Blue flame

[Angus]

I have heard people where I come from say that if the fire burns with a blue flame, then it is going to snow.
I told my wife this, and we have noticed that every time we get hard frost and / or snow there is a blue flame, the colder it gets the bluer it gets, it could be quite average temperatures, then the blue flame starts, and within a week it's is sub zero.
The winter of 2010 / 2011 was typical, blue flame all the time, it was so cold the river by the house froze with about 20 inches of ice.
Has anyone else noticed this, or should Whisky be sold under license to people who can drink sensibly?

 

[mark cline]

I'm burning now with a blue flame , its supposed to be 32F tomorrow and 42F on Monday. Don't know what to tell you , but I noticed when I start a fire, the secondaries burn yellow- orange. As it gets hotter , the flame gets wispy like the northern lights and a pinkish blue. Pipe temp. 400f, stove top 450f. I'll see what it does over the next hr.

 

[begreen]

Every time I see blue flame I know I'm burning locust.

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

Nope, that's an old Scottish Tale that golfers made up while drinking at St. Andrews..... And trying to get out of those sand traps......

 

[Shmudda]

When you see a blue flame that is near 100% complete combustion of all materials being burned, in essence no smoke and creosote will be emitted as it is being burned. Typically the barometric pressure and weather has much to do with this too.

Just look at a natural gas flame........

Craig

 

[spirilis]

Possibly better draft from colder temps would enable that through faster/hotter combustion. Very crude indicator of course.

 

[realstihl]

Red elm makes blue flame also plus clinkers. I know it's going to get colder and snow, just not this week.

 

[CenterTree]

I have heard people where I come from say that if the fire burns with a blue flame, then it is going to snow.
I told my wife this, and we have noticed that every time we get hard frost and / or snow there is a blue flame, the colder it gets the bluer it gets, it could be quite average temperatures, then the blue flame starts, and within a week it's is sub zero.
The winter of 2010 / 2011 was typical, blue flame all the time,....?

So, every time I turn on my propane stove to make dinner it must be going to snow. (even In July).

 

[rideau]

Hot slow fire equals blue flame.

 

[Grisu]

(broken link removed to http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2007/11/19/why_are_some_flames_blue_and_others_yellow/)

 

[Kevin Dolan]

I have heard people where I come from say that if the fire burns with a blue flame, then it is going to snow.
I told my wife this, and we have noticed that every time we get hard frost and / or snow there is a blue flame, the colder it gets the bluer it gets, it could be quite average temperatures, then the blue flame starts, and within a week it's is sub zero.
The winter of 2010 / 2011 was typical, blue flame all the time, it was so cold the river by the house froze with about 20 inches of ice.
Has anyone else noticed this, or should Whisky be sold under license to people who can drink sensibly?

Angus, from the county of angus. How much whisky does it take to get the blue flame? Also what river by you got 20 inches of ice, was it the isla?
Blue flames are good!

 

[Angus]

Angus, from the county of angus. How much whisky does it take to get the blue flame? Also what river by you got 20 inches of ice, was it the isla?
Blue flames are good!

Haha...thank you all for humerous replies.
Aye, my name is Angus, and I come from Angus..., maybe a lack of imagination on my parents behalf, but it's not as bad as a family I knew from the outer Hebrides, where there was 5 brothers called Angus, and a sister, Angusina!!
Give them their due, they had Angus John, Angus Ian, Angus Donald etc.
The river near us is the Esk (North) which is Gaelic for water (Uisge, or Uisge Be (Whisky)).

 

[Kevin Dolan]

Haha...thank you all for humerous replies.
Aye, my name is Angus, and I come from Angus..., maybe a lack of imagination on my parents behalf, but it's not as bad as a family I knew from the outer Hebrides, where there was 5 brothers called Angus, and a sister, Angusina!!
Give them their due, they had Angus John, Angus Ian, Angus Donald etc.
The river near us is the Esk (North) which is Gaelic for water (Uisge, or Uisge Be (Whisky)).

Angus is a great name with all its derivations.
I have never fished the esk but grew up fishing the Tay and its tributaries.
What kind of wood are you burning?

 

[simple.serf]

For whatever reason the wood I am currently burning burns with a bluish purple flame, and always needs a little crack of air. It's been the same for a week, and this week we have had rain, snow, frezing rain and one sunny day. 18% moisture on a fresh split, mixed hardwods that are 2.5 years css from the same woods I always get my wood from. I'm on call, so no whiskey last night for me.

 

[McKeznak]

Hot slow fire equals blue flame.

Yup, all my red oak, slow, hot and blue.

 

[spirilis]

Side note, it's grey and flurrying today, and my fire this morning was notably dark and blue vs last night's which was way brighter and more yellowish-orange.

Fact is I'm using wood briquettes (e.g. biobricks) which could have any mix of wood species in its source sawdust.