dahlseid
Well-Known Member
I am looking for some insight and wisdom about how to get the most out of the BG14 burners on my rig. I am using the BG-14 type burner that I got from Brewers Hardware with NG and am using their NG valve/orifice, which has a 1/8" ID. On their site, they report these are designed to run at 11" WC and will produce 60,000 btu; whether this is for NG, LP or both is not clear. I have also seen other sites that list these as 100,000 btu burners...though that is likely for high pressure LP.
I control my burners using a BCS-460 to activate Baso BG1100MAAK-1G furnace ignition control modules that run Honeywell VR8345M valves and direct spark ignition and separate flame sensor. I've been running it for about two years, and it works nicely.
Then I encountered a thread on supercharging a low pressure NG burner to insure complete combustion and gain more heat output. This got me thinking, and I contemplated the supercharger modification. However, I decided that as a first step I would explore whether I was getting all I could out of my burners as implemented on my current stand.
A little research and some measurements and I learned that, with my valve outlet pressure setting maxed out, I was supplying NG to my burners at 5.5" WC (consistent with their specs), though they are reported to be designed for 11" WC. My NG inlet pressure is 11.7" WC, so I was able to step up my outlet pressure to 7" through 11" WC by changing the NG spring on my value for the LP one. This worked to jack up the flame, for sure, but it also seemed that as I increased the pressure in 1" WC steps that it progressively reduced the number of burner ports that generated/sustained a flame and progressively burned more rich, as evidenced by ever increasing orange amidst the flames.
I'll post here short videos of the burn attempts at 7", 9" and 11" WC. In the 7" WC film, you will see that I wave the flame to get all ports to light, which they do but which the burner does not sustain. In the 11" WC, I get ignition but the burner flames out and activates the ignition control shut off.
I seek any insight or perspective any of you might have to share. I have it that, according to tables available to gas fitters, 11" WC with this burner and orifice should be putting me close to 80,000 btu potential, and that I should get 60,000 btu at 5" WC (thanks hockeyman!). I am going to clock my gas meter to see where I am at with all this when I get the time.
For now, I am wondering if I am just throwing more pressure at this burner than it can manage. Clearly, with the pressure set higher, the point where gas can ignite is higher. This may require resetting the location of my spark ignitor, and it may be a difficult optimization. It has also been suggested that changing to a pilot light would ease the process of providing ignition to the gas at the higher ignition points that accompany higher pressure.
What do you all think? If I pursue a pilot, I can use the pilot light port already on my valves and would use the intermittent pilot strategy, so I may be asking for advice on how to convert my direct spark ignition/sensing in the most cost effective and reliable way (recognize that cost effective and reliable may be in tension with each other).
Thanks for completing a long read. Fire away...
Seven inches WC
Nine inches WC
Eleven inches WC
I control my burners using a BCS-460 to activate Baso BG1100MAAK-1G furnace ignition control modules that run Honeywell VR8345M valves and direct spark ignition and separate flame sensor. I've been running it for about two years, and it works nicely.
Then I encountered a thread on supercharging a low pressure NG burner to insure complete combustion and gain more heat output. This got me thinking, and I contemplated the supercharger modification. However, I decided that as a first step I would explore whether I was getting all I could out of my burners as implemented on my current stand.
A little research and some measurements and I learned that, with my valve outlet pressure setting maxed out, I was supplying NG to my burners at 5.5" WC (consistent with their specs), though they are reported to be designed for 11" WC. My NG inlet pressure is 11.7" WC, so I was able to step up my outlet pressure to 7" through 11" WC by changing the NG spring on my value for the LP one. This worked to jack up the flame, for sure, but it also seemed that as I increased the pressure in 1" WC steps that it progressively reduced the number of burner ports that generated/sustained a flame and progressively burned more rich, as evidenced by ever increasing orange amidst the flames.
I'll post here short videos of the burn attempts at 7", 9" and 11" WC. In the 7" WC film, you will see that I wave the flame to get all ports to light, which they do but which the burner does not sustain. In the 11" WC, I get ignition but the burner flames out and activates the ignition control shut off.
I seek any insight or perspective any of you might have to share. I have it that, according to tables available to gas fitters, 11" WC with this burner and orifice should be putting me close to 80,000 btu potential, and that I should get 60,000 btu at 5" WC (thanks hockeyman!). I am going to clock my gas meter to see where I am at with all this when I get the time.
For now, I am wondering if I am just throwing more pressure at this burner than it can manage. Clearly, with the pressure set higher, the point where gas can ignite is higher. This may require resetting the location of my spark ignitor, and it may be a difficult optimization. It has also been suggested that changing to a pilot light would ease the process of providing ignition to the gas at the higher ignition points that accompany higher pressure.
What do you all think? If I pursue a pilot, I can use the pilot light port already on my valves and would use the intermittent pilot strategy, so I may be asking for advice on how to convert my direct spark ignition/sensing in the most cost effective and reliable way (recognize that cost effective and reliable may be in tension with each other).
Thanks for completing a long read. Fire away...
Seven inches WC
Nine inches WC
Eleven inches WC
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