United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Homeowner's Bulletin
Get the Most
from Your
Gas Heating
Dollar
Periodic Servicing of Gas Burners
for Home Heating Helps Maintain
Safety, Save Gas, and Cut Pollution
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This homeowner's bulletin, IERL-RT
P-252 (8/79), was prepared by the U.S
Environmental Protection Agency and
Battelle-Columbus Laboratories (EPA
Contract 68-02-2653) in consultation
with gas industry representatives.
Copies of the bulletin may be obtains
from the Office of Public Awareness
(MD-50), U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, Environmental Research Cente
Research Triangle Park, N.C. 27711. A
companion publication to this bulletin,
"Get the Most from Your Heating Oil
Dollar," also is available at this address
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GET THE MOST FROM
YOUR GAS HEATING
DOLLAR
The U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency and others have determined that.
periodic servicing of gas burners for home
heating and water heating can help con-
serve gas and reduce air pollution, as well
as maintain safe and reliable operation.
This pamphlet answers the most com-
monly asked questions about the conser-
vation, pollution, and potential safety
hazards of typical gas-heating equipment.
What heating equipment
is considered?
Generally/these tips apply to whatever
type of gas-heating system you may
have -- whether a central furnace for
warm-air heating, a boiler for steam or
hot water heating with radiators or base-
board units, vented space heating equip-
ment for an individual room, or a hot water
heater for your home.
This pamphlet focuses on residential
gas heating equipment that is designed so
that the combination of burner and appli-
ance meets the stringent safety standards
of the American National Standards Insti-
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tute (ANSI). Equipment meeting ANSI
standards is so labeled.
Some older units, which were origi-
nally designed for coal or oil, have beer
converted for gas firing. Because of the
broad range of installation features anc
adjustments, the burner performance a
unit operating features of converted un
will vary more than for gas-designed
units.
What are the safety hazards'
Carbon monoxide (CO) gas and fire
hazards are of primary concern. Carbon
monoxide can be produced if the burnei
is out of adjustment and combustion is
incomplete.
Carbon monoxide, although odorless
and tasteless, is a poisonous gas. It is
safely controlled by proper burner adjust
ments when the equipment has an ade-
quate air supply and proper venting of
combustion products. When the burner i
operating properly, almost no carbon
monoxide is generated. When venting is
adequate, concentrations of carbon
monoxide will not build up in the home.
For safety, air and water heating unit:
are equipped with controls that shut off
the gas when the heated air or water get
too hot. In addition, boilers for hot water
heating systems have pressure-relief
valves to relieve any overpressure in the
heating system. Water heaters have high
water temperature fuel cutoffs and shoul
be installed with temperature or tempera
ture and pressure relief valves.
Keeping combustible materials or
vapors away from heating equipment de-
creases the possibility of fires.
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How do I recognize hazards
of gas leakage or carbon
monoxide in my home?
Aside from detection with gas analysis
instruments, there are several indications
of possibly dangerous levels of carbon
monoxide or gas leakage.
If you or your family have persistent
headaches or nausea.
If you notice the distinctive odor
of gas.
If you notice any unusual odors
from the furnace or water heater.
What should I do if I suspect
a hazard?
If you notice any of the conditions
listed above, do not strike matches or turn
on lights. You should immediately:
1. Ventilate the area with fresh air
by opening doors and windows.
2. Shut off the gas at the main valve
to the appliance or house, as
necessary.
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3. Call your gas company or fire
department.
How can I tell if my burner
is properly adjusted?
You should visually inspect the flame
once a year. If you remove the cabinet
door to the burner compartment on the
gas appliance, you will see the pilot and
main burner flames, or you will find an
inspection port location through which
you can see them. Sometimes you will
need to open or remove the inspection
port cover to see the flame. (Caution: This
port may be hot.)
If after a few moments of burning, your
flame resembles one of those shown on
the left of the centerfold, chances are
good that the burner is in good adjustment
and operating safely. The unit should be
performing near its peak efficiency, with
little air pollution.
The flame should be clear blue, but
flames from single-port burners or burn-
ers in a dusty location may have an orange
quality. Flames from propane or "bottled
gas" may have slightly yellow tips.
When the main burner is off, the pilot
flame should be soft blue; however, pro-
pane pilots may have slightly yellow tips.
The pilot flame should surround the tip of
the flame sepsor that operates the auto-
matic pilot valve.
If the main flame for your type of burn-
er looks like the right side of the center-
fold, or if the pilot flame does not meet
the above description, call your servicing
organization.
Your family's safety is worth a service
call. Besides, you may be wasting money
with inefficient combustion.
Before putting the furnace back into
operation, be sure the access panel is in
place on the furnace.
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What else can I do for routine
maintenance?
There are some important things that
you as a homeowner can do.
If you have a forced warm-air furnace,
you should inspect the air filters once a
month during the heating seasonor
more often if in a dusty location. Replace
dirty filters. (Some filters can be washed
and reused.) Dirty filters reduce furnace
efficiency, waste gas, and interfere with
good air distribution and circulation to
your home. In dusty areas, it may also be
necessary to clean the blower. Dust can
cake on the furnace blower blades and
can interfere with air delivery; this dust
buildup should be removed.
Some furnace blowers^ motors, and
boiler circulating pumps have oil-type
bearings that should be lubricated at the
start of the heating season and in the
spring if air conditioning is provided.
Check your owner's manual or equipment
nameplate.
In water heaters and boilers, sediment
gradually settles to the bottom of the wa-
ter passages; this also reduces efficiency
and shortens equipment life. A standard
recommendation is to draw a gallon or
two of water from the drain valve at the
base of the unit, or until the water runs
clear; do this several times a year, or
more often if the sediment seems to build
up rapidly.
Hot water boilers and water heaters
have pressure relief valves which drip
occasionally. If the valve is equipped with
a test lever, it can be opened and closed
several times in rapid succession to flush
foreign matter from the valve seat.
(Caution: Take care to avoid getting
burned.) If the valve continues to drip it
should be replaced by a service technician.
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BURNERS
PROPERLY ADJUSTED
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BURNERS
POORLY ADJUSTED
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A steam boiler system has a safety
valve. Once or twice a year, it should be
opened briefly. (Caution: Take special
care to avoid getting burned.) It is also
recommended that the drain on the low-
water cut-off switch be opened briefly
once a month to flush out any foreign
matter.
In case you are not familiar with me-
chanical and combustion equipment, you
should ask a qualified servicing organiza-
tion to perform routine maintenance, as
mentioned above, or to provide advice.
Regular service will provide the preven-
tive maintenance to help a void equipment
failure and emergency service calls.
Should I service the gas
burner myself?
Nol--unless you have been trained in
the necessary safety precautions and ad-
justment procedures.
It is strongly recommended that a
qualified gas-burner service technician
perform the work. Such a technician has
a better understanding of (1) proper safety
and adjustment techniques, (2) diagnostic
techniques for unusual problems or parts
deterioration, (3) use of gas-analysis in-
struments for diagnosis and safety
checks, (4) complicated control systems,
(5) normal operating temperature and
limits, (6) replacement parts, and (7) local
safety codes or other standards that apply
to the equipment.
To ensure safe operation, ask your
service technician to check the carbon
monoxide level in the flue gas leaving the
appliance. If you wish to have the thermal
efficiency determined, the technician will
need to make an additional measurement
of carbon dioxide or oxygen concentration
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and the temperature in the flue gas, pos-
sibly at additional cost.
The EPA has published "Guidelines for
Adjustment of Atmospheric Gas Burners
for Residential and Commercial Space
Heating and Water Heating," report No.
EPA-600/8-79-005, which is available
from EPA, Library Services (MD-35),
Research Triangle Park, NC 27711. It is
also available, as Stock No. 055-000-
00177-4 from Superintendent of Docu-
ments, U.S. Government Printing Office
Washington, D.C. 20402, or, as report
No. PB 290777, from the National
Technical Information Service, U.S.
Department of Commerce, Springfield,
VA 22161. This guideline was written for
qualified service technicians.
A number of energy conservation
devices have been introduced on the
market including electric ignition and
automatic vent dampers. It is extremely
important that such devices be installed
according to safety codes by a qualified
servicing organization.
Whom should I call for burner
inspection and service?
Many gas distribution companies and
most city fire or building departments will
perform safety checks for carbon mon-
oxide or gas leaks at no cost. In addition
to safety checks, some gas companies will
provide equipment service at a charge.
The extent of service that gas companies
offer varies from region to region. Gen-
erally, they can guide you to a qualified
service company.
Many heating-equipment dealers and
plumbing contractors offer gas-burner
service. The Yellow Pages of the tele-
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phone book usually list qualified organi-
zations in these ways:
Boiler Dealers
Boiler Repairing
Furnaces
- Heating
- Repairing & Cleaning
Gas Appliances
- Servicing
Gas Burners
Gas Companies
- Customer Service
- Emergency Service
Heating Contractors
Plumbing Contractors
Water Heaters
- Dealers
- Repairing
You may want to ask for service rates
and their basis in advance since charges
vary. You can contact the Better Busi-
ness Bureau in many areas to ask about
the business reputation of various
organizations.
Should I have my furnace
vacuumed periodically?
Soot, rust, and scale will act as insu-
lators which significantly reduce heat
transfer and efficiency; the rest of the heat
will be lost up the flue or chimney. Under
these conditions, vacuuming can reduce
fuel consumption. Ask your service or-
ganization for a furnace inspection to de-
termine if vacuuming and burner read-
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justment are needed. Burners with good
adjustment require less frequent vac-
uuming, and many units operate for years
without the need for vacuuming.
Boilers and water heaters may also re-
quire vacuuming on the combustion side
if the burner has been out of adjustment.
Should I turn off the pilot light
in my furnace during the
summer?
In order to conserve gas, it is recom-
mended that gas to pilots on furnaces
be turned off during the summer. This will
also avoid unnecessary load on the cool-
ing equipment.
Newer appliances have a pilot position
marked on the main control valve. In many
appliances, there is a separate gas
valve in the tubing that feeds the pilot,
and this can be turned off. The appliance
nameplate and operating manual should
have instructions on how to relight the
pilot. If you cannot find instructions for
this relighting procedure, call your serv-
icing organization and have them relight
the pilot.
Can I save money by having
my gas-burning equipment
serviced regularly?
Sometimes'"yes", sometimes "no". If
your equipment is operating unsafely or
inefficiently, a regular inspection should
result in correcting the performance and
maintaining the safety of the occupants.
A regular inspection is insurance against
costly hazards and wasted gas. Improving
the performance of poorly adjusted units
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will reduce energy use and air pollution,
and preventive maintenance will reduce
equipment breakdowns..
For example, even if only a 5% im-
provement in unit efficiency is obtained
after cleaning and adjusting, and if the
final efficiency is 75%, then the fuel sav-
ings would be almost 7%. For a home-
owner using 120,000 cubic feet of gas per
year at $0.30 per hundred cubic feet, the
annual savings would be over $24.00.
If the service call costs $25.00, the call
will almost pay for itself in a year, on the
basis of fuel saving. In addition, the price
of gas for many homeowners has in-
creased 20% during the last year; recent
predictions are that the price of gas will
increase annually at a rate of 4% more
than inflation. This may provide incentive
to have the service work performed as
soon as possible.
In cases where equipment perform-
ance is already high, fuel savings may not
result. However, the major incentive for
burner inspection and adjustment is the
safety of the occupants.
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