Yellow Tipping Problem

Eric B. Stauffer

I have a Burham 406A residential boiler for 1-pipe steam. After cleaning my burner tubes I noticed I have severe yellow tipping. It's almost beyond yellow tipping -- the flames are nearly 50% yellow. These are way beyond y-tipping you'd expect to see due to dust. I've noticed, albeit to a lesser degree, similiar problems on my kitchen range. It's a Viking as has an air shutter which are also all the way open.

The air shutters on my tubes are completely open. My brother, who installs gas fireplaces, is bringing over a manometer to measure the delivery pressure but what other problems could cause this?

Should burner flames have any yellow at all or should they look like:

<img src="http://www.lbl.gov/Tech-Transfer/images/flame2.jpg">

Thanks,
Eric

Gary Fereday

yellow versus orange

orage tipping can be seen right after cleaning as dust containing sodium is heated. Yellow (candel light) color is unburned carbon atoms. You can change any gas burner to burn orange if you stir up the dust near it. bigugh

Unknown

Yellow Tipping

Both natural and LP gas should burn blue just like your picture. If you have a luminous yellow flame then their is either dust or dirt in the burners you say you cleaned them so probably not the case or the air is severly cut off. The air shutter should be open enough to keep the flame blue and stable on the burner. Make sure the air in the room is not contaminated with ang VOCs (volatile organic compounds) cleaning supplies, adhesives, thinners, lacquers, bleaches etc. The fact that your cooking stove has the same problem tells me there is possibly a problem with your fuel. If it is LP gas have your LP dealer check it out. If natural gas then call the local gas company to check it out.

Last of all as one of the others mentioned you can get orange flecking in the flame which is nothing to worry about it is just dust or rust stirred up by touching burners or supply piping.

Eric B. Stauffer

Tipping

When I sat down to vie the burners I did see the orange tipping you referred to. I'm going to try to snap a picture tonight and post it.

Eric B. Stauffer

Yellow Tipping

Timmie,

Thanks for the ideas. We keep all of the VOC containing products, except paint, in the garage for a couple of reasons. First to keep them away from our kids and second because I've heard they can encourage corrosion.

Paint is the only VOC containing item in the basement and the lids are all tightly closed.

At this point I'm going to give the gas company a call.

Jim Davis

yellow tipping

After 24 years of combustion testing residential and commercial appliances I can guarantee the color of the flame gives little indication of the cleanliness of a flame. A Carbon Monoxide test is the only way to determine if a flame is adjusted properly. Making any adjustments without it is a crap shoot! Yellow flames can produce very low levels of CO and Blue flames can produce high levels of CO and visa versa.