How to increase the power of the gas burner and improve the flame on the stove: an overview of popular ways
Cooking, alas, takes a lot of time and energy. Often, the cooking time depends not so much on the complexity of the dish as on the power of the gas stove: on a nominally weak technique, everything boils and fries for longer. The search for ways to increase the power of the gas burner is so relevant because spending a free evening on yourself is much nicer than standing at the stove.
But are these modernization methods safe? And are gas games worth saving time? We will consider these burning issues in detail in this material, providing it with visual photos and useful video clips.
The content of the article:
Briefly about the power of burners and stoves
The total power of the working surface depends on the number of burners and their immediate power, indicated in the equipment passport. The average for one burner is 2-2.5 kW. With decent gas quality and normal pressure in the line, this value is quite enough for a comfortable and relatively quick heat treatment of products. In this case, the maximum power of the burner is determined at the limit turn of the regulator and the full gas supply.
Manufacturers often offer household hobs, burners of which have different rated powers:
- on small - 0.7-1.2 kW;
- on medium - 1.3-1.8 kW;
- on large - up to 4 kW and more.
Such a technological solution is quite logical and convenient: it makes no sense to brew coffee in a Turk on a powerful WOK burner or try to boil a large amount of water on a small one. The choice of different capacities allows you to save gas, and if the room temperature is maintained with air conditionerthen save and electricity.
Thus, an acceptable value of the calorific value of the gas used by the hob from the middle price segment, consisting of 4 burners, is an indicator of 8-10 kW. More budget models usually have a total power of 5-7 kW.
Cooking surfaces with a large calorific value for normal safe operation may require the installation of a separate chimney or the installation of a heavy-duty hood. However, for home conditions, the purchase of such models is not always impractical.
Particularly popular are gas stoves with two- and three-circuit burners. The so-called double or triple “crown” is a powerful burner in which the flame is not issued in one row, but in several circles. A similar device allows you to cook faster and warm the dishes more evenly.
Gas stove burner
To understand how you can increase the flame in a household gas stove, you should familiarize yourself with the structure of the burner itself, the principle of gas supply and combustion.
The first thing to remember once and for all: not just clean gas, but a gas-air mixture burns in the stove. It is on its final composition, the ratio of gas and air, that the magnitude and effectiveness of the fire that the consumer receives from the burner depends in many respects.
Burners in burners, depending on the method of air intake, are of three types:
- Diffusion commonly used in ovens. There is no air leak in such structures; mixing with gas occurs naturally.
- Kinetic burners use the pressure of the gas line, which allows you to capture the right amount of air to create a suitable fuel mixture.
- Combined burners successfully apply both methods of adding air to the gas. It is these devices that are used in most household gas stoves.
The design of the burner itself has a simple, but precisely calibrated configuration.
The pipe ends with a nozzle in which the nozzle is mounted. Its through hole has a certain calculated diameter. It is through it that gas is supplied to the mixer, in which the fuel is mixed with air. From the mixer, the combustible composition enters the burner, in which the flame is produced.
It is worth focusing on the area between the nozzle and the mixer. While the gas overcomes this segment, exactly the amount of air that is necessary to obtain the optimal combination of fuel and oxygen is mixed into it. This distance is also strictly calculated, due to which the gas burns out completely and with the highest possible efficiency.
Ways to increase burner power
Based on the design features of the burner, several ways to increase the power of the stove are popular. But is it appropriate to test them first hand?
It is worth recalling that even self-repair of gas appliances is prohibited, and even the modification of equipment at home is an undertaking bordering on dangerous and even deadly wrecking.
Unfortunately, explosions and carbon monoxide poisoning - those tragedies that shock the public with the frequency and number of victims. Therefore, redoing the design of the burner for the sake of its own convenience is definitely not worth it.And the methods described below are more useful for understanding the theory than for practical application.
Method # 1 - boring or replacing the nozzle
The nozzle orifice is one of the main regulators of the volume of gas that gradually enters the burner. To increase the power of the burner, it is necessary to carefully squander the nozzle or replace it with a part with a wider feed hole.
For boring, you can use a sharp needle with a diameter of up to 3 mm. But you should not get too carried away - an uncontrolled increase in the hole or the replacement of the nozzle is fraught with extremely unpleasant consequences.
It is impossible to increase gas inflow without miscalculations, since the burner itself must be able to process it. Excess gas will cause the flame to break away from the burner. The fire changes color to red, soot appears, which is almost impossible to remove from the dishes. The problem can be solved by installing a larger diameter burner.
However, replacing the burner is not always possible due to the design of the stove body itself. Even if you replace the burner really, a new volume of gas transmitted through the nozzle may not be enough. This threatens even greater problems: the flame can slip down and burn near the nozzle itself.
But the languid flame and soot in this case are the lesser evils. A falling flame indicates incomplete combustion of the gas, during which combustion products, soot and carbon dioxide, which are hazardous to life and health, are released.
Method # 2 - reducing the length of the jet-mixer
Fortunately, this method is less popular among tips on how to try to increase the power of a gas stove. The method is more dangerous than the previous one, since it implies even greater intervention in the design of the burner, is less effective and can also lead to negative consequences.
The size of the area on which attention is focused in the description of the burner device also affects the power of the produced flame. If you reduce this zone, the gas will enter the burner faster, the power of the burner will increase slightly.
However, the portion of air necessary for normal combustion will simply not have time to mix into the incoming gas. As a result, the modernizer will receive the same red flame with soot, which is likely to come off the burner.
Method # 3 - removing the divider
You can try to increase the power of the burner without affecting the operation of the jet. The divider covering the burner evenly divides the flow of the gas-air mixture, distributing the flame into separate beams. Removing the divider increases the area of contact between the flame and the dishes. The pillar of fire becomes higher and larger, and the heat treatment itself is faster.
However, this is an exclusively temporary measure, which is not suitable for every pan. For cooking of this kind, you must use high cauldrons or special WOK pans. Additionally, an uncontrolled fire divider becomes quite dangerous.
Method # 4 - increasing gas pressure
The pressure boosting method is only suitable for cookers, connected to gas cylinders. The standard cylinder pressure for domestic use is about 1.6 MPa. But this value is not constant: both the degree of filling of the container itself, the room temperature, the composition of the gas, etc., can affect the pressure of the gas on the walls of the vessel.
The higher the temperature of the gas, the more it expands, pressing on the walls of the tank.Therefore, the cylinders are not completely filled, but approximately 85%. And, the less gas left in the vessel, the weaker its flow entering the burner.
To try to increase the pressure of the gas entering the stove, you need to use gearbox, the so-called "frogs". It is unsafe to disrupt the assembly design, and, fortunately, most modern gearboxes are non-separable. However, replacing a part may solve the problem. The supply of gas with increased pressure will provoke a greater intake of air, so that the flame on the burner will increase significantly.
But do not forget about safety measures and monitor the gas supply even when the burner control is closed. Too high a pressure can cause etching of the gas even when the burners are not switched on.
Based on the foregoing, it can be understood that choosing one of the ways to increase power, you should be extremely careful and not overdo it.
The only safe and affordable way to increase the power of burners is to purchase a new hob or stove. It is necessary to initially choose gas equipment that meets the needs of the family. Any attempts to change the passport parameters of burners by an inexperienced master at home will inevitably lead to serious problems.
Why does the burner burn weakly?
If, according to the passport, the burner has more power, but in fact does not produce the required amount of flame, it is worth looking for possible reasons for reducing the efficiency of the equipment.
The most common causes for weak burning are the following:
- line pressure too low;
- the air-gas mixture enters the burner in an insufficient volume;
- holes in the “crown” or nozzle are clogged with combustion products;
- the design of the burner is broken or the gas hose itself is damaged;
- burner does not match the burner installed.
The latter option is more likely an exception to the rule, since all hob surfaces are thoroughly tested at manufacturing plants. Diagnosis and repair of equipment must be carried out exclusively by a certified master gas service.
Another reason for the improper operation of the burners may be the wrong nozzle. Many gas stoves are delivered with two types of these nozzles, each of which is suitable for a certain type of gas: balloon or main.
The gas pressure in the cylinder is significantly higher than the pipeline, so nozzles with a narrower orifice are used to connect the stove.
Perhaps during installation and connecting plate the centralized gas supply pipe was not replaced with nozzles of the required type, therefore the burner does not work correctly.
Stove burner flame control
It is necessary to debug the normal operation of the burner in cases where the flame loses its effectiveness and quality. A gas stove must also be set up by a specialist. But understanding the algorithm of this process will be useful for any user.
To begin with, it is worthwhile to understand how the burning flame of the stove looks right. The fire should be blue. An intense bright blue glow is a sure sign that the stove is working correctly and does not need debugging. A yellow, orange, or red flame indicates an incorrect composition of the combustible mixture. In this case, there is clearly not enough air; its flow must be increased.
To change the gas-air mixture entering the burner, it is necessary to adjust the operation of the air dampers, which are usually located near each burner.
Direct configuration goes like this:
- after disconnecting the stove from the gas system, it is necessary to gain access to the adjusting mechanisms under a special partition or in the gas control knob;
- the stove is reconnected to the main, gas is supplied alternately to each burner;
- the volume of air entering the mixer is adjusted by turning a special screw;
- as soon as the flame in each burner acquires the correct color, you can again turn off the stove, carry out its reassembly and connection to the main.
When setting up the stove, it may be necessary to work with the gas control valve and its thermocouple. If the flame goes out regularly with a minimum level of fuel supply, it is possible that the problem lies in the gas control. The principle of operation of this option is based on a special sensor that responds to the energy released during the combustion process. If the flame suddenly extinguishes, the thermocouple sensor cools down, which serves as a signal to stop the gas supply.
However, oxidative processes and a decrease in the sensitivity of the sensor due to liquids or the formation of plaque from food deposits can provoke incorrect gas shutdown outside the emergency. Therefore, both the stove and this unit should be kept clean, if necessary, call the wizard for cleaning.
If you encounter an unusually noisy burner operation, we recommend that you find out burner noise cause and remedies.
Conclusions and useful video on the topic
The operation of a burner without a divider and the potential flame size when cooking directly from the burner are presented in the following video:
An example of the operation of nozzles for bottled gas in the hob connected to the main gas pipeline is clearly shown in the following video. After replacing the nozzles, the flame becomes almost perfect:
Interfering with the design of a gas burner is an unacceptable and risky idea. Residents of apartment buildings should be especially responsible, because in the event of an accident, not only their own lives are at stake, but also the fate of all neighbors. Approach the choice of equipment seriously, calculating in advance the necessary equipment power for comfort, so that after the purchase there is no need for a dangerous and unjustified modification.
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You correctly warn of danger. There is no need for the average person to climb into the gas stove further than cleaning the burner from burning products and pieces of food. The danger is not illusory.