Propane appliances throwing orange flames suddenly and generator’s back firing

appliancesgeneratorpropane

So here's the deal: about 1.5 to 2 weeks ago, our generator started backfiring like crazy and our cookstove, water heater and heater are throwing yellow orange flames intermittently as well as producing soot blackening the ceiling and range hood.

We did call the propane company, and they have been out 3 times and changed both regulators, which didn't fix anything.

The symptoms appear to happen about 10 to 15 minutes after running each appliance. They start up fine and run fine until about this point.

The propane company now wants to do warranty work on each of my appliances and have me call the appliance company to get them fixed under warranty. They also told me that they think the generator is a separate issue. The problem I am having is that all four malfunction at the same time.

I'm really frustrated and have not broken down and called the appliance companies, since I feel it's unfair and not an issue with any individual unit.

Any recommendations on what I should look at? We're avid DIYers living off the grid.

  • The heater is approximately 3.5 months old
  • The cookstove is approximately 3 months old
  • The water heater is probably 20 years old but was serviced only 3 months ago and working fine
  • The generator is 18 years old but has been recently serviced as well and working fine up until the day everything started malfunctioning.

We rely on our generator for water and showers and run it once a day for one hour. During this time we fill up all our water, take showers, do laundry and do dishes as well as charge our batteries.

I'm generally not an online / forum type person but I am at my wit's end!

Thanks!

Here's a quick photo of the stove burners. Also it may be helpful to know we're running on a 500 gallon propane tank which is showing 70%.

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Best Answer

Ask your propane company to check the gas pressure anywhere in the system and then fire all appliances in the system, the low pressure side (after the second stage regulator) should stay above 11 inches of water column on a water gauge. If it goes below 11 inches look for an obstruction in the gas piping. I am a service technician at a propane company and had the same issue a few years ago.

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