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Old 11-20-2019, 02:33 PM   #1
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Atwood Gas Water Heater How to clean the orifice.

Hi all.

I couldn't get a good flame on my water heater so I cleaned everything.
Swabbed out the flue and cleaned the burner tube with scotch brite.

BTW, an old kitchen sponge with a scrubber on one side works great for the flue. Use a wire coat hanger and crimp it on the end of the wire. I made sure the valve assembly was lined up with the burner tube.

The flame is much better but still has too much yellow.

I cleaned the orifice by soaking it in IPA and blowing out with a shop vac. Does the orifice get gunk that IPA won't remove?
Thanks
MIke
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Old 11-20-2019, 03:23 PM   #2
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Soak orifice in alcohol then air dry (just blow thru it using your mouth)
IPA-Isopropyl Alcohol should have done the job



Do NOT poke anything thru it OR use High Air Pressure it can be damaged

Some orifices have a 'ruby' with a laser drilled hole
Some orifices have a 'mica film' with a percision hole in it
Some orifices are brass with a percision hole drilled thru it


Point is ...the hole is 'metered' to allow a specific amount of gas flow based on LP System Pressure (11"WC --- 0.4 psi)


Have you tried adjusting the air shutter?
Opening it just a bit more should clear up that yellow flame.....if everything is clean and system pressure is correct
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Old 11-20-2019, 03:33 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Old-Biscuit View Post
Soak orifice in alcohol then air dry (just blow thru it using your mouth)
IPA-Isopropyl Alcohol should have done the job



Do NOT poke anything thru it OR use High Air Pressure it can be damaged

Some orifices have a 'ruby' with a laser drilled hole
Some orifices have a 'mica film' with a percision hole in it
Some orifices are brass with a percision hole drilled thru it


Point is ...the hole is 'metered' to allow a specific amount of gas flow based on LP System Pressure (11"WC --- 0.4 psi)


Have you tried adjusting the air shutter?
Opening it just a bit more should clear up that yellow flame.....if everything is clean and system pressure is correct
Hi and thanks.
I tried adjusting the flame. I set it to where the roar quiets down. But you can't get rid of the yellow in the flame. I need to scrounge up a manometer and check the pressure. If you light all 3 burners on the stove and then switch on the WH, there is no jump or change in the burners flame.

Thanks again,
Mike
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Old 11-20-2019, 03:44 PM   #4
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Hi and thanks.
I tried adjusting the flame. I set it to where the roar quiets down. But you can't get rid of the yellow in the flame. I need to scrounge up a manometer and check the pressure. If you light all 3 burners on the stove and then switch on the WH, there is no jump or change in the burners flame.

Thanks again,
Mike

Stove/oven has it own LP Reg under the stove top.
It is set for 10"WC (0.36 psi)


One can NOT visually tell the difference between 11"WC and 10"WC
(0.4 vs 0.36 psi)


System pressure can be 10"WC and stove will continue to work fine....water heater not so much


Water heater gas valve/orifice must point directly down the center line of burner tube in order to propery mix with the air being pulled in thru shutter


Spreader plate at end of burner needs to be 'parallel' with end of burner tube so air/fuel mixture is completely ignited.


No yellow, strong blue flame...note air shutter opening
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Old 11-20-2019, 03:51 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Old-Biscuit View Post
Stove/oven has it own LP Reg under the stove top.
It is set for 10"WC (0.36 psi)


One can NOT visually tell the difference between 11"WC and 10"WC
(0.4 vs 0.36 psi)


System pressure can be 10"WC and stove will continue to work fine....water heater not so much


Water heater gas valve/orifice must point directly down the center line of burner tube in order to propery mix with the air being pulled in thru shutter


Spreader plate at end of burner needs to be 'parallel' with end of burner tube so air/fuel mixture is completely ignited.


No yellow, strong blue flame...note air shutter opening
I forgot about the regulator in the stove top.

I got the burner nozzle aligned as best I could. Its a cheezy design. It was off quite a bit. I had to bend the gas line until the valve body and nozzle was lined up with the burner tube when all was assembled.

But its close. And I checked the flame spreader as well. Its close too. Pressure check.
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Old 11-20-2019, 04:18 PM   #6
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If it sounding like tiny muffled jet engine it should be blue. Tiniest amount of dust will make flame yellow. How long did it run for to burn off dust. If you let in way too much air it will pop back and burn in mix tube when lighting move too much air through heat tube and be less efficient.But still should sound like a propane torch , just lower tone.Unlikely but maybe too much gas flow due to damaged orifice.
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Old 11-20-2019, 04:44 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by blackwell99 View Post
Hi all.

I couldn't get a good flame on my water heater so I cleaned everything.
Swabbed out the flue and cleaned the burner tube with scotch brite.

BTW, an old kitchen sponge with a scrubber on one side works great for the flue. Use a wire coat hanger and crimp it on the end of the wire. I made sure the valve assembly was lined up with the burner tube.

The flame is much better but still has too much yellow.

I cleaned the orifice by soaking it in IPA and blowing out with a shop vac. Does the orifice get gunk that IPA won't remove?
Thanks
MIke
Blackwell99: Not sure if this will help, but I thought overall it was a good video and covered most issues:

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f84/hot-w...ce-466322.html
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Old 11-20-2019, 05:34 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 153stars View Post
If it sounding like tiny muffled jet engine it should be blue. Tiniest amount of dust will make flame yellow. How long did it run for to burn off dust. If you let in way too much air it will pop back and burn in mix tube when lighting move too much air through heat tube and be less efficient.But still should sound like a propane torch , just lower tone.Unlikely but maybe too much gas flow due to damaged orifice.

Could be......
Shop vac is just a reversed high pressure air compressor.
Depending on orifice 'center' could have been damaged


On EDIT: If not mistaken Atwood uses a brass orifice with precision drilled hole









OP.........
Water heater ON
Turn furnace ON---real gas hog
Do they both run/operate?
LP Reg should be able to handle ALL propane appliances in service at same time.
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Old 11-21-2019, 11:09 AM   #9
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I was gentle with it. I didn't stick the vac nozzle right on the orifice.
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Old 11-21-2019, 11:22 AM   #10
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Quote:
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I was gentle with it. I didn't stick the vac nozzle right on the orifice.

Doubt you damaged the orifice


Pretty sure Atwood Water Heater orifices are solid brass with precision drilled hole
Fairly robust...provided no poking things thru it




Simple manometer....
Tubing attached to wood with base so it can stand on its own.

A ruler or even markings at 1/2" intervals
One end of tubing long enough to reach appliance gas valve....1/8" fitting to screw into gas port on gas valve
Other end of tube open ended.....colored water inside tubing at 'center point'


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Old 11-22-2019, 04:19 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 153stars View Post
If it sounding like tiny muffled jet engine it should be blue. Tiniest amount of dust will make flame yellow. How long did it run for to burn off dust. If you let in way too much air it will pop back and burn in mix tube when lighting move too much air through heat tube and be less efficient.But still should sound like a propane torch , just lower tone.Unlikely but maybe too much gas flow due to damaged orifice.

Good tip
After a day it looks pretty normal. A little yellow on the end of the flame.





Thanks
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Old 11-23-2019, 06:16 AM   #12
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Might still be little rich be watchful for soot building up. Not exactly the same but we tune boilers for some excess air.
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