Howling; Fire Does Not Shut Off - White Motor Company White Steamer M Service Manual

If the burner is not getting enough air it will act the same as though it were getting too much raw fuel, as
mentioned above. Causes for lack of air are, nozzle being too large (sometimes drilled out in order to get more
power), mixing tube shutter being closed too much, or the nozzle projecting into the mixing tube too far. If the gas is
too rich or does not have air, the flame is very low on the burner grate, causing the grate to become hot enough to
ignite the gas below.
Any substance lying on the burner grate will accumulate the heat at that one spot sufficiently to cause
ignition below. A niece of mud or asbestos would be sufficient to cause backfiring. One of the most frequent causes is
that in putting the vaporizer in its place, care is not taken that the point end of the vaporizer is in its support. This
allows the vaporizer to lie on the grate, which will be almost certain to cause backfiring.
Dragging fire is a term used to denote the regulation, which does net close off the supply of fuel quickly and
cleanly after the water regulator bypasses. It has much the same effect as slow gas leak mentioned above. It is
sometimes brought about by an accumulation of dirt in the water regulator screen and inoperative water cushion or
not enough lift on the water regulator pin.
"Howling" or "whistling" is the name given the noise made by the gas on entering the mixing tube. A car in
normal condition should never howl. We have also divided howling into two classes. Class A: constant howling, and
Class B: intermittent howling. As a rule, howling and backfiring go hand in hand. Glancing at the chart it can be seen
that a great many of the causes for howling will cause backfiring, and vice versa.
By term "constant howling" is meant to infer that the car howls every time the fire comes on full force. By
intermittent, we mean that the howling happens occasionally, possible at regular intervals.
If the pilot light is low or is dirty, the vaporizer is not hot enough to vaporize the fuel sufficiently, causing
the mixture to be too rich.
Once in a great while a vaporizer casting has been discovered that has proved to be faulty, owing to poor
foundry work. A sand flaw would allow the gasoline to make a short circuit and emerge at the vaporizer nozzle
without having been sufficiently vaporized. As mentioned above, the new steel vaporizer eliminates all such
imperfections as this.
If the vaporizer nozzle is crooked, namely, not lined up centrally with the mixing tube, it will almost
invariably cause howling. Also if the nozzle is too large for the burner, the result will be the same.
Any mud, dirt or foreign substance lying in the mixing tube or in the base of the burner is very apt to cause
howling and backfiring. Not enough air, by having the shutter closed too much, will give the same result. In the
summer time, when the atmosphere is hot and consequently light or in high altitude the shutter should be open wide.
In extreme cases it may be necessary to remove the shutter. When the atmosphere is heavy, due to cold weather, the
shutter should be adjusted by partially closing. This will be taken up more fully under the subject of fire. If a particle
of carbon or some foreign substance lodges in the tip of the vaporizer, it will cause howling, The chances are it will
lie across the diameter of one of the holes, and this is very apt to deflect the stream of gas emerging from the same. It
is a good idea to have a regular inspection of the vaporizer tip. An expert operator can tell within 30 seconds after one
of the vaporizer holes has become clogged.
Intermittent howling is caused by an erratic action of the regulation, probably due to the thermostat. If the
thermostat element is binding or the water needle valve is sticking in the stuffing box, there will be periods when the
car is running with little, if any, fire. If this continues for too great a length of time, the vaporizer and its outlet pipe
may become somewhat cooled, and when the thermostat suddenly closes the valve the flow of fuel is turned on
suddenly by the action of the flow motor. This will probably cause the car to howl until the temperature is regained
and it is working normally again.
This general head is used merely to help pick out the different items for closer analysis. If the fire will not
shut off after the water regulator bypasses the water back to the tank, it is caused either by the water regulator or flow
motor. It is obvious that if the water regulator is not bypassing properly on account of a dirty screen or insufficient lift
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HOWLING

FIRE DOES NOT SHUT OFF