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Combustion equipment does not get easier to manage as it ages.

Burners, gas trains, flame safeguards, pressure switches, regulators, actuators, ignition components, control panels, and wiring all wear, drift, or become harder to support over time. What starts as a nuisance shutdown, weak flame signal, slow valve response, unstable light-off, or outdated control issue can eventually turn into unplanned downtime.

Regular inspections give plants a better view of what is actually happening before failure forces the decision. They help identify safety concerns, aging components, obsolete parts, poor combustion setup, leaking valves, weak sensors, and controls that may no longer be operating as intended.

The goal is not always to replace everything. Sometimes the best move is a repair, adjustment, spare parts plan, control upgrade, valve train improvement, or phased modernization that can be planned around production instead of rushed during an emergency.

Gas pressure regulation can make or break a burner system.

A regulator should be selected around the full application: inlet pressure, required outlet pressure, burner capacity, fuel type, turndown, pilot load, main burner load, valve train layout, control valve position, actuator setup, etc.

When a regulator is undersized, the system may look fine at low fire but struggle when demand increases. That can show up as low gas pressure trips, unstable flame, delayed light-off, poor temperature control, nuisance shutdowns, or a burner that cannot reach full capacity. NFPA 86 references that regulators must be vented to approved location. Check with the local fire jurisdiction for their definition of approved location. If they are passing too much flow, then they are rated; they will start to chatter going up and down.

The regulator is not just another component in the gas train. You have to make sure you are taking an appropriate pressure drop. It has to work with the burner, safety shutoff valves, pressure switches, and actuators or the system to run safely and consistently.

Burner selection starts with understanding the application.

Every process heats differently, which is why the right burner depends on more than BTU input. Chamber size, airflow, flame shape, flame length, flame velocity, burner location, available gas pressure, fuel type, turndown, emissions requirements, ignition method, flame detection, and control strategy all matter.

A burner that is poorly matched to the application can create flame impingement, hot spots, uneven temperature distribution, poor product quality, nuisance shutdowns, higher emissions, or wasted fuel. In ovens, furnaces, dryers, air heaters, radiant tube systems, and process heating equipment, temperature uniformity is often just as important as total heat input.

The right burner should deliver the heat where it is needed, maintain stable combustion across the firing range, avoid damaging flame contact, meet emissions goals, and work properly with the valve train, controls, and safety system.

NFPA 86 safety inspections are more than a yearly checkbox.

For industrial ovens, furnaces, dryers, burners, and thermal process equipment, these inspections help verify that critical safety devices and burner interlocks are operating the way they were intended. That includes items like flame safeguards, purge sequences, safety shutoff valves, gas pressure switches, air switches, and related control functions.

OSHA 1910.107 references the NFPA 86- the oven and furnace standard, and many insurance carriers also expect documented annual testing. The bigger reason to stay on top of it is simple: a bypassed, failed, or untested interlock can create serious fire, explosion, equipment, and production risks.

ATS performs NFPA 86 combustion safety inspections to help customers improve documentation, identify issues before they become major problems, and operate with more confidence.

On many older linkage-style combustion systems, the actuator, crank arm, crank rod, and control valve or damper all have to stay in sync for the burner to move accurately between low fire, high fire, and modulation to keep the right air to fuel ratio. Over time, linkage wear, vibration, loose set screws, or adjustment drift can create slippage & inconsistent valve position.

That is where direct-coupled valve and actuator assemblies can be a strong upgrade. By connecting the actuator directly to the valve shaft, the system can reduce mechanical play, lower the chance of linkage slippage, improve repeatability, simplify high/low fire setup, and provide more confidence that the valve position matches the control signal.

For industrial burners, that can mean better light-off consistency, tighter temperature control, improved efficiency, and fewer nuisance issues during operation.

There’s more to burner performance than BTU output. How the heat enters and moves through the furnace can be just as important.

The Honeywell Eclipse ThermJet (TJ) is a nozzle-mix, gun-style burner designed to push heat deep into the furnace instead of concentrating it near the burner wall. Its outlet narrows like a converging nozzle, accelerating the hot combustion gases as they leave the burner—similar to how a hose nozzle creates a faster, more focused stream.That high-velocity jet carries heat farther into the chamber and pulls surrounding furnace gases along with it. This creates stronger circulation around the load, helping even out temperatures, reduce hot and cold spots, improve product consistency, and transfer heat more effectively.

ThermJet burners are available in medium-velocity models and high-velocity models. The proper selection depends on chamber size, desired circulation, temperature uniformity, and available gas pressure as well as many different factors. TJPCA models are also available for systems using preheated combustion air.

The ThermJet has different 14 sizes from 150,000 to 20,000,000 BTU/hr, up to 50:1 turndown, several combustor options, adjustable air and gas inlet positions, and multiple control methods. That flexibility makes it a strong option for heat-treating and forging furnaces, industrial ovens and dryers, metal processing, and other applications where circulation, uniformity, and process control are critical.

Advanced Thermal Systems helps customers select, size, commission, troubleshoot, and optimize ThermJet systems around the needs of the application.

A strong spark means nothing if the igniter is dirty, damaged, or sitting in the wrong spot.
If an igniter is sparking but the burner is still struggling to light, start with placement. The spark needs to be close enough to the pilot or fuel stream for quick light-off, but not buried so deep that heat damages the electrode or ceramic.
From there inspect the ceramic for cracks. A cracked insulator can let the spark track through the ceramic instead of jumping where it should.
Also remember, a good spark does not fix a bad light-off condition. Pilot gas pressure, main gas pressure, airflow, ignition cable condition, transformer inputs & outputs, and grounding all matter. If the fuel-air mixture is too lean, too rich, moving too fast, or not reaching the spark, ignition will still be unreliable.
ATS can help identify replacement igniters, electrodes, ignition cables, transformers, and burner control components.
Safe, consistent combustion starts with dependable ignition.

Without a combustion analyzer, look for a stable, well-defined blue flame without lifting, pulsation, or soot. This can be a good indicator of complete combustion, but the burner should be checked with an analyzer.  Try to avoid a light translucent (fuel lean) or orange (fuel rich) flame. The manual specifies 2.5–4% O₂ at high fire and 10–14% at low fire (pages 14–15).
Check pressures at each burner and compare the gas differential pressure across the metering orifice. Adjust the manual gas butterfly valves at high fire to achieve ~2–4% O₂ and the ratio regulator at low fire for ~10–14% O₂. Monitor CO, using below 100 ppm as your proposed target, while maintaining a stable flame and reliable ignition. Check settings at operating temperature and cycle between high and low fire to confirm consistent operation and ignition. If you are running a little bit more excess air (higher % O₂), that is ok as long as the flame is stable and not pulsating. I would rather have solid ignition and better operation than be dead nuts on the desired number.