Ooni Pizza Oven Yellow Flame (11 Reasons and Solutions) 2022
Last updated on September 11th, 2023 at 02:12 pm
Many homeowners and pizza enthusiasts purchase Ooni pizza ovens because of their ability to bake delicious and enticing pizzas within minutes.
As it produces the blue flame that speeds up the baking process, it creates tasty pizzas which ignite your senses.
Unfortunately, you begin to notice that a yellow flame is coming from your pizza oven, and you might be wondering what is propelling the flame.
On that note, what exactly are the reasons why your Ooni pizza oven is producing a yellow flame, and what are the solutions for it?
Carbon monoxide buildup is the primary reason your Ooni pizza oven produces a yellow flame. Other causes include dirty/clogged burner, inadequate supply of gas, obstruction from insects, increase in humidity, wrong gas, and misadjustment of oven parts. Nevertheless, you can effortlessly fix these problems by cleaning and properly maintaining your Ooni pizza oven.
11 Reasons for Yellow Flame in Ooni Ovens
Naturally, ovens and gas appliances produce a blue flame that indicates complete and yielding combustion.
However, when your Ooni pizza oven begins to produce a yellow flame, then there is something wrong somewhere.
The yellow flame usually implies incomplete combustion, which gives rise to carbon monoxide.
Furthermore, the yellow flame makes your pizza oven extremely dirty, and it ruins the appearance and taste of your pizzas completely.
Without further ado, I will highlight and extensively explain the 11 reasons for the yellow flame in your Ooni pizza oven.
#1. Carbon monoxide buildup
This is one of the most common reasons for the yellow flame that you notice in your Ooni pizza oven.
Carbon monoxide gas begins to accumulate when your oven lacks a sufficient amount of oxygen to combust appropriately.
This further increases the yellow flame that ruins your pizzas and causes serious health challenges. In addition, the gas is very dangerous and could prove fatal if you inhale it.
You may begin to experience shortness of breath, muscle weakness, low blood pressure, drowsiness, and shock.
Carbon monoxide gas is hard to detect because you can not see and perceive the gas. Nevertheless, you can prevent this by observing the color of the flame your oven produces.
Plus, you can seek the services of an expert to help you out.
It is important to note that carbon monoxide gas is deadly and can poison you by suffocation.
So, you need to take immediate action if you discover that the gas is responsible for the yellow flame.
#2. Dirty/Clogged burner
Many homeowners and bakers often mistake ignoring their Ooni pizza oven, which leads to unpleasant circumstances.
Your gas burner, which supplies the heat and flame necessary for baking your pizzas, may begin to produce a yellow flame.
This is because debris and tiny food particles clog the portholes in your gas burner, and as a result, the flame changes from blue to yellow.
In some cases, your gas burner begins to produce a small amount of flame, which is not nearly enough to elevate the temperature of your oven.
This reduces the baking speed of your oven; plus, it wastes a lot of time and effort.
Unfortunately, most bakers do not realize this fact on time until they begin to notice the difference in the appearance and taste of their pizzas.
Well, you can do justice to your oven by cleaning your gas burner regularly.
#3. Inadequate supply of gas
This is also one of the most common reasons for the yellow flame. Your Ooni pizza oven needs sufficient propane or butane gas supply to function properly.
When the propane tank runs out of gas, your oven generates a yellow flame that comes with a cloud of choking smoke.
Admittedly, most people do not refill their gas tank on time and manage the little quantity left in the tank.
However, this only increases the yellow flame, and it makes your entire oven dark and smoky.
Nonetheless, you can curtail this by refilling your gas tank on time.
#4. Obstruction from insects
Insects and arachnids also wiggle their way into the portholes of your gas burner in addition to the debris and tiny food particles.
Arachnids such as spiders form strong webs that lead to a yellow flame igniting your gas burner.
Surprisingly, insects and arachnids have a weird attraction to propane gas which is the primary fuel of your Ooni pizza oven.
Regardless of this fact, you can easily eradicate them by cleaning the portholes of your gas burner.
#5. Increase in humidity
An increase in humidity is one of the external factors that fuel the production of the yellow flame in your pizza oven.
As a result, the flame may be wavering and might produce a lot of smoke, eventually damaging your pizzas.
This usually happens when you bake your pizzas outdoors during unfavorable weather conditions.
Well, you can do well baking your pizzas outdoors during conducive weather conditions to avoid unnecessary problems.
#6. Wrong gas
More often than not, many people tend to make the mistake of using the wrong gas for their Ooni pizza oven.
As a result, approximately 45% of the production of the yellow flame comes from the use of the wrong gas.
Ooni pizza ovens use only propane gas, and butane gas serves as an alternative.
Unfortunately, some homeowners unaware of this fact tend to fill their gas tanks with natural gas, which does not suit their Ooni pizza oven.
It is not advisable to use natural gas (unless you are in the United States) as it contains toxic chemicals, which lead to devastating health issues.
These health issues include asthma, chronic cough, and heart challenges. You can deter this by refilling your gas tank with propane gas.
Alternatively, you can switch the gas regulator to a butane regulator.
#7. Mis-adjustment of oven parts
Every part of your Ooni pizza oven is important as they are crucial in the assemblage of your pizza oven.
Your pizza oven begins to produce a yellow flame when you misadjust any part of your pizza oven.
For instance, your gas burner might release a yellow flame when you do not open the knob properly.
This often happens when you attempt to assemble all the parts of your pizza oven.
Unfortunately, you might end up getting it wrong and destroying your pizza oven in the process.
Hence, it is advisable to seek the expertise of a professional.
Subsequently, you can get a manual and follow the procedures to assemble your Ooni pizza oven.
#8. Rusted/Worn out the gas burner.
Your gas burner needs regular maintenance and repairs, just like other appliances.
However, the yellow flame could also come as a result of the complete deterioration of your gas burner.
In this case, the flame might also be orange or red and produce intense smoke.
This is a clear indication that you need to repair your gas burner immediately. Alternatively, you can replace it with a new gas burner to get the best results.
#9. Foreign materials
Some foreign materials such as polythene bags, paper, bugs, and many more can change the normal blue flame of your oven.
These materials may fall into your oven and cause a yellow flame, which lights up your oven like a barbecue.
This occurs when the weather is windy, and due to this, many substances obstruct the baking of your pizzas.
Notwithstanding, you can avoid this by constructing a shed to bake your pizzas without obstacles.
#10. Lack of oxygen
Oxygen is essential for incomplete combustion along with propane gas.
When you fail to supply enough oxygen to your oven, combustion is incomplete, and the yellow flame replaces the blue flame.
Inadequate supply of oxygen for combustion also leads to carbon monoxide gas accumulation.
Thus, it would be best to supply enough oxygen by baking your pizzas outdoors to avoid unfortunate situations.
#11. Greasy/Oily gas burner surface
This is one factor that aggravates the generation of the yellow flue in your Ooni pizza oven.
When the surface of your gas burner is greasy or oily, the blue flame turns to a yellow flame when you ignite your gas burner.
Nevertheless, you can evade this by regularly cleaning the surface of your gas burner.
Solutions to Fix the Yellow Flame in Ooni Ovens
Ooni pizza ovens are known for their exceptional baking speed and production of the right flame.
However, when the flame turns from blue to yellow, it becomes a massive problem as it affects the quality and taste of your pizzas.
Notwithstanding, you can fix all the problems that lead to the production of the yellow flame.
With that established, I’ll briefly accentuate the solutions to fix the yellow flame in your Ooni pizza oven.
#1. Thorough cleaning and proper maintenance of your pizza oven
Many homeowners tend to ignore their pizza ovens, and as a result, debris clogs the portholes of their gas burners.
You need to clean your pizza oven twice a week and remove all the debris, food particles, and insects from the portholes.
Furthermore, you need to clean the greasy surface of your gas burner with soapy water and a clean cloth.
This will go a long way to reduce the yellow flame in your Ooni pizza oven.
#2. Fill your gas tank with the appropriate gas.
You have to fill your gas tank with propane gas or butane gas as it suits your Ooni pizza oven.
This will prevent the accumulation of carbon monoxide and increase the baking speed of your pizza oven.
#3. Check your pizza oven regularly.
It is essential to check your Ooni pizza oven regularly to help you detect any gas leakage.
Plus, you can take your oven for repairs and replace it if it is old and worn out.
Conclusion
Ooni pizza ovens have exceptional qualities, but they produce a yellow flame for specific reasons, such as carbon monoxide buildup.
Others include lack of oxygen, inadequate supply of gas, wrong gas, obstruction from insects, and many more.
Notwithstanding, you can quickly fix these problems by cleaning your oven and gas burner.
In addition, you need to purchase the suitable gas that is appropriate for your Ooni pizza oven.
