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| Gas Appliance Flame Safety |
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| Occasionally, you may be called upon to evaluate natural gas appliances for leaks or other hazards. Successful appliance evaluation requires knowing how to recognize unsafe gas flames from pilot lights and burners. Much can be gleaned from the color and behavior of these flames. |
Earn a Certificate of Completion in natural gas safety FREE on the First Responder Beware® website.
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| Soft Blue and Steady Flames |
| Natural gas appliance burners and pilot lights should emit steady blue flames with distinctly shaped cones. This flame type results from complete combustion, which indicates a sufficient air-to-gas ratio and, therefore, an efficiently functioning appliance. Even with a small touch of yellow or orange at the tip of the primary cones, blue flames are considered healthy and safe.
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| Non-Blue Flames |
| Unlike blue flames, yellow or red flames are the result of incomplete combustion. It is caused by insufficient air supply and can be hazardous. In some cases, simply allowing dust particles to burn off for a short period allows the flames to turn blue. However, persistent yellow or red flames indicate a dangerous situation and warrant shutting off the gas at the shutoff valve of the appliance supply line. The gas should not be turned back on until the appliance is serviced by a certified technician who determines it is safe to operate. |
| Important: Incomplete natural gas combustion produces carbon monoxide (CO), a colorless, odorless and poisonous gas. If at any point you suspect elevated levels of CO, evacuate the area and ensure affected individuals get fresh air. Notify NIPSCO immediately through your dispatcher. If you suspect CO poisoning of any individual, ensure that they get immediate medical attention. |
| Sometimes natural gas flames produce colors other than blue, yellow or red. These other colors can be a result of ambient air saturated with the fumes of petroleum-based products, such as paint or insecticides. In this situation, it’s best to turn off the gas immediately at the appliance or the meter shutoff valve, ventilate the area and promptly notify NIPSCO through your dispatcher. |
| Sparks |
| Sparks (typically orange or yellow) in flames indicate rust, dust or other foreign particles in the gas pipes. These sparks do not affect the combustion process, nor do they typically pose a hazard. |
| Would You Like to Know More? |
| Additional utility safety tips, case studies, instructional videos and educational tools can all be found, at no charge to you, on NIPSCO's First Responder Beware website. |
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