If you have a problem with gas burners on your kiln and you can’t get the flame to remain on the flame retention nozzle then this is a post to look at that particular issue. The type of burner that I am referring to are Venturi style burners made by NG Brown and later Australian Combustion Services. My Hot Ans Sticky Harrison kiln has 4 x 1 1/4“ burners. It can be hard to keep them up to scratch if you live close to the ocean and your kiln is housed outside.

The problem I am going to discuss here is when the flame “lifts off” the end of the burner and goes out altogether or splutters and carries on. If you turn the primary air plate all the way in and cut off all the primary air the problem sort of goes away but creates a new one in which you get incomplete burning of fuel, excess reduction and carbon buildup around spy holes/ doors etc.

The above photo is from a website in NZ that sells nozzles.

The above screenshot is of the whole burner. These burners are still available from Gasco but they are very expensive, except at least $1000 each for full setup.

Video explaining the cleaning process. If you have this problem and can’t get the flame retention head off the burner you might need to take the whole thing to a mechanic/ engineer/men’s shed to get someone with the right tools.Here are some still photos of the process

Just a little heads up here. Gas regulations in Australia are quite strict and you may need to get a gas fitter to replace the burners onto your kiln once the work is done so they can check for leaks etc.