Sad Findings On Burner Setup

Omega Man

I thought I would post some interesting info. It started with issues with noise, etc on my boiler/burner setup. Come to find out so far what has been wrong, and what bothers me the most is that 4 different companies have done annual cleanings and adjustments and this is what has been discovered.

-Static plate, S Measurement incorrect throughout all cleanings/tuneups, and off about 3/4", maybe not enough to worry about, but not even close to being accurate.

-Z measurement off needed adjusting.

-Electrodes were definitely in need of replacement, surpsied no one changed them for the $6 they cost after 10 years, you think one of the cleaning charges would have swapped them out.

-The easiest and biggest pain of all and unhealthy to boot. The gasket that surrounds the photocell was put in the wrong position completely. It was clipped and position on the burner side, I had always thought it was odd that if you were within a foot or two of the burner you could smell oil, slightly, no one ever thought it was an issue, like I said 4 diff techs. Under a closer look the tech had installed it wrong, it goes on the wire side, so that it does in fact seat properly and create a seal. As soon as this was done the smell was gone and the startup of the burner is actually quieter.

-Pump pressure, set to 120 when found, second tech put it at around 130, when I had complained of some issues they adjusted to 140 but when it didn't sound right they cranked it back down to 120. Good move. It has now been adjusted back to the correct 140psi.

All the fine tuning is being done with a Bacharah Fyrite Pro among other instruments for accuracy and I am happy to say that the burner has never sounded or smelled better. The instruments confirmed and allowed the fuine tuning to better than typical figures. I can understand having a bad tech or two, but I am saddened that so many obvious errors have been made and skimmed over by multiple techs all of which except for the pump pressure were visible clearly. The issues above, every one of them should have been discovered at each maintenance and adjusted accordingly.

If the unit had been correctly serviced as above, I would never had investigated this myself, but I am glad I did, since clearly I had received nothing but sloppy work, and wasted my $ on services that got me nothing more than a filter and nozzle. I wish there was an easier way to find the techs who do a real A-Z maint, and don't just assume that the last person did it right, in fact as a different kind of tech myself, I always assume that it is wrong and start from there, especially if the homeowner is complaining. I applaud those of you who do service and do all the pieces involved but am saddended that so far I haven't gotten any value for my money.

Robert O'Connor_7

A-Z Service

Hey, is this Alpha Omega?? We didn't quite catch your name. Why not call the company an complain??.. Robert O'Connor/NJ

Omega Man

Omega Man

Already did, that's why there the different companies, each one sent different techs and couldn't seem to do much more, and occaisionally one undid the other's work. Seems so simple, start at the top of the checklist and work to the bottom, but I guess I picked the wrong outfits.

Firedragon_4

Sounds more like they picked the

wrong customer, FACT!

Omega Man

I suppose if expecting a boiler to not sound like a freight train when it didn't before the service and not reak of oil and actually expect something for my money then clearly they did. I guess I should have just paid the bills every year and taken whatever they felt like doing in your opinion.

Robert O'Connor_7

With this vast knowledge??

I don't understand, you sound like a pretty smart fellow why not try your hand at it yourself?? Welcome back Omega! Just for the record guys I had him pegged 1st!!....Robert O'Connor/NJ

Weezbo

Aint it the truth:)

maintaining your own boiler is clearly where all good oil service men find them selves again:) its like digging with a shovel and dreaming of the day you own a backhoe,then finding yourself back in the ditch with the shovel in your hand and thinking What am i Doing down here with this shovel back in my hands? I am such a work nut that i only let a very few people even operate a shovel around me...:)) touch My Boiler! oh No! That aint even goona happen even in your wildest dreams:)

Firedragon_4

No, I just wish I knew what

you did so I could fund all of YOUR mistakes, you purfect customer, YOU!

Constantin

Happens more than you think

When I stilled owned a motorcycle, I did all the maintenance I could on my own. Not because I enjoyed it a great deal (though it was interesting) but because there are no good bike shops in the Boston Metro area. Anything substantial, and I'd take the bike up to Bikeworx in Maynard (40+ minute ride) - at least I could trust them.

Several list members caught folks like Greater Boston Motorsports red-handed. For example, one member took his bike in for the 20,000 mile tune-up (Triumph fuel injection, IIRC) For giggles, he covered the transition between the gas tank nut and the frame with a clear nail polish. To access the fuel injection, said nut has to be removed. "After" his service appointment (paid for by Triumph) the polish was still unbroken. In other words, they had done nothing other than charge Triumph a great deal of money.

So, while believing what the maintenance, mechanic, etc. folks are saying, I can see why it is useful to learn enough about the technology to see which guy pretends to know, and which one actually does. Case in point: A former apartment.

Years ago I lived in a mixed steam-hydronic baseboard apartment. The boiler downstairs was oil-fired and got an annual service exam from the same tech, every year. I wasn't really impressed with the fellow, as his primary qualification seemed to be that his ethnic background matched that of the landlady (Greek). I hired a different company one year, and the guy that showed up went to town with me.

In a 6' nearly horizontal flue pipe running to the main chimney, there must have been 1.5" of soot. We took the whole thing apart and cleaned the flue system, it's interface with the chimney and the chimney itself (I like being a helper, he was concerned about my clothes). Then we started to work on the boiler, whose air intake was wide-open but whose air filter was clogged. Once all the filters (including the oil filers) we cleaned, this gentleman got to work to adjust the flame to the right combustion mixture, etc. This is the tech I want.

But how many tenants or homeowners actually take a real interest in the things you guys do? How easy would it be to snow them with gooblygook and not leave them any wiser for it...

David_5

It is too bad you got poor service.

There are many people who do not give their best in the heating industry. Keep looking until you find a company you can trust.
This is nothing new or unique to our industry. I have had my car serviced repeatedly because the service engine light is on all the time. After service the light always comes on the next day. The roof leaked on my car and the dealer had it for six (6) weeks before I got it back fixed. My computer crashed 2 months ago. Computer guy says need to change operating system to get computer to work. When my computer came back not everything works. Years ago I bought fax software because it would network. After I couldn't get it to work I call tech support. Tech says oh yeah network part of software doesn't work. Keep checking our web site for a patch. I bought a gas clothes drier for my house. I tell salesman I need it set up for propane. No problem I just need conversion kit. When the drier gets delivered I ask about propane conversion kit. I'm told they already converted it. I hook up propane and run the drier. It works good. One night I walk into dark laundry room with drier running. Light is coming out of every crack and seam on the drier. I peak in at the burner and the flame is huge. Guess what, no one converted it from nat gas to propane. The newspaper used to be delivered to my house by a kid who would put it on my porch. The kid rode a bike or walked. Now an adult drives up in a car and throws the paper into my yard. When it snows he always misses my walk. One day my home phone stops working. I call phone company from work for service. I get put on hold for 5 min. When they get back on they tell me the problem is with a line inside my house not form pole to house. Ok so you can you fix line in my house? yes but there is a charge for it. So I said I didn't expect it was free. The phone company repairman came out and replaced line between pole and house and that solved problem. A few years ago the cable would go out on the same TV once a month. Every month the cable guy would replace the box. This went on for a year. We finally gave up and don't use a box on that TV.

Poor service is everywhere, get used to it.

David

Firedragon_4

That's just the problem David

he can't, Alpha-Omega is purfect, don't ya know!

sw_2

annual service

Unfortunately the buck is the reason this happens. Most homeowners can about one thing ... how much.

It takes me at least 2 hours to do an annual service.

I've had customers say they've never had a tech bring in a soot vac!!

How did they clean this unit properly???

Our best weapon against these poor techs... educated homeowners.

andy_5

Firedragon,do you have a history with this guy?

Firedragon_4

The world has a history with this guy!