How to stop soot build-up...???

[Ridemywideglide]

I've got one of those cheap turkey boiler burners, maybe the problem, but I can't even warm up for dough in without getting soot caked all over my pot...
Now I've got a nice new shiny stainless 15g from swmbo and I don't want to ruin it.. Is there something I can do to minimize this?
I've tried layering foil under my small pot but this seems to all but stop heat transfer....

 

[RC0032]

When camping and cooking over the open fire I always cover the bottoms of my pots in liquid soap (straight from the dispenser) this way when it comes to cleaning the soap comes right off and there is no soot on the bottom of the pot.

Now I would imagine in your case there is not an efficient combustion happening and thats why you have soot. Has it always been this way? Have you cleaned the jets for the burner?

 

[KingBrianI]

If there is an adjustable intake on the burner, be sure to open it up. Otherwise, you may not get complete combustion of the propane, hence the soot.

 

[Ridemywideglide]

Thanks for the replies..

RCO, yes it's always been this way.. There are no jets, it's the large round sawtooth looking burner.. I forget what they call them. Cheap wally style burner.
I'll try the soap, I'm about to put it on the burner now..

KB, I have the intake full open already..

 

[KingBrianI]

In that case you may be opening up the regulator too much. Try turning it down slightly, the soot means you're not burning all the propane anyway so it's just going to waste.

 

[Bernie Brewer]

Thanks for the replies..

RCO, yes it's always been this way.. There are no jets, it's the large round sawtooth looking burner.. I forget what they call them. Cheap wally style burner.

I call them "blowtorch burners" because of the sound they make.

I had that problem with my gas grill awhile back, it turned out to be a bad propane tank. Just a thought.

 

[Ridemywideglide]

The flame gets more blue the further I open it.. The least yellow is in the full open position..
Guess it's just time for a real burner...

 

[Ridemywideglide]

I call them "blowtorch burners" because of the sound they make.

I had that problem with my gas grill awhile back, it turned out to be a bad propane tank. Just a thought.

Yea I'll give you that, they are not quiet.. This one has had 4 different tanks through it and all the same..

 

[david_42]

Soot improves heat transfer. Learned that in the Scouts.

 

[Bernie Brewer]

This one has had 4 different tanks through it and all the same..

Then my money is on the regulator or the hose. Quite possibly you have a little chunk of something stuck somewhere restricting gas flow.

 

[Ridemywideglide]

Soot improves heat transfer. Learned that in the Scouts.

Well, maybe, but it's makin my junk ugly.. I'm not BierMuncher...

Then my money is on the regulator or the hose. Quite possibly you have a little chunk of something stuck somewhere restricting gas flow.

Could be.. It all came as a cheap kit from target.
We'll see how the pre-soap trick works. I just hope it doesn't cook the soap into the pan..

 

[LibertyBrewer]

I had this problem with mine, so I took it apart.
The problem was a little spider thought this was a neat place to build a nest. Once I cleaned the nest out, it worked fine.

Here is what I did:

1. Turn off the gas.
2. Remove the hose using a wrench from the cooker end.
3. Using a wrench remove the jet from the intake pipe. The cheap stamped metal damper should fall off and roll some place inaccessible now.
4. Run a small tube brush or other item as far up the intake pipe as possible. I use a .308 brass brush attached to a cleaning rod.
5. Reassemble, it should work fine.