Home Distiller

I have a high pressure propane burner similar to a turkey fryer. When made my first run of a sugar wash, after the initial heat up turning it down caused it to burn yellow and smokey. What it is the fix ?

Turn the heat down and slow your warm-up. What size boiler ya running and what burner are you using?

Not enough oxygen for proper burn. Does it have a draft shutter on it? It should be around where the gas line connects. Usually you can turn them and open the air passage up. Allowing for more oxygen for proper combustion.

Or if it hadn't been used in a while. A spider may have made a nest in it. And its blocking the air flow. In which case just clean it out.

Draft shutter is wide open. Runs bright and blue on high. It is brand new

8gal. pot.

Still doing this. Think I will take it to the propane deal in town. Maybe the wrong jet ?

I still say its not getting the oxygen it needs. Have you tried to close the shutter some? Maybe the lower pressure can't pull enough with it open. So it doesn't mix well? Does it do it even without something on it?

+1. my father in law works on heaters and such. taught me shutter wide open on low isn't efficient.

Ah Hah. Shutting the shutter a bit at low valve openings makes sense. Thanks. I'll try that

Yea when I run mine on low had the same problem, dampered it down and cleaned right up to a pretty blue flame. And I no longer have to scrub soot off the bottom of the boiler now either.

Also try taking the burner apart and cleaning it with a wire brush, soot and rust build up on it too, and clean the gas tube with pipe cleaner, for some reason small spiders like to make this their home.

Spiders and insects LOVE burners. If the draft is open and its burning yellow you def have an air problem. Try cleaning out the burner and blow it out with compressed air.

Zombie revival. But a great tip none-the-less. Thanks.

Who cares about zombie threads being revived? (cough, post whore)

We all trying to learn here and this is a common problem.

There are other remedies too like taking a small torch tip cleaning file to clear every flame orifice....



The main problem is that the cheap burners do not have big enough air intakes.


Even the Blichmann Hellfire burner with HUGE oxygen intake oriface will still blow yellow flame if pushed too far.


Really you gotta be patient and keep the flame blue... lest kettle get black and ye gas wasted.

Bought me a adjustable regulator for mine seem to work much better than closing off valve.

Lovely Post with simple advise. Exactly what I was looking for. Thanks to all who contributed. My burner at times had me going nuts. This sorts it. JD

I added an inline needle valve post regulator for uber control. Peachy.

https://www.amazon.com/Bayou-Classic-Br ... B0016IZZZU" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Blarney, can you put up a pic of where the inline valve goes pls. I am not technical but it seems like a great addition. Thanks. JD