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POWERFLAME BURNER DIFFUSERS BREAKING

Weil
Weil Member Posts: 23
in THE MAIN WALL
Newly installed packaged Hurst Series 400 high pressure steam boiler with Powerflame C3-G-25 burner. This replaced an older boiler with no issues. It is installed in a confectionary, but the boiler room is mostly isolated. We have replaced 5 cracked diffusers in the last 18 months. Vendor is blaming this on air quality. Combustion reports attached. Any input is appreciated.

Comments

  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 16,466
    I would call Power Flame. I was a rep for them for 10 years and the C3 burner has been around forever. I don't ever recall any diffuser issues. (It's the burner flame diffuser I assume you are referring to) You combustion #s look ok.

    If the diffusers are cracking I would be looking for some flame pulsation or combustion issue.

    As I recall they are just stamped out of stainless steel
  • ScottSecor
    ScottSecor Member Posts: 901
    Very unusual. I've pulled Powerflame C burners that were twenty years old that still had the original diffusers and they were still in good condition.

    Since I started in the heating business in the 1980's I would say me or my guys have replaced about five or six diffusers. I'm guessing we service or serviced about 175 Powerflame burners. Just for reference, I would guess about forty burned oil only and about sixty burned natural gas only, the rest were dual fuel (#2 oil or natural gas).
  • ScottSecor
    ScottSecor Member Posts: 901
    Just had another idea. Is there any chance the burner is grossly under or oversized for the boiler? Based on your combustion report I doubt this is the case. The reason I ask, is I'm trying to visualize what would deform /melt or make a diffuser brittle. IF the burner sits a low fire for may hours, I suspect maybe the diffuser is getting cherry red as there is not that much air blowing by? Could there be lots of heat reflecting back to the burner during the off cycle? Finally, I suppose you might be overfiring the boiler, try to isolate the other gas loads and clock that meter asap.

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