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Natural gas flame burns yellow

Roddy
Roddy Member Posts: 64
in Radiant Heating

I'm trying to figure out why my natural gas flame burns mostly yellow (stove and steam boiler). It's blue at the point it exits the burner, but the rest is yellow. This doesn't happen during the summer when my gas boiler isn't running, but only during the heating season. It doesn't happen all of the time but does happen much of the time. It's not a carbon monoxide issue that I can see. I have CO detectors on my basement level, first floor and second floor—-they show no issue. No typical symptoms of carbon monoxide presence are evident. I had our natural gas company come out thinking it might be an issue with the pressure at the meter/inlet, but they said it checked out fine,and had no suggestions as to why this is happening.

I'd appreciate your thoughts.

Rod

Comments

  • 109A_5
    109A_5 Member Posts: 1,763

    Hello Roddy,

    My guess from here is there is a lack of fresh combustion air entering the house. When the boiler runs the draft is taking air out of the house and there is no (or poor) means for fresh outside air to enter. The CO levels may be elevated in the boilers exhaust gas but the CO is probably going up the chimney.

    National - U.S. Gas Boiler 45+ Years Old
    Steam 300 SQ. FT. - EDR 347
    One Pipe System
  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 11,029

    ultrasonic humidifier? is it yellow at the tips rather than in the cone? sodium in the air will make the tips orange

  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 11,029

    listed co detectors are useless, they only detect very high levels

    SuperTech
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 16,588

    If your walking around the boiler you will stir up dust which will make the flame yellow. Be cautious of CO. Make sure the boiler is getting enough combustion air and drafting well. if in doubt have a tech check the combustion.

  • epmiller
    epmiller Member Posts: 28

    Have you had gas pressures checked at the units? With everything running full demand check the gas pressures. I've run into this in a house where the gas lines were undersized.

    You can roughly check if you have enough makeup when you are seeing the yellow flame by opening a couple windows and the doors between the boiler and those windows and see if that changes things. If that corrects things you know that you need better intake air supply.

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