Guide to the AWEIS Electronic Ignition System for Fire Pits

Guide to the AWEIS Electronic Ignition System for Fire Pits

What is AWEIS?

AWEIS Electronic Ignition Systems for gas fire pits are the most sophisticated way to light and monitor your fire pit, not only do they offer the highest level of convenience, but more importantly, the highest level of safety too!

With an AWEIS fire pit electronic ignition kit, you can light a fire pit with the flick of a wall switch, located in a convenient place, a fire pit timer, or smartphone automation. These systems can also be wired to an automatic pool controller or a remote control fire pit igniter system.

AWEIS provides fire pit manufacturers with the opportunity to exercise their engineering ingenuity and the brand here on The Magic of Fire manufacturing products featuring the AWEIS is American Fire Glass. You can find their products on the Electronic Ignition Fire Pit Kits page.

Who is the manufacturer of the AWEIS?

In the realm of fire pit electronic ignition manufacturing, one Brand reigns supreme. Its dominance is such that numerous manufacturers utilize its products under license, branding it with their own labels. This model is easily identified by its design and several licensed users even identify the unit to customers by the manufacturer’s own model reference ‘ A.W.E.I.S ‘ which stands for All Weather Electronic Ignition System.

The manufacturing company of the AWEIS is Fire By Design based in Nevada. The “All Weather” part of the name refers to the extreme degree of weather protection these units have. The manufacturer has gone to extraordinary and very unusual lengths to test them. We will go into that a little later, but first…

What is an Electronic Ignition Fire Pit System?

These units are highly complex pieces of equipment, but in basic terms, a Fire Pit Electronic Ignition System will light your fire pit, monitor for flame failure, make attempts to relight the burner if the flame is extinguished, and only if that fails will then perform a safety shut down of the gas feed. 

Picture this: a cozy evening by the fire pit, laughter and conversation filling the air. With the self-monitoring AWEIS at work, that ambiance remains uninterrupted. Relax and enjoy as the system keeps a watchful eye, even from a distance. It’s like having a trusty companion, ensuring your outdoor gatherings are always warm and inviting, without the worry.

AWEIS Features and Important Factors

When constructing an AWEIS fire pit, several factors must be considered to ensure safety and proper functionality.

AWEIS is designed for outdoor, vented fire features ONLY.

Adequate drainage must be implemented to prevent possible submersion.

Adequate ventilation is crucial, requiring a minimum of 18 square inches on at least two opposing walls of the enclosure to facilitate airflow and ensure proper function of the air mixer while preventing component overheating.

The AWEIS is the smallest fire pit electronic ignition system available on the market, a crucial detail, considering that it’s often installed beneath the fire pit burner, within the tight confines of a pit structure or fire pit bowls. However, the unit can also be located up to eight feet from the burner with custom extensions.

The enclosure’s dimensions should allow sufficient clearance beneath the AWEIS. The dimensions of each model vary depending on its capacity and gas type.

• A – Edge of Burner to Enclosure 6”
• B – Top of Enclosure to Pan 3”
• C – Bottom of Valve Box to Combustible Floor 2”
• D – Top of Burner to Combustible Ceiling 96” (8ft)
• E – Edge of Burner to Combustible Wall 36” (3ft)

There are two types of AWEIS, the models that require an electrical feed to the fire feature and battery-operated models that don’t. The units are available for natural gas applications or propane.

Compliance with the code mandates the installation of a listed gas shut-off valve a minimum of 6′ before the appliance location.

The installation should be done by a Qualified Service Technician that is Locally Licensed

According to Fire by Design specifications & warranty, a maximum of 3 AWEIS can be daisy chained together.

To enhance protection against the elements and safeguard the equipment, the use of a fire pit lid is advisable.

All-Weather Features

Installing electronic ignition components in a fire pit or fire bowl poses a significant challenge due to the intense heat of the burner and exposure to a wide range of weather conditions.

The AWEIS is probably the most popular brand today because of its durability and practicality. To these qualities, the manufacturer has conducted rigorous and unconventional tests.

The Car Wash Test – Yes, they actually placed a lit AWEIS fire feature in the back of a pickup truck and put it to the test in a car wash!

The Freeze Test – An AWEIS unit was placed into a bucket of water, then frozen until solid for a night or three! Encased in ice it still lit the burner the next morning.

The Highway Wind Test – I’m not sure what the Cops might have thought about this one, nonetheless 50 mph couldn’t extinguish the fire pit flames!

Standing Water Test – While submerging electrical equipment in water typically spells disaster, these experts dared to take on the challenge!

AWEIS Ignition System Certification

AWEIS units are LC Certified to ANSI Z21.20-2014 (for the USA) and CAN/CSA-C22.2 (for Canada)

AWEIS Specifications:

There are three models with different BTU ratings.

• The AWEIS Mini Capacity(MC) is for use with burners rated up to 125,000 Btus/hr
• The AWEIS Standard Capacity(SC) for use with burners rated up to 290,000 Btus/hr
• The AWEIS High Capacity (HC) for use with burners rated up to 512,000 Btus/hr

Ignition and Flame Sensing

• Ignition is achieved with hot surface ignition.
• It follows an intermittent pilot ignition sequence, with the pilot flame serving as the main burner ignition source.
• The AWEIS Electronic Ignition System utilizes a thermopile for flame detection.

Technical details

• Inlet / Outlet Size: 0.5″ FPT (SC)
• Inlet / Outlet Size: 0.75″ FPT (HC)
• Operating Voltage: 24 Volts AC
• Minimum Gas Pressure for Natural Gas 3.5” W.C. – 1/8 psi
• Minimum Gas Pressure for Propane 8.0” W.C. – 1/3 psi
• Maximum Gas Pressure 14.0” W.C. – 1/2 psi

Conclusion:

We hope this Guide to the AWEIS Electronic Ignition System for Fire Pits is helpful to you and answers any questions about electronic ignition for fire pits. We could not recommend the AWEIS system more highly.

For more information or questions about the contents of this Guide to the AWEIS Electronic Ignition System for Fire Pits don’t hesitate to call us on our Toll-Free Number at the top of the page or just hit the Chat button on any page of our website.