How Do I Clean My Roaster's Burners?

Sometimes the burners on a roaster will need to be removed and cleaned in order to achieve optimal performance.

An orange flame is usually indicative of dirty burners. One thing that we can do to improve this is remove each burner and ensure that the burners are clean. Each burner orifice will perform best when it is free of debris.

Time: 45 Minutes to 1 Hour.

Tools: Crescent Wrench, Cafiza, Roaster Soakz or Pur Cafe, #60 or #69 drill bit, Allen wrenches, socket wrench, pipe dope.

Directions:

1.) With the roaster at room temperature, remove the side plate from the operator-panel side of the roaster. (Note: For Roasters fabricated after mid-2020, the access panel will be on the non-operator panel side)

2.) Remove the insulation from underneath the side plate and set aside.

3.) Remove the inner flame guard panel. This should provide you access to the burners. Vacuum out any built-up debris, chaff, ash or other fuel in the burner area using a shop vac.

4.) Turn each burner counter clockwise to remove it from the burner manifold. Be as gentle as possible. The burners are made of brass which is a soft metal and can be broken if not removed carefully.

5.) Soak the burners in a gentle solvent for between 30 minutes and overnight (Cafiza, Roaster Soakz or Pur Cafe and hot water work well). Then remove and rinse them with clean water. Blow out the burners using compressed air to remove any remaining debris and dry the burners. 

6.) Get the appropriate size drill bit from a local hardware store. (#60 for Natural Gas or a #69 for propane). Hold the drill bit between your finger tips and gently turn the drill bit inside of the bottom end of each burner. The goal here is to use the appropriate size drill bit to clean the orifice and ensure there is no debris inside of them. Do this for every burner on the manifold.

*Caution: Be gentle when performing this process. Using a drill or excessive force will cause the burners to be reamed out larger than necessary, which will result in an inefficient or discolored flame.

7.) Use a small amount of high temperature pipe dope on the threads of the burners and reinstall. Tighten the burners by hand so as not to over tighten them. Then turn clockwise 1/4 turn with a crescent wrench. Here is a link to a high-temperature pipe dope available at Home Depot. 

8.) Once all burners are reinstalled and all tools are removed from the burner area, turn on the burners and visually assess the flames to ensure none of the burners are leaking around the threads. Reinstall the flame guard, insulation and side plate on the roaster. Note: Verify that your probe wires are on the outside of the insulation to maximize their longevity. Reinstalling the insulation over the wires will burn out the probes and require replacement.