Yellow flames on Propane stove

[bking]

tl;dr - fine black crud combustion products fouling the propane burning appliances? Causing poor combustion? Effects other Propane devices?

The Issue: Wedgewood/Atwood 2 burner propane stove was giving us yellow flames.

Age: About 5 years of serious use as our only cooking appliance for about 400-500 days of use

Disclaimer: I'm a hack mechanic who can usually get something apart, and fairly often, back together. Often in working condition.

The Problem: We started getting yellow flames on our stove on our cross country trip when we were on the east coast last year so we had to live with it until we got back home to the west coast.

The Attempted Fix: Since there's no gas/air adjustment on the stove, my first thought was that it would be the valves since that's the only moving part. I ordered new valves and started to disassemble the stove.

The Surprise/Mystery: When I took out the burner feed pipes (valve to burner) I was shocked at how much fine, dusty, black crude poured out. About a teaspoon between the two. I disconnected the gas feed to the regulator, pulled the regulator and gas manifold out and found nothing on the inlet or outlet side.

Some Googling tells me that it's normal to have these combustion products as a consequence of sulfur in the gas supply creating corrosive oxides of H2S.

The Fix?: I reassembled everything with the original valves and it seems to work correctly now.

The Question: Is this common? Anyone else finding this? Even though they have fewer hours, do I need to now go clean the furnace? The water heater?

[K_M_H]

Originally Posted by bking

tl;dr - fine black crud combustion products fouling the propane burning appliances? Causing poor combustion? Effects other Propane devices?

The Issue: Wedgewood/Atwood 2 burner propane stove was giving us yellow flames.

Age: About 5 years of serious use as our only cooking appliance for about 400-500 days of use

Disclaimer: I'm a hack mechanic who can usually get something apart, and fairly often, back together. Often in working condition.

The Problem: We started getting yellow flames on our stove on our cross country trip when we were on the east coast last year so we had to live with it until we got back home to the west coast.

The Attempted Fix: Since there's no gas/air adjustment on the stove, my first thought was that it would be the valves since that's the only moving part. I ordered new valves and started to disassemble the stove.

The Surprise/Mystery: When I took out the burner feed pipes (valve to burner) I was shocked at how much fine, dusty, black crude poured out. About a teaspoon between the two. I disconnected the gas feed to the regulator, pulled the regulator and gas manifold out and found nothing on the inlet or outlet side.

Some Googling tells me that it's normal to have these combustion products as a consequence of sulfur in the gas supply creating corrosive oxides of H2S.

The Fix?: I reassembled everything with the original valves and it seems to work correctly now.

The Question: Is this common? Anyone else finding this? Even though they have fewer hours, do I need to now go clean the furnace? The water heater?

Not super helpful, but:
I have never seen this, but I have found that suicidal spiders will tend to make webs over the winter in any kind of tubes that LP Gas passes through.
They seem to like the smell. I generally have to take a pipe cleaner to them everywhere. Less of a problem inside the RV than in the grills / outdoor kitchen.

[TitanMike]

Yellow flame almost always indicates lack of combustion air. Can be caused by too much fuel which could be the result of a failed regulator or one in serious need of adjustment.

Also air inlets on burner tubes are blocked or need adjustment.

If all burners are doing the same I would first suspect the regulator and either check pressure (should be around 11" WC (water column). More logical than air inlets as the regulator serves all burners and it would require all burner tubes to be blocked at same time to cause all burners to behave this way.

I would remove all burner tube assemblies and blow them out well with air. Make sure the actual burner at the end of the tube is completely clean.

Reassemble and check regulator pressure. This requires a Manometer which can be homemade (check out youtube), purchased for ~$40, or just have a repairman for gas appliances check and adjust (if possible).

A replacement regulator will run ~$35 on e-bay.

[5picker]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

Yellow flame almost always indicates lack of combustion air. Can be caused by too much fuel which could be the result of a failed regulator or one in serious need of adjustment.

Also air inlets on burner tubes are blocked or need adjustment.

If all burners are doing the same I would first suspect the regulator and either check pressure (should be around 11" WC (water column). More logical than air inlets as the regulator serves all burners and it would require all burner tubes to be blocked at same time to cause all burners to behave this way.

I would remove all burner tube assemblies and blow them out well with air. Make sure the actual burner at the end of the tube is completely clean.

Reassemble and check regulator pressure. This requires a Manometer which can be homemade (check out youtube), purchased for ~$40, or just have a repairman for gas appliances check and adjust (if possible).

A replacement regulator will run ~$35 on e-bay.

Mike, I'm wondering why you believe now that the OP cleaned the "dust" from the burner pipes and says all is OK now that you believe there to be a regulator issue?

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by 5picker

Mike, I'm wondering why you believe now that the OP cleaned the "dust" from the burner pipes and says all is OK now that you believe there to be a regulator issue?

Missed the "all OK" part. Put the computer down and when I came back I went direct into the recommendation.

[5picker]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

Missed the "all OK" part. Put the computer down and when I came back I went direct into the recommendation.

No worries... this is a great forum and your posts are always ones worth the read.