Who's found a better Empire heater gasket

[rickwalley]

I have an Empire DV-215 heater and have always found it easier and quicker to take off the viewing/ observation cover and light the pilot.  That gasket gets pretty brittle and fragile very quick and is hard to keep handling without it getting wrecked.   Has anyone found a more durable material to cut one from that will survive repeated handling and of coarse the heat involved?

[Sea Hage]

I found if I leave the gas on at the tanks and just shut it off at the valve on the heater the pilot will lite up much faster. Also only put the clear window on not the solid cover.

Edited November 11, 2016 by Sea Hage

[Hoey]

Quicker and easier is not always safer.  However, replacement gaskets are less than $2.10 at Dey Dist.

[Sea Hage]

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Edited November 11, 2016 by Sea Hage

[rickwalley]

Thanks for the responses guys.........I wish I didn't have to initially light the pilot through the window, but I've never been successful in using the snap igniter idea. It seems like it takes quite awhile to purge the LP line before it could light, so I'd have to be punching that thing for awhile before it would go.after the LP finally got there.    Is there a safety factor I'm not aware of to just light the pilot through that open window?  It's closed back up before I let the burner come online.  We've all lit pilot lights over the years without worrying about a questionable  safety factor?

[Hawg]

If your igniter isn't working I would check the pilot to see it was strong enough. Lots of pilots are bad right out of the box. Too small and they don't ignite, too big and they get sucked out. I change mine every fall and keep an extra in the shack, it's easy once you've done it. Minnesota doesn't have very stringent standards on propane cleanliness like most states.