BBQ igniter

[SirNik84]

So, I bought a BBQ this weekend from a friend. its only a year old. Very nice looking grill. Its stainless steel, 3 burner, its the nicest grill I've ever had. It sells at Lowes for $299 and I got it for $50. just like this one, only all stainless!



Anyway, I haven't had a new grill in over 10 years. This thing has a problem with its igniter. It has the new style with a AA battery. I put a new battery in it and no luck. I had to light a stick and snake it through the grill to get it to work.

I have no experience with this style of igniter. When I was in high school I rebuilt my dads old BBQ from the 70s, racing stripes with engine enamel the works! I installed a new piezoelectric igniter and I remember getting that thing to work every time was a trick. I lost my eyebrows over that installation and it only worked for a few months till the burner was corroded enough that it couldn't find a ground.

I'm wondering whats the best style of igniter? here are the options I've been thinking of.

1) Another AA battery style? did I just get a fluke or are they unreliable?

2) An old style piezoelectric igniter, They don't need batteries!

3) An igniter for a gas stove? I saw these on ebay and they are cheap, they are reliable, they are 120V so no battery, but the grill would need an extension cord, but thats not that bad.

Any suggestions?

I thought about getting a lawn mower battery and a coil and a spark plug