Bottled gas - sooting pans?

[joidevie]

Quick question if I may..

We recently moved and have switched to propane gas (from gaz de ville) for our cooker.. I changed the jets on the cooker and all the burners work well apart from the smallest which soots anything you put on it.. Any ideas as to the reason?

Many thanks as ever for any insights...

[Théière]

Wrong jet? even though you changed it was it correct as the others work fine.

[joidevie]

I guess that must be the only reason.. Perhaps a bad one supplied..

[Quillan]

Are you using the correct bottled gas? I always get this the wrong way round but one is for inside use and the other outside because it 'gas's' at a lower temp than the other. I also believe that these two have different jets and that the regulator is different (pressure) as well.

[milkeybar kid]

For our cooker it has to be Butane. Why I remember easily is last week we went to buy the gas, was in a rush came away with Propane . We noticed when we arrived home and went back to the garage where we bought it and the proprietor nearly had kittens as she said we could have blown up the kitchen using the Propane instead of Butane!!!!!!

[Quillan]

[quote user="milkeybar kid"]For our cooker it has to be Butane. Why I remember easily is last week we went to buy the gas, was in a rush came away with Propane . We noticed when we arrived home and went back to the garage where we bought it and the proprietor nearly had kittens as she said we could have blown up the kitchen using the Propane instead of Butane!!!!!![/quote]

Er a slight exaggeration me thinks.

[Gyn_Paul]

[quote user="Quillan"]Are you using the correct bottled gas? I always get this the wrong way round but one is for inside use and the other outside because it 'gas's' at a lower temp than the other. I also believe that these two have different jets and that the regulator is different (pressure) as well.[/quote]

No, Q. The jets are for a band of pressure - something like 28

to34 from memory, but don't quote me - this being butane at one end, and

propane at the other. The regulators are different for the

different gasses which is because they each have a different calorific

value, so for the same heat output, mix with more or less oxygen. But -

provided the right regulator is on the bottle, the mix arriving at the

jet should burn identically, butane or propane.

joidevie 

-   If the burner is smoky

then either it's the wrong jet, there's a blockage in the pipework, or

you've reassembled the burner components wrongly thus upsetting the

airflow (I had a caravan stove which blackened the bottom of pans for

years until I dismantled it to clean it properly, and discovered the

previous owner had screwed the top back on the burner 90 degrees too far

round, thus the little top plate was sitting on a location lug and was 2

or 3 mms higher than it should have been).

The jets should have a

number stamped in the brass. I'd check to see if they are the same - it

would't be too hard for the factory to supply the 2 the same instead of

one G. de V. and the other gaz en bouteille.

If you remove the

control knob, there is usually a small grub screw which controls the

flow (it's to set the level for the low flame without it going out)

adjusting this can sometimes be a partial remedy, but it's a bit

clutching at straws.

p

[Gyn_Paul]

[quote user="Quillan"]Are you using the correct bottled gas? I always get this the wrong way round but one is for inside use and the other outside because it 'gas's' at a lower temp than the other. I also believe that these two have different jets and that the regulator is different (pressure) as well.[/quote]

No, Q. The jets are for a band of pressure - something like 28

to34 from memory, but don't quote me - this being butane at one end, and

propane at the other. The regulators are different for the

different gasses which is because they each have a different calorific

value, so for the same heat output, mix with more or less oxygen. But -

provided the right regulator is on the bottle, the mix arriving at the

jet should burn identically, butane or propane.

joidevie 

-   If the burner is smoky

then either it's the wrong jet, there's a blockage in the pipework, or

you've reassembled the burner components wrongly thus upsetting the

airflow (I had a caravan stove which blackened the bottom of pans for

years until I dismantled it to clean it properly, and discovered the

previous owner had screwed the top back on the burner 90 degrees too far

round, thus the little top plate was sitting on a location lug and was 2

or 3 mms higher than it should have been).

The jets should have a

number stamped in the brass. I'd check to see if they are the same - it

would't be too hard for the factory to supply the 2 the same instead of

one G. de V. and the other gaz en bouteille.

If you remove the

control knob, there is usually a small grub screw which controls the

flow (it's to set the level for the low flame without it going out)

adjusting this can sometimes be a partial remedy, but it's a bit

clutching at straws.

p

[Gyn_Paul]

[quote user="Quillan"]

[quote user="milkeybar kid"]For our cooker it has to be Butane. Why I remember easily is last week we went to buy the gas, was in a rush came away with Propane . We noticed when we arrived home and went back to the garage where we bought it and the proprietor nearly had kittens as she said we could have blown up the kitchen using the Propane instead of Butane!!!!!![/quote]

Er a slight exaggeration me thinks.

[/quote]

Er yea.. Propane is illegal to be used indoors (that is, the bottle mustn't be in the house: the gas itself they don't care about so long as it's in a pipe still in its 'best before date'!), but blowing you and your kitchen to kingdom come? less likely.

. In fact both gasses will burn using the wrong regulator, just not very efficiently. If you have a safety 'detente'  (one of those spring-loaded 1/4-turn wall-mounted taps) which I think is now a legal requirement if the bottle is outside, and certainly something should have unless absolutely everything which uses gas has a flame-failure device fitted, they are gas-specific, and one certainly won't work with the wrong gas. Can't remember which way round it is.... probably propane detente fed by a butane regulator.

[joidevie]

Gosh, thanks for all the detailed suggestions, very helpful indeed!

I go back next week & will give everything a thorough check over - I'll come back to you if there's any progress on this one..

Cheers again!