John Zink Company has discontinued manufacturing the McGill burner line. However, Zink® is still supporting our customers with McGill burners and working with them to replace their McGill burner parts with equivalent John Zink parts. Visit the John Zink Burner Parts and Service Contact page to see a list of our Parts and Service representatives.

The John Zink Combustion Handbook combines extensive theory with discussions of specific equipment for actual user applications in the process industries. This unique publication on all things combustion is a large format book of 800 pages and nearly 700 figures, most of which are in full color. It also includes less frequently featured topics such as safety, noise, burner design and testing, controls, installation and maintenance, and troubleshooting.

To purchase your copy, call US: +1-800-755-4252 International: +352-51889-238, Henri Weber

This is a complicated question involving combustion and non-combustion related issues.

1) Look for tramp air escaping through leaks and cracks in the furnace. Air that does not flow through the burner throat does not participate reliably in the combustion and may cause the heater to operate less efficiently Sealing the heater is a good way to reduce NOx and improve efficiency.
2) Improper burner operation can cause fouling of the burner leading to flame impingement on the process tubes. Heater flames should not impinge on any process tube and should be uniform coming from the burner.

For more optimization information, attend our burner courses, purchase The John Zink Combustion Handbook, and contact a John Zink specialists to discuss your operating questions.

No, over firing your burner can be dangerous.

Loose, lazy, poorly defined flames may be a sign of insufficient combustion air through the throat of the burner. Some burner models are designed for longer, lazier flames. For example, some low-NOx burners deliberately delay the mixing of the fuel and air to achieve lower NOx, which creates longer flames. In general, as long as the flames are not impinging on the process tubes, or causing high emissions or process problems, they are fine. There can be many other reasons for long flames, such as miss-installed gas tips. Consult a John Zink representative regarding these matters.

Fuel composition, excess air, and air preheat are a few of the factors affecting flame color. So long as all the flames are similar in color and shape, do not impinge on the process tubes, and the unit is functioning as intended, including emissions specifications, the burner is operating properly.

Proper excess air is specified by the heater designer. A typical excess air for gas firing is 15%, which corresponds roughly to 3% oxygen.

To place an order, you will need both

1) The John Zink drawing or serial number
2) A description of the item you want to order.

If you are uncertain or need assistance determining what you need to order, contact your John Zink representative. Visit the John Zink Burner Parts and Service Contact page to see a list of our Parts and Service representatives.

Good combustion can be the subject of an entire book -- and is the thesis of The John Zink Combustion Handbook. Generally, 'good' combustion is combustion that allows the process unit to achieve its objectives, day in and day out over the long term in an environmentally acceptable way.

John Zink's manufacturing capabilities, relationships with quality vendors and new service approach enables us to provide most burner components in two to three weeks. John Zink also understands when emergencies arise you need parts fast. Thus, John Zink offers expedited deliveries to get your fired equipment back on-line.

Visa, MasterCard, and American Express.

You can locate this information in two ways

1) The John Zink serial number is printed on the nameplate located on the front plate of your equipment.
2) The serial number is printed in the title block in the bottom right hand corner of your John Zink general arrangement drawing.

Please do not hesitate to contact your John Zink representative if you need assistance locating this information. Visit the John Zink Burner Parts and Service Contact page to see a list of our Parts and Service representatives.

Not usually. Capacity is limited by the amount of air that the burner can pass. Increasing pressure to pass a larger quantity of fuel, when insufficient air exists for the larger capacity, can be dangerous. In some cases, increasing fuel pressure above the maximum can cause burner instability. Further, the need for increased pressure may signal dirty (fouled) tips, which can also lead to burner instability. Contact a John Zink representative to review your burner operation and sizing to determine if the burner can be modified for higher heat release.

Not as a practice. As an engineered-to-order company, we design our burners for your particular case. Additional capacity is commonly designed into the burners as a specified design value. However, due to 'standard' burner throat sizes, the capacity of John Zink burners can sometimes be increased without replacing the entire burner. Contact a John Zink representative for more information.

The John Zink Company is an engineered-to-order company. However, we maintain an inventory of standard parts for immediate shipment. Zink also has local alliances to support quick response time and shipment, so your combustion equipment remains safely on-line and operating reliably.

Yes. John Zink has knowledgeable service technicians available for on-site visits to your facility for heater tuning, trouble shooting, diagnostic testing, and assistance addressing your maintenance issues before they occur. For more information on service, please visit the Burner Parts and Service page.

Run the fuel pressure no higher than that specified by the capacity curve for the fuel your are combusting.

Flame length is highly variable and depends on the application. However, in no case should flames impinge on wall or roof tubes.

John Zink burners are designed to operate at maximum design rate with the damper position nearly full open. Under turndown conditions, the damper may be pinched down. But if possible, it is better to take any unnecessary burners out of service and leave the remaining ones operating close to full capacity.

To monitor heater operation, measure draft at the arch or bridgewall of the heater. To monitor burner operation, measure draft at the burner level.

Review the John Zink Installation and Operations Manuel for the specific job to determine the correct setting. The register opening will vary according to the model of the burner in question and the furnace operation conditions at the time of the burner light off.

Not generally. John Zink burners are designed for stable operation with or without a pilot. However, your facility may have its own rules about continuous or intermittent pilot operation. If your burner appears to be unstable without a continuous pilot, the instability may signal a serious safety condition that must be remedied.

John Zink has an array of pilots and ignitors designed to provide optimum performance and safety. You can view the array of John Zink pilots and ignitors by visiting the Burner Parts and Service Featured Products section.

In most cases one of the insulators has failed. The pilot should be removed and inspected. You may need to perform a bench test to determine the location of any shorts. Check the orifice spud for blockage.

Yes, most John Zink pilot tip shields are designed to glow red when the air and fuel are adjusted properly.

Adjust the air door to stabilize the pilot flame in the pilot tip shield. The pilot flame should be compact and crisp.

Note: Most John Zink pilots are designed so the pilot tip shield glows red if adjusted properly.

The pilot establishes a flame in the heater at very low heat release to ensure the main flame is lit. The pilot also allows ignition of the main burner from a safe distance. Many burners are manually lit through a lighting/sighting hole. Electric pilots are spark ignited from a remote source. Once lit, the pilot is not required for burner stability, though the pilot may be left on.

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The tile helps meter the combustion air, mold the flame shape and stabilize the burner flame.

Not usually. Capacity is limited by the amount of air that the burner can pass. Drilling out gas tips to pass a larger quantity of fuel, when insufficient air exists for a larger capacity, can be dangerous. We recommend that you allow a John Zink representative to review your burner airside capacity to determine if capacity modifications can be made safely. If so, we can provide you with updated capacity curves and additional parts.

Steaming out the gas tips while they are still mounted in the furnace seldom works. In most instances, the steam will follow the path of least resistance and will not remove the material that is blocking the plugged orifice. It is best to remove and disassemble the gas tips for cleaning.

By hand, use a drill bit smaller than the port you intend to clean, and carefully oscillate the drill bit to remove the debris.
Caution: Do not enlarge the port.

The orientation and location of the gas tips are given on all John Zink burner drawings. The drilling pattern or slots on a gas tip are designed to shape the flame in a specific pattern. If the orientation or location of the gas tip are incorrect, flame impingement or instability can occur.

The gas tip drillings or slots erode over time due to particulate in the fuel. Corrosion also affects the tip over time. If the orifice is larger than designed or corroded, the gas tip should be replaced.

First, identify the material causing the tips to plug. Liquids, particulate, unsaturated hydrocarbons, and H2S cause most plugging problems. Generally, knock-out pots are used to remove solids and liquids. Coalescing filters may be required if knock-out pots are insufficient.

Ignition ports are used to stabilize the main body of the flame. In general, ignition ports are used to create a continuous, consistent ignition zone on the burner tile or diffuser cone for stability.