Burner control

The term "burner control" generally refers to the mechanisms and systems used to regulate and control the operation of a burner in heating appliances, such as boilers. This includes functions like ignition, flame monitoring, fuel supply regulation, and safety shutdown procedures. Systems often include thermostats, time controls, and interlocks to prevent unsafe operation.

Types of burner control include:

• Two-stage burner control: ‘…a type of control that offers two distinct boiler firing rates.’
• Multi-stage burner control: ‘…a type of control that offers more than two distinct firing rates, but without continuous adjustment between firing rates.’
• Modulating burner control: ‘…a type of control that provides a continuously variable firing rate, which is altered to match the boiler load over the whole turndown ratio.’

The relevant regulations typically fall under:

• Approved Document J (Combustion Appliances and Fuel Storage Systems) – Covers the safe installation and operation of appliances using solid fuel, gas, and oil.
• Approved Document L (Conservation of Fuel and Power) – Focuses on energy efficiency, requiring proper burner control to reduce fuel consumption and emissions.
• Burner control systems must comply with Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 and relevant BS EN standards, such as BS EN 676 (for automatic gas burners).

Ref Non-domestic Building Services Compliance Guide For Scotland, 2015 Edition v1.1, published by the Scottish Government, Building Standards Division in April 2018.

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings

• Boiler.
• Building standards.
• Economiser.
• Heat exchanger.
• Heat interface units.
• Heat meter.
• Heat recovery.
• Heat transfer.
• Modulating burner control.
• Radiant heating.
• Sequence control.
• Thermal comfort.
• Thermostat.
• Types of boiler.
• Weather compensation.
• Zone control.