Yellow burner flame means your heater is wasting gas

A yellow or orange flame on your gas pool heater is a sign of incomplete combustion, and yes, it costs you money.

A healthy gas flame burns blue because the gas is mixing with just the right amount of oxygen. When that mix is off — usually because the burner is dirty or the air shutter is out of adjustment — you get a lazy yellow flame. That yellow means unburned fuel is turning into soot, not heat. Some of that soot coats the heat exchanger, making it even less efficient, and you end up paying for gas that isn’t actually warming your pool.

Common culprits are dust, spider webs, or corrosion blocking the burner ports. Sometimes it’s as simple as a misadjusted air shutter. If you’re handy, you can shut off the gas, pull the burner tray, and clean it carefully. If the flame still isn’t crisp blue after that, call a pro — could also be a gas pressure issue.

Don’t let a lazy flame burn your wallet.