Gas Furnace flame color & efficiency
 

Hi All,

With heating season starting in my area, I was changing the filter. Started
the furnace to check the flame. Flame on all 3 burners are blue for about
1-1.5 inch, but above that they are yellow. Furnace is 20 years old Lenox.

Is there are efficiency problem with the flames as described above?

Thanks,

RichK

Gas Furnace flame color & efficiency
 

RichK wrote:
Hi All,

With heating season starting in my area, I was changing the filter.
Started the furnace to check the flame. Flame on all 3 burners are
blue for about 1-1.5 inch, but above that they are yellow. Furnace
is 20 years old Lenox.

Is there are efficiency problem with the flames as described above?

Thanks,

RichK

1) Are you sure the flame tips are yellow, or are they orange?

2) If they are yellow, your likely not burning efficiently. Your primary
air is lacking. This can cause sooting and heat exchanger impingment. A
cool flame is not only inefficient, it's dangerous. Sooting causes the heat
exchanger to become blocked and will inhibit the products of combustion from
traveling out the flue.

You should call a professional who can observe, and make adjustments to your
furance as needed.

--
Zyp

Gas Furnace flame color & efficiency
 

On Fri, 23 Nov 2007 13:58:40 -0500, "RichK" wrote:

Hi All,

With heating season starting in my area, I was changing the filter. Started
the furnace to check the flame. Flame on all 3 burners are blue for about
1-1.5 inch, but above that they are yellow. Furnace is 20 years old Lenox.

Is there are efficiency problem with the flames as described above?

Thanks,

There is no way to tell without a combustion analyzer.

Gas Furnace flame color & efficiency
 

Thanks Zyp,

"Zyp" wrote in message

1) Are you sure the flame tips are yellow, or are they orange?

You are right, they are closer to blue/orange. Also after a few minutes,
they are becoming more blue.

2) If they are yellow, your likely not burning efficiently. Your primary
air is lacking.

That was my concern, but appears it's not as bad, as I initilly thought.

You should call a professional who can observe, and make adjustments to
your
furance as needed.

Have not been happy with local Pros. Several serviced this furnca and none
has spotted the pilot set WAY high, which was costing me money. It was help
from this group that guided me to adj it myslef.

I try get a feel for a problem, before I call for a bigger gun :-)

Regards,

RichK

Gas Furnace flame color & efficiency
 

RichK wrote:
Hi All,

With heating season starting in my area, I was changing the filter. Started
the furnace to check the flame. Flame on all 3 burners are blue for about
1-1.5 inch, but above that they are yellow. Furnace is 20 years old Lenox.

Is there are efficiency problem with the flames as described above?

A lot of times they will run an orange color if the furnace is dusty or
there's dust in the air around it, as that's what color the dust seems
to burn. Yellow color (like a candle or cigarette lighter) is the bad
one, though if it's burning orange a lot of the time, it likely needs a
cleaning..

--
Robert Hancock Saskatoon, SK, Canada
To email, remove "nospam" from
Home Page: http://www.roberthancock.com/

Gas Furnace flame color & efficiency
 

"Robert Hancock" wrote in message

Is there are efficiency problem with the flames as described above?

A lot of times they will run an orange color if the furnace is dusty or
there's dust in the air around it, as that's what color the dust seems
to burn. Yellow color (like a candle or cigarette lighter) is the bad
one, though if it's burning orange a lot of the time, it likely needs a
cleaning..

Thanks Robert for a very nice and to the point explanation.

All the "advice" pages tell you to "get it adjusted" - well I did not mess
with it, so it should not change by itself, assuming it was set right at one
point. Cleaning of the burners is something it may need and I can do that
myself.

Regards,

RichK