Oil-fired boiler, every once-in-awhile it spits out huge amounts of
soot, 1st time thought it was a home-grown outside combustion air pipe
that had slipped 1/2 off and blocked the intakes, because when I took
that off, it ran fine.

A month after that (monday), it did it again, called the service guys.
They said the electrodes were too far apart, was causing late ignition,
and that it wouldn't burn properly bacause of that.

Today, same thing. Wouldn't even start, it was running so 'rich'.
Noticed the air intake was all the way shut, leaving just the small
'default' openings on the pump face open. I talked to the service guy,
priced out a weekend service call. Ummm, no way, given that they
supposedly 'fixed it' on monday.

I asked how hazardous it would be to try opening the air inlet- he said
it might get me through the weekend, since the prob might be a bad
nozzle that wasn't atomizing sufficiently.

Opening the air intake a bit fixed the hard ignition/smoke, but if I
opened the air intake up beyond a small amount, it would blow exhaust
out the damper door, and this is a unit with a power vent.

So air intake closed (as the service guy left it), blows smoke/soot and
stops running, open a little it doesn't smoke and the damper draws air
from the room (garage), opened too much and it blows exhaust out of the
damper door and into the room.

Yes, I know, whatever tuning this thing needs is shot to hell, but its
running without soot and the power-vent is drawing plenty of air out of
the room via the damper, so I'm going to run it until monday.

What the heck does it sound like the problem is? I'd really like to
have a list of possible issues to discuss with the service guy, as I
really want to get this fixed once and for all.

What I see is that the air intake was completely closed, and the other
air intake openings are very small, so that just seems a little odd.
maybe with a clean nozzle that's OK? Maybe someone put a very small
nozzle in this thing, and the air intake really can't be properly
adjusted for that small a nozzle?

Any thoughts out there?

Dave

wrote in message
oups.com...
Oil-fired boiler, every once-in-awhile it spits out huge amounts of
soot, 1st time thought it was a home-grown outside combustion air pipe
that had slipped 1/2 off and blocked the intakes, because when I took
that off, it ran fine.

A month after that (monday), it did it again, called the service guys.
They said the electrodes were too far apart, was causing late ignition,
and that it wouldn't burn properly bacause of that.

SNIP

The electrodes being too far apart have nothing to do with the way it burns.
Yes, you can get late ignition, but if it's sooted up, there IS something
wrong with the air mixture. Sounds like you need to find a different company
that fix it properly if these guys don't.....

can you look into the view port? (make SURE you close it tightly when
done looking)

too much air, fire is small and white and lots of heat goes up the flue

too little air and the fire is fluffy and red and smokey and lots of
soot

better to err on the side of a little too much air rather than too
little...

too little air also creates CO

get a probe thermometer that you can leave stuck into the flue pipe and
you can monitor the situation...

if it chages day to day you need to figure out if the oil or the air is
changing... you need the right combination of both...but you knew
that..

yeh I think the electrodes are pretty much not involved once it
ignites, so if it ignites ok probobably not an electrode problem...

Mark

On 11 Feb 2006 18:35:14 -0800, wrote:



What I see is that the air intake was completely closed, and the other
air intake openings are very small, so that just seems a little odd.
maybe with a clean nozzle that's OK?

I couldn't follow your post. Did you get a new nozzle? Did they come
out twice? Which time did they put the new nozzle in?

You leave sentences out of your story. Twice, iirc, you say you
called them and you were told things, but you don't say whether they
came out or what they did if they did come out. Very hard to follow..

For example, you didn't even say if they readjusted your electrodes or
if they replaced your nozzle.

Adjusting electrodes is so little work for what they charge for a
service call, I would think they would have replaced the nozzle too
and adjusted the air, although in practice only one guy has ever
adjusted my air. They just look at the flame and figure the
adjustment is ok. (That's why I'm not very happy.)

Maybe someone put a very small
nozzle in this thing, and the air intake really can't be properly
adjusted for that small a nozzle?

I don't have a boiler but I have oil forced air. The plate near the
burner says what sort of nozzle is to be used. The little plastic
container tube says what kind of nozzle was in it (and no one I've
dealt with has taken the tube with him. They just leave it here) and
the nozzle itsself has its spray pattern code embossed dimly on the
side.

Any thoughts out there?


Remove NOPSAM to email me. Please let
me know if you have posted also.

You can no longer set the fire in an oil burner by seeing it.

Small and white and fluffy and red doesn't mean squat....


"Mark" wrote in message
oups.com...

can you look into the view port? (make SURE you close it tightly when
done looking)

too much air, fire is small and white and lots of heat goes up the flue

too little air and the fire is fluffy and red and smokey and lots of
soot

better to err on the side of a little too much air rather than too
little...

too little air also creates CO

get a probe thermometer that you can leave stuck into the flue pipe and
you can monitor the situation...

if it chages day to day you need to figure out if the oil or the air is
changing... you need the right combination of both...but you knew
that..

yeh I think the electrodes are pretty much not involved once it
ignites, so if it ignites ok probobably not an electrode problem...

Mark

They have come out once, adjusted the electodes, and I'm going to speak
with the service manager before they come out again.
I want to hear how they're going to adjust the mixture, how they're
going to check the nozzle to see if it needs a new one, and I'm going
to ask they return the flue thermometer that was on the boiler before
the service guy showed up last week.

From what I was told on the phone, this boiler can have different-sized
nozzles, a small one for longer cycles, a large one for shorter cycles,
I'm guessing the ideal is a nozzle size such that it just maintains
water temp for a max load (heat and hot-water) situation.

dave

On Sun, 12 Feb 2006 19:36:48 -0500, "HeatMan"
wrote:

You can no longer set the fire in an oil burner by seeing it.

Small and white and fluffy and red doesn't mean squat....


Yep, I've heard the above from you and some other pros.

However, I've adjusted Beckett AFG burners and Carlin burners dozens
of times by eye. I'm a landlord and generally my purpose was to get
heat back on ASAP so the tenant wouldn't have the housing code folks
all over my tail. In most cases, I later called in a pro to set them
up via instrumentation.

In each case, my "eyeball" settings were within 2% of peak efficiency,
based upon the pros' CO2, stack temp and soot measurements.

Why don't you try it yourself?
After repeatedly setting up most modern flame retention burners by
eye, I suspect that you'll get pretty close to the ideal.

Half the time, if I call in a "pro" to do it, they give me dirty looks
when I demand they use instrumentation...

Doug

Ends up the service guy left the air setting right where I left it.

-D

wrote in message
oups.com...
Ends up the service guy left the air setting right where I left it.



Since you don't give a name, we shall now call you "FlameEye".......

;-]

Actually, I did it by watching the draft, as I was just trying to get a
'safe' working solution.

With the powervent, too much combustion air and it would come out the
damper door (bad, bad, bad!), too little and it would soot up. I
basically split the difference between the 'soot' setting and the 'blow
out the damper' setting, erring a little towards the sooty side.

Dave

wrote in message
ups.com...
Actually, I did it by watching the draft, as I was just trying to get a
'safe' working solution.

With the powervent, too much combustion air and it would come out the
damper door (bad, bad, bad!), too little and it would soot up. I
basically split the difference between the 'soot' setting and the 'blow
out the damper' setting, erring a little towards the sooty side.


Power vent??!!

Gawd I hate those. Necessary evil, I guess...

When was the last time the boiler was brushed down? If they are going
to do a complete tune up they should also brush the boiler heat
exchangers. Also, check your chimney. Make sure you have no blockages
or partial blocks. Remember, in order to make a fire you need, spark,
air, and fuel.

Issa noisy *******, but having the fumes sucked out is a minor plus.

Dave