The eF Series ignitor supplier has advised Bradford White of a potential ignitor failure condition. An internal component of the ignitor, under certain operating conditions, may cause internal arcing and premature failure, resulting in the water heater not operating. Installation conditions also impacting ignitor operation can be vent lengths exceeding the manufacturer's recommendation and extreme combustion air temperature (depending on how/where combustion air is drawn into the burner/blower assembly).

Please be advised the premature failure will only occur in certain installations and does not result in a hazardous condition. Most products in the field will not be subject to this potential failure condition.

In cooperation with the igniter supplier, a corrective action plan has been implemented to address this issue. eF Series igniters have been modified and are now available from the Bradford White Parts Department. All new product beginning with serial number 'BA' January 2005 will include the modified igniter. As a precaution, all inventories will be reworked at BWC-US and BWC-Canada, as well as all eF Series product in the BWC distribution network, to ensure modified igniters are used.

All igniter failures in the field will have the new service part used as a replacement. Any heater installation not having an igniter related issue would not require the igniter to be changed out.

You can order replacement igniters through the BWC Parts department at 1-800-538-2020.

For more details, please contact the BWC Technical Support department at 1-800-334-3393 or your local BWC sales representative.

Sincerely,
Bradford White Corporation

Mark A. Taylor & James G. Resnick
Director of Technical Support & Technology Director of Product Development