Regner Stainz burner issue, need ideas

[artfull dodger]

Dealing with a burner issue on my new Regner Stainz. If the smokebox door is closed, the flame does not want to stay on the burner but instead wants to burn about 3/4 of the way up the burner tube where the cross tubes are. Does not matter if the exhaust pipe is up the chimney or not. I tried an air control ring on the air intake side of the burner, that did not help either. The smokebox bottom is completely open, and even the smoke box support on each side is a grate instead of being solid, so plenty of air getting in there and places for the exhaust gases to go be it up/down/sideways! Is she over jetted? I tried swapping with my Konrad, which is very stable(almost Roundhouse stable even) with its burner performance. But that yielded no change on the Stainz. She ran well otherwise as long as the smoke box door is open like 1/16th of an inch. I want to light the front lantern so I need that door shut to protect the bulb and wiring. It also looks odd running with the door ajar. Open to other ideas to try. Next steam up is in late January, so I have some time to work on her. Would wrapping the burner with stainless mesh help? Smaller gas jet?(no clue as to the stock size in it now and Regner uses a much smaller thread diameter than RH or Accucraft). I love the engine, just uncertain which waya to go forward to solve this burner performance issue. Thanks Mike

 

[artfull dodger]

My current solution and a proper bodger one at that, was to take my flat blade screwdriver and "tweak" the bottom of the smoke box door open just a bit while it was hot from burner heat. So far on the rolling road, the burner is pretty stable. Will let the engine go cold over night and try lighting up tomorrow and see how she does. Not the best solution, but you cannot really tell the door is tweaked open at the bottom unless you really stare at it.

 

[dunnyrail]

Your Burner issue sounds very much like an Air Issue to me. The Cab end where the Burner goes in to the Boiler will have a screw that allows the Burner to be slid to and fro a little without damaging the Line from the Gas Tank. I suspect that moving the Gas Jet back a little would have had the same effect that you have had with your Bodge bending of the Smokebox Door. I think that now you have a satisfactory solution that is pretty near invisible I would leave well enough alone unless you get further problems like perhaps burning of the bottom of footplate by escaping fire.

Hope this helps.

 

[Paul M]

This may sound silly, but you havent got your gas set too hgh?

 

[artfull dodger]

Not silly at al Paul, but it happens at all gas settings, obviously worse at higher settings. I have been told by another Stainz owenr, the problem is the grate style smoke box supports. They let the exhaust fumes out the sides, where they trail back and "gas out" the air intake in the cab by starving it of oxygen. (Bottom of cab side tanks is open at the frame level, same as the smokebox grates, so the fumes have a nice path ot the burner air intakes). He blocked his off, making the gas fumes go either up the chimney, or out the bottom of the smokebox to the track. SO that is what I will try next

 

[artfull dodger]

With the gratefull help of a fellow live steamer over on the mylargescale forum who has the green cab version, the issue has been found. In the cab, below the boiler is an opening in the footplate that allows flue gas to flow back thru the frame and starve the burner for oxygen. The frame on the Stainz has a top plate as the prototype is a well tank locomotive. With the normal open smoke box bottom and a fairly narrow chimney, plenty of flue gasses go out the bottom, are trapped up in the frame, and flow rearward and vent into the cab, right under the burner. I sealed up this opening using a metal/alum tape used for commercial duct work. I sealed it on both sides, both in the cab and from inside the frame, so no sticky side is showing to collect dirt and grime. . Pics to follow.

 

[Paul M]

Great to hear you've found the cause and managed to sort it out, thanks for sharing it