propane burner yellow flame / sooty

[Honk]

Can anyone tell me why my propane burner cannot now be adjusted to give a blue flame?

it used to work fine, it has a collar on than can be adjusted to control the air/gas mix but I can now only get a yellow flame which leaves my kettle very sooty. still get a good boil though.

 

[Clint]

Are the jets blocked? I had a small gas stove that went like that then wouldn't light. I abandoned it to the shed for about 6 years then came across it and started fiddling...as you do...I sussed out that the gas was getting down the hose but not through the jet so I set fire to it. Then tried again...there was a puff of sooty smoke and it lit...been ok since.

 

[An Ankoù]

It's rust in the jets. Get a drill bit that fits fairly snuggly and use it to ream out each jet. Then tip the thing upside down and pour all the powdered rust out of the air intake hole. I've had to do it a number of times, particularly when I've left the brew overnight to cool and it's been a misty or drizzly night.
You may have to readjust the air intake slightly, as before.
If you don't do it, you'll end up with a thick layer of soot on the underside of your copper.

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

And make sure you’re in a sufficiently well ventilated room!!

 

[An Ankoù]

And make sure you’re in a sufficiently well ventilated room!!

Good point. We shouldn't be using Propane indoors anyway, I understand.

 

[Michael Burnley]

Lack of oxygen

 

[terrym]

We shouldn't be using Propane indoors anyway, I understand.

I'm intrigued why not.
Its just another fuel gas like butane and natural gas (mostly methane).

 

[An Ankoù]

I'm intrigued why not.
Its just another fuel gas like butane and natural gas (mostly methane).

Me too. It was explained to me that theres' something about the way the gas "pools" when there's a leak that makes it more dangerous than Butane. Out in the sticks here, we all use gas bottles for our cookers and whenever I go to get a propane refill, I'm always warned not to use it inside. I recall being told this by Calor gas, too. On the other hand, my ex-mo inlaw had a static caravan whose cooker and heating was fuelled by two big, externally mounted, Propane cylinders.
I did look this up and have to confess I couldn't make much sense of the explanation. If anyone can throw any light, I'd be grateful. (not while the gas is on though).

 

[Honk]

It's rust in the jets. Get a drill bit that fits fairly snuggly and use it to ream out each jet. Then tip the thing upside down and pour all the powdered rust out of the air intake hole. I've had to do it a number of times, particularly when I've left the brew overnight to cool and it's been a misty or drizzly night.
You may have to readjust the air intake slightly, as before.
If you don't do it, you'll end up with a thick layer of soot on the underside of your copper.

that sounds highly likely, i shall give it a go. thank you.

 

[Buffers brewery]

Good point. We shouldn't be using Propane indoors anyway, I understand.

I think it's, you shouldn't store cylinders indoors.

 

[Honk]

@An Ankoù worked a treat, thanks

couldnt find a drillbit the right size but a nail did the trick.

personally i prefer to use propane in the garden or a occasionally a well ventilated garage but my mother in law who lives in a remote area has it piped into her kitchen and cooks on it. several building sites i've visited use it indoors. there are propane heaters available that are surely designed to heat indoor spaces.

 

[An Ankoù]

I think it's, you shouldn't store cylinders indoors.

I'm sure you're right. So why is ok to keep butane cylinders indoors, ie in a cupboard adjacent to the cooker or in a heater, but not propane?
I'd like to get to the bottom of this one and see whether it's an urban myth.

 

[terrym]

Me too. It was explained to me that theres' something about the way the gas "pools" when there's a leak that makes it more dangerous than Butane. Out in the sticks here, we all use gas bottles for our cookers and whenever I go to get a propane refill, I'm always warned not to use it inside. I recall being told this by Calor gas, too. On the other hand, my ex-mo inlaw had a static caravan whose cooker and heating was fuelled by two big, externally mounted, Propane cylinders.
I did look this up and have to confess I couldn't make much sense of the explanation. If anyone can throw any light, I'd be grateful. (not while the gas is on though).

Both Butane and propane gases are more dense than air and will 'pool' in a still environment . Natural gas will not pool because it is lighter than air being mostly methane. However butane has a distinctive smell, and an odorant is added to natural gas when supplied to the grid, but unless they add an odorant to propane supplied as a fuel gas it is otherwise odourless, so perhaps that's why it is not recommended for non ventilated enclosures.

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

My understanding is that yellow flame indicates incomplete combustion, which produces not only soot, but also carbon monoxide... silent killer: odourless and binds to haemoglobin six times better than oxygen.

eg see: Blue Flame: Blue and Yellow Flame: Gas Flame Color Temperature Chart - Propane

 

[Obadiah Boondoggle]

Sooty - did somebody mention my name?

Bye, Bye everyone

 

[CD]

Another reason why you can get yellow flames is if spiders have been busy inside the burner. I occasionally have to give mine a blast with a compressed air gun to blow out the cobwebs.

 

[Rodcx500z]

The rule is blue inside red outside why i don't know, we once got our arses kicked at work for using red for a heater inside

 

[private4587]

All bottled gas should be kept outside as the gas is heavier then air and if there are leaks could lead to pooling of combustable gas awaiting ignition source. The smell you get in butane is what we used to call in the industry is cats piss which part of make is hydrogen Cyanide. This is added to give warning of leaks At the time only Butane was used in domestic heating/cooking. When Propane was started to be used (greater heating values in colder temps) it was deemed it would only be used outdoors and thus did not need the addictive. Some in the industry argued against this but as ever it all comes down to cost