Author Topic: Flame problems, dryer help needed  (Read 3835 times)

Offline blue moon

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Flame problems, dryer help needed
« on: March 02, 2015, 01:42:19 PM »
I am at my wit's end. . . This has been going on since we bought the dryer and I have tried just about everything I can think of to sort it out. I talked to Interchange and they did not have any ideas.
Attached is the video of the flame in hopes that somebody might see something I am missing. Maybe the basket is the wrong shape or who knows what. As they say, image is worth a thousand words!

Any ideas/suggestions on how to sort this out?

TIA,

pierre

http://bmpromotional.com/stuff/MD-8%20Flame.MOV
Yes, we've won our share of awards, and yes, I've tested stuff and read the scientific papers, but ultimately take everything I say with more than just a grain of salt! So if you are looking for trouble, just do as I say or even better, do something I said years ago!


Offline blue moon

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Re: Flame problems, dryer help needed
« Reply #1 on: March 02, 2015, 01:44:13 PM »
I should add that it opens sideways for me. the blue part of the flame should be on the left and the orange part on the right.

The orange flames are licking the flame rod and depositing soot on it. We now have to open the dryer daily to clean it up or it will not work.

pierre
Yes, we've won our share of awards, and yes, I've tested stuff and read the scientific papers, but ultimately take everything I say with more than just a grain of salt! So if you are looking for trouble, just do as I say or even better, do something I said years ago!

Online ebscreen

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Re: Flame problems, dryer help needed
« Reply #2 on: March 02, 2015, 01:46:17 PM »
When we last moved the poles on the electrical got reversed and the blower was operating in the wrong direction
(three phase) but everything else worked fine. Flame looked similar. Thought we had broken something in the move,
and took a good minute to diagnose.

Offline Mr Tees!!

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Re: Flame problems, dryer help needed
« Reply #3 on: March 02, 2015, 02:15:53 PM »
We had a similar issue with our Boomerang. Too much carbon buildup on the spark plug, which needed cleaning every few days. We turned the gas pressure down, which helped quite a bit with the soot, but the dryer wouldn't fire very easily. What we settled on doing was turning up the regulator to get initial fire, then turning back down for operation.

...we run on propane though, which may mean an entirely diferent set of circumstances.
Thanks TSB gang!!

...Sean, Mr Tees!!!

Offline blue moon

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Re: Flame problems, dryer help needed
« Reply #4 on: March 02, 2015, 02:19:23 PM »
When we last moved the poles on the electrical got reversed and the blower was operating in the wrong direction
(three phase) but everything else worked fine. Flame looked similar. Thought we had broken something in the move,
and took a good minute to diagnose.

thanx! I did check, the motor is spinning in the right direction (it was hooked up wrong originally, that's how I know).

pierre
Yes, we've won our share of awards, and yes, I've tested stuff and read the scientific papers, but ultimately take everything I say with more than just a grain of salt! So if you are looking for trouble, just do as I say or even better, do something I said years ago!

Offline ZooCity

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Re: Flame problems, dryer help needed
« Reply #5 on: March 02, 2015, 02:21:40 PM »
I can't see where your flame rod is in the movie but I looked at ours in the Sprint HO and it's positioned right down into the basket more or less, sits into the blue part of the flame with the orange parts licking out past it from what I can see.  What, if anything, could be done to your mix to adjust the flame to be longer or more blue for longer?  No idea if that's a real solution, just a thought if you think the rod being in the orange flame is causing the hassle.

The flame rod in our Sprint was just swapped out and the old one looked like the devil's butthole- broken, sooty and just nasty -yet it still fired up everyday.  I think that's odd that so much soot could get on your flame rod that it needs daily cleaning, really sounds like the mix is off or something.  Could well be that one of the motors is reversed too, that's a great place to start looking first.

Interchange "did not have any ideas".....? 

If you know Winston, he'd really be the guy to ask on this.  Sorry I took your line Sonny. 

Offline Binkspot

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Re: Flame problems, dryer help needed
« Reply #6 on: March 02, 2015, 02:32:06 PM »
I know you have a closed shop, have you tried running with the windows or doors open. You just may not be getting enough fresh air in the space the dryer is. The orange caotic flame is an indication of lack of air.

You also could have too much gas pressure.


Offline ZooCity

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Re: Flame problems, dryer help needed
« Reply #7 on: March 02, 2015, 02:38:35 PM »
I know you have a closed shop, have you tried running with the windows or doors open. You just may not be getting enough fresh air in the space the dryer is. The orange caotic flame is an indication of lack of air.

You also could have too much gas pressure.

Not to derail from Pierre's issue but is any orange present in the flame a sign of this?

Offline Binkspot

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Re: Flame problems, dryer help needed
« Reply #8 on: March 02, 2015, 02:41:51 PM »
Not uncommon to have a little orange or orange tips.

Offline Binkspot

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Re: Flame problems, dryer help needed
« Reply #9 on: March 02, 2015, 02:46:22 PM »
You can also choke off your exhaust to create some back pressure.
I would be curious how much air flow your getting, has someone changed the fan along the way? Was the original a 600 CFM and someone replaced it with a 300 cfm?
Or has something happened to the chamber like a panel fell out and a percentage of the air flow is going directly into the dryer not to the flame box.

Offline 244

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Re: Flame problems, dryer help needed
« Reply #10 on: March 02, 2015, 02:46:33 PM »
I know you have a closed shop, have you tried running with the windows or doors open. You just may not be getting enough fresh air in the space the dryer is. The orange caotic flame is an indication of lack of air.

You also could have too much gas pressure.

Not to derail from Pierre's issue but is any orange present in the flame a sign of this?
on a M&R dryer the flame should be blue with light yellow and orange tips. All blue is too lean and all yellow is too rich.
Rich Hoffman

Offline Printficient

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Re: Flame problems, dryer help needed
« Reply #11 on: March 02, 2015, 02:57:01 PM »
What does Winston say?
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Offline blue moon

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Re: Flame problems, dryer help needed
« Reply #12 on: March 02, 2015, 02:57:54 PM »
talked to Interchange few years back did not get anywhere. Called them today with the video and am finally getting some traction.
The control circuit seems to be working properly with brand new flame rods and after a through cleaning (it was pretty clean to start with, but there was some build up in the airstream that could have been causing some turbulence) it is at least staying lit right now.

I did talk to Winston at the same time and he did not have nay ideas either. The whole thing of having half the flame blue and the other half orange is a bit strange.

The shop is actually open even with the airconditioning. There is a draft going through it so maybe that has something to do with it.

The insulation that was on the dryer is not there any more. We removed it for the winter and have not put it back up.

The flame cage seems to be bent (slightly oval instead of being square) in the area where the flame is blue while the other side is not. I'll take some pictures tonight and get them out to Interchange, they think that might be the cause.

'keep the coming!

pierre
Yes, we've won our share of awards, and yes, I've tested stuff and read the scientific papers, but ultimately take everything I say with more than just a grain of salt! So if you are looking for trouble, just do as I say or even better, do something I said years ago!

Offline ZooCity

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Re: Flame problems, dryer help needed
« Reply #13 on: March 02, 2015, 03:04:40 PM »
Thanks Rich, our is just like that at rest, much more of the orange at the tips when it fires on.  How/where would one adjust the mix properly for this, I know there are a number of regulators in the gas train.  Again, sorry for derail, hopefully pertinent info your issue Pierre.

If one or more of the holes in the cage is aimed in a weird direction that might be it.  I imagine if a few holes were blasting the wrong part of the flame at the rod it would cause rapid soot buildup, etc.  My question is, aside from extended use and heat, how the heck does something like that get bent?  I know our basket has been very throughly used for long hours at higher temps and it does not look perfect for sure but I don't recall seeing any major distortion when I had it out last.


Offline jsheridan

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Re: Flame problems, dryer help needed
« Reply #14 on: March 02, 2015, 03:57:16 PM »
Clean the blower/squirrel fan blades as they may be linty
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