Help with Flaming Burner Problem

JMSetzler · 06-28-2009, 05:34 PM

This photo doesn't show my actual problem, but the cooker I'm using tends to shoot flames from where the gas feed hose connects to the burner. It only seems to do it when I'm running the burner rather hard while I'm bringing my strike water or wort up to a boil before I back the pressure down. Has anyone had a problem like this or know what to do to fix it? I'm not sure if my burner is in need of replacement or what I might need to do.

Catt22 · 06-29-2009, 06:03 AM

I'll take a guess at this one. I can't actually see the burner you are using with the kettle in the way, but most of the common ones function in basically the same way. Here's how they operate. The gas flows through the small pinhole orifice in the brass fitting on the end of the supply hose where it threads into the main burner casting. Right behind the orifice is the air damper disc which you can rotate to vary the air intake rate. Between the orifice and the main burner is the venturi tube which is nothing more than a tapered tube leading to the burner ring jets. The gas rushing into the venturi tube reduces the pressure slightly and draws air in through the damper ports. The gas and air mix as they move to the jets.

You describe flames at the hose connection point or coming out of the damper. Any restriction in the burner casting can create too much back pressure and gas will exit through the air damper. This gas can ignite and cause what you describe. Disassemble the burner and either blow it out with compressed air or use a shop vac on it. You could also blast it out with water or even soak it if need be. Inspect the supply hose integrity and re-assemble. Most likely there's debris of some kind partially blocking the gas flow into the burner. Some of the gas orifices are removable, so check to be sure that yours is tight. It's possible that the orifice was never tightened when the burner was assembled. As a last resort, you might find the regulator is malfunctioning, but that's rarely the problem. The regulators are simple devices and last indefinitely in most cases.

JMSetzler · 06-29-2009, 03:22 PM

Thanks for the info. I'll disassemble the burner and clean it out and see what happens. I would like to replace the burner with a banjo burner if it will fit, so maybe I can kill two birds with one stone.

**samc** · 06-29-2009, 04:03 PM

Many of the cast iron burners are poorly made and have blockages that need to be cleared or drilled out. In my case with a NG Hurricane modified burner I found that the valve had too large an orifice and was letting more gas through than would properly burn. It seemed that the gas was backing up through the air intake and flaming out. Scared the crap out of me and I was able to get a new valve from Hurricane with a smaller orifice. Good customer service from them BTW, although a bit slow on getting it to me.

Is your regulator properly sized to your burner? If a burner is meant to be run @ 5-10 psi and you use a 30 psi reg you can create problems. Also the height of the kettle above the flame and amount of air flow underneath the kettle can create issues as well, I know this from experience.

JMSetzler · 06-29-2009, 04:21 PM

Here's another picture of the burner. I don't know if the regulator is properly matched to the burner or not. I bought this sometime around 1995 from a home brew supply shop. I'll have to dig in and see if the equipment is properly matched up. As I said earlier, it only seems to be a problem when I'm running the burner full bore, which isn't very often. I usually crank it up pretty hard when I'm bringing the wort to a boil and then I back it way down.

**Bobby_M** · 06-29-2009, 05:37 PM

I think you can take the center plate out of that burner by removing that bolt you see. There might be some spider webs in there blocking some of the flow. It could also be that your regulator is just putting out too much pressure and the burner just can't flow that much through the jets.

RayInUT · 06-29-2009, 06:08 PM

I used to have that same problem with a burner I had. I decided it wasn't safe and chucked it. If you've had that burner for fourteen years, maybe you should do the same. It really isn't safe having a burner that could start your propane supply line on fire.

JMSetzler · 06-29-2009, 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RayInUT

I used to have that same problem with a burner I had. I decided it wasn't safe and chucked it. If you've had that burner for fourteen years, maybe you should do the same. It really isn't safe having a burner that could start your propane supply line on fire.

I agree and this is why I'm asking. I have had the burner for 14 years, but oddly enough, it has only been used about 10 times. I had another cooker I liked better than this one in my early days of home brewing.

I'd like to ask for a recommendation on a new cooker like this. I really like the look of the banjo burner. What are you guys using and what would you recommend as a replacement?

**samc** · 06-29-2009, 06:37 PM

I like the Hurricane, large area of flame for coverage of the kettle. Low pressure so you can convert back & forth between Propane & NG, all you need is a $6 valve change and about 5 minutes or less to change it out.