For example, if you have a gas stove at home or have ever seen one operate, you know that the natural gas flames are mainly blue. There's one other color you may have seen appear in flames on a regular basis: blue. The farther away from the fuel source that the flame reaches, temperature decreases, leading to the bulk of a flame often being orange while the tip is red.

The part of the flame closest to the candle or the wood will usually be white, since the temperature is usually greatest near the fuel source.

You can see these differences for yourself by observing a candle flame or a piece of burning wood. When temperatures approach 2,400º F to 2,700º F, flames appear white. Flames turn orange when the temperature reaches 2,000º F to 2,200º F. Scientists have learned that red flames correspond to temperatures from 980º F up to 1,800º F. Let's first take a look at the effect temperature has on the color of flames. Two of the most important factors are temperature and the chemical composition of the fuel. We can easily feel the heat from combustion, and we can see the emitted light in the form of flames.įlames take on different colors for various reasons. Scientists define combustion (what we call burning) as a reaction between a fuel, such as natural gas, oil, or wood, with an oxidant compound, such as oxygen. So what causes flames to burn with different colors? While the majority of the flames hover between the hues of orange and yellow, we also catch glimpses from time to time of other colors, including red, white, and blue. We enjoy seeing the different colors they take on as they burn brightly. It's easy to get entranced by the flicker of the flames. We love to watch the flames jump up and down, slowly toasting the marshmallows to golden-brown perfection. Of course, one of our favorite parts of making s'mores is roasting the marshmallows over an open fire. We're getting hungry right now just thinking about them! Either way, fire hydrants may stick out like a sore thumb but those bright colors are chosen with your safety in mind.Do you love s'mores? Who doesn't, right? All that marshmallowey, chocolatey, and graham-crackery goodness all smooshed together. While most areas follow this color scheme, some choose to make up their own system. Violet means the water comes from a lake or pond. Yellow indicates that the water comes from a public supply system. Green: 1000-1500 GPM, for a 4-story house that's 61 by 61 and 40 ft tall.īlue: 1500 GPM or more, for a 4-story house that's 70 by 70 feet and 40 ft tall. Orange: 500-1,000 GPM, for a 4-story house that's 50 ft by 50 ft and 40 ft tall. Red: 500 GPM or less, for a 2-story house that's 50 ft by 50 ft and 20 ft tall. So, if you have a two-story house that is 20 feet tall, 50 feet long, and 50 feet wide, then you're going to need (/100=500) 500 GPM. To calculate the GPM necessary for the size of a fire, you can take the volume of the fire and divide it by 100. Here are the 4 most popular colors, and the biggest fires they can extinguish. Each color represents a different GPM or Gallons Per Minute. What do fire hydrant colors mean? Certain colors are meant for different types of fires. These colors have an important meaning that could just save your life one day. Red, yellow, violet- fire hydrants come in many different colors. Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders.

Blue fire vs red fire