PSA: I ran my forge too rich for 2 years and a $12 oxygen sensor taught me why

I was burning through propane like crazy and my forge would not hold a steady heat no matter what I tried with the regulator. My neighbor who does HVAC walked over and said the flame looked orange when it should be blue, and that is when it hit me that I had the air mix way off the whole time. Turns out I was running a reducing flame for 2 years because I never dialed in the air intake after I swapped burners back in 2023. Picked up a cheap oxygen sensor off Amazon and it confirmed I was starved for air the whole time. Now I check the flame color before every session. Anyone else ever get lazy with their air mix and pay for it on the propane bill?

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reese8610d ago

Did you at least frame the old sensor and hang it in the shop as a trophy? Two years of running rich is wild, that is basically a slow motion money fire. I did the same thing when I built my first burner, kept cranking the regulator like that was the problem when really the choke was wide open the whole time. My flame looked like a sunset and I just thought that was normal for propane. Bet your next tank lasts twice as long now that you actually let the thing breathe.

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