happy with this. The 510k BTU high capacity unit is designed for BIG fire features pumping out a TON of gas that require a HUGE flame. This is more the exception than the rule.
If you're not sure if 100k BTU's is enough, we recommend going with the 290k BTU standard AWEIS. It will do anything below that and is often perfect for most applications.
the electronic ignition systems are priced sky high, not even a consideration for the average person. The push button 15.00 one is all you need. I have my pushbutton 20 feet away from the pit, and so is the gas turn on valve, for safety. You can extend the distance use high voltage wire dont run it next to the grounding wire.
Thanks for the feedback! You're right, adding an electronic ignition system can add $1500-3000+ to a fire pit installation. Of course this is typically required for a commercial location or for someone that wants to tie the fire pit into their home automation system. There's also many safety features; for instance, if a strong wind comes and blows out the flame, the gas shuts off automatically and the unit will try relighting itself. If it fails to relight, it will shut off the gas and shut the unit down. A match lit or push button 1.5v system doesn't typically have a thermocouple system to help in this type of scenario.
To keep costs down, a match lit or 1.5v battery spark kit is a good solution.
I will say that keeping the battery module more than 36" away from the spark ignitor can often lead to loss of power preventing the gas from igniting. As electricity travels down the wire, it loses voltage and even if you see a spark, it's not hot enough to ignite the gas. This may not be your particular situation, but it's something we've seen many times in the past.
Finally, most building codes require the gas shut off valve be within 5' of the burner. If you are turning on/off your gas from over 5' away, your system may not be done according to code and would fail inspection.
These are little tips and tricks that our NFI Certified team can assist our customers with. Please give us a call and tell us about your project, we'd be happy to assist in helping you get your fire pit built with the features you want and on your budget.
@@StarfireDirect thanks for the great reply. I do see a spark, don't know yet if it would work yet. I'll find out and let you know. That the shutoff needs to be 5' of the pit doesn't make much sense to me but so much for rules made in conference rooms without windows heh..My valve is 8' away.
@@auctionmusic Yes, I'm curious if the spark will be "hot" enough to light the gas. Natural gas lights at around 1100 degrees. If the 1.5 volts needed to generate a spark capable of reaching 1100 degrees diminishes over a long distance, you might still see a spark, but it might only be 900-1000 degrees which won't be hot enough to light the gas. Of course, this is theory and you may have a different result. This is simply general guidelines and best practice, which is why we include a maximum wire of 36", so that the spark is hot enough.
Regarding the valve, you can have multiple valves if you wish. One at the start and one at the end, not a bad practice at all. But the reason for the valve being within 5' of the burner is if there is an issue right at the burner, you can shut it off immediately without having to go to an emergency shut off further away. Also, for match lit ignitions you should be able to adjust the gas flow with one hand and light the gas with the other hand. This would be impossible if further than 5'.
Again, these are best practices and also follow code in most jurisdictions. Hope this info helps, best to you and your project!
@@StarfireDirect I got the firepit working by leaving the igniter at the pit and moving the igniter battery 12 feet away, along with the gas value the same distance away. . What I did was, instead of extending the high voltage wire, I extended the battery wires. On the pit side, I soldered two wires in the igniter compartment where the battery normally resides onto the two ends the battery normally touches. Positive and negative. I'm using 12 gauge stranded wire and running those two wires to the remote location 12 feet away, underground in pvc pipe, separate from the gas line. So at the pit I put the igniter in a watertight plastic box, and the two high voltage wires now run from that box into the pit to the deal where the spark occurs (don't know what that is called heh). Now, on the other end, the two 12 gauge wires go into another waterproof box. Bought a single AA cell battery holder and battery is easily replaced. Not soltering to the battery. The batteyr holder has two wires plus and minus. One I joined directly to the incoming wire (the negative side on both) and then the other wire from the battery holder goes to a push button momentary contact switch, so only a connect while the button is pushed and held down. The other end of the button switch is connected to the positive incoming wire. The button box and gas line from the pit are together in a regular landscaping box usually used for zone valves.The turn on valve with the key is in the landscaping box. Next to that box I dug out and put in a brick wall, square, bricks are no cemented. Then into that I put a heavy duty metal container that has a lid and this container is usually used to hold a 20lb propance tank. It looks good and you dont see the propane tank itself. Then I put the propane tank in the container. Next ran a gas line from the tank to the landscapiong box to the gas valve. The propane tank has a meter on it to tell if gas is coming from the tank or not and a vertical pressure regulator. So all valves are initially off. I turn on the gas valve on the propane tank itself, the meter shows gas is present, then turn on the gas valve in the landscaping box, then push the button, and the pit fires up right away, every time. There won't be much voltage drop over the 12 gauge stranded wire, and there are no grounding out problems as the voltage is so low. I can send pictures cannot do it here apparantly. What I dont know is how long will the battery last, but will find out over time for sure heh. I sent pictures using your email. Thanks for your info it was helpful for sure. I sent the pictures to
@auctionmusic Pictures received, and thanks for sharing how you architected your fire pit project! You've clearly put some effort into this and I think your commitment is to be commended!
After reviewing your pictures, we do have a few areas of concern. If you're interested, feel free to give us a call at 866-578-8538 and ask for Steven. He'll be able to offer some advice if you want it. Otherwise, best to you and your project!