Favorite Barometric Damper?

Bob Knebel

Hey all you Wallies (with more vast experience than me with residential oil-fired boilers) ...... What's your preferred barometric damper and why? It seems like some dampers (no names mentioned) I have seen lately have some real issues: 1) they seem to corrode fairly quickly; 2) they have alignment problems, get stuck, and don't swing freely; 3) they make noise when shutting against the stop; 4) the pivot pins wear through; 5) the pivot saddles wallow out; 6) they have a pretty funky counter-weight mechanism. As all you oil-heads know, it's a real drag when the draft gets off-spec due to any of the issues above. Combustion efficiency spirals down into the tyvek suit and soot mask abyss! Does anyone out there make a good long-term damper? Seems like it would be well worth it to spend good money on a damper that was robust, kept the draft at the proper setting, and mimimized the aromatic blackness of the nuisance service calls we have all experienced. Thanks in advance for any input you might have here.

J.C.A._3

Field, Hands down!

Not those cheesy ring and gate jobs but the real ones. Only time I've replaced them is when I put in a new heater. The barometrics supplied with the boilers, lately (read...Effical) are a very noisy product IMHO. I've gotten to the point where I order the Fields as an add on automatically. One thing, the installer MOST DEFINATELY needs to know the difference between vertical and horizontal! Can't count how many I've found in the wrong slot. Chris

Unknown

I like the brand

that Burnham used to ship with each V8 boiler . I think it is Field or Effikal . They stopped shipping them , so we're back to the flat black ACME special .

Robert O'Connor_6

Tjerlund

It's even got slots to put your screws in to the flue pipe.


"Series A
This single acting deluxe unit is made of stainless
steel for low maintenance and corrosion
resistance. It has integral anchor points and self-
aligning, self-centering rocker bearings for long
lasting service. A cushioned stop minimizes rattle
and noise. Adjustment is easily accomplished by
moving counter weight on outside tab."

Priced competively

Robert

ME

Bob Knebel

Howdy J.C.A. ..... Thanks for the quick reply! Any chance you could give me a model number / type for the Field damper you prefer. The Type M has been OK but if there was something better, I think the money would be well-spent. Thanks again ... Bob

J.C.A._3

Bob,

The RC model. They come with a pile of parts to cut them into a piece of pipe, but with a bit of crimping across the top half, they fit into a manufactured tee.(6-7" has apparently shrunk....good news for guys!:^) ). Chris

Bob Knebel

It's me again. I heard from someone that Weil McLain used to ship (and maybe still does) a nice stainless barometric with a rubber bumper stop with their oil-fired boilers. Is this true? Anyone know anything about these dampers? Manufacturer? Info? Thanks for any help you folks can give me.... Bob

Unknown

Yes , they still do

for every Gold oil boiler , it's in the trim package . And I'm almost positive it's Effikal .

Robert O'Connor_6

That sounds like

the Tjerlund Try it you will like it!!

I am a service person/installer no affiliation!!

Robert

ME

J.C.A._3

See....

Effical. I wasn't at all impressed with them. The Field just seemed to be a superior product IMO.The Effical units seemed , to me, to rattle quite a bit more than the Field units.The holder of the pins in the sides of the unit were straight cutouts and not V shaped like the Field units.Seemed to make them slam "outward" on startup, and the bumper plastic would absorb a bit of it, but not all. Consider the flue pipe as a "boom box", which it effectively becomes. The E unit , on start-up would slam the sides of the damper into the face of the mount, and seemed to be noisier to me anyway.

Pre and post purge controls have helped the slamming to be lessened but have not made it disappear completely. Like almost everything else in the field, I find this particular product to be at the top of my list. Again, JMHO. Chris

Robert O'Connor_6

Did ya ever try

a Tjerlund or have you seen one Chris?

Fields has a good product also

I like to put them in a tee right at the chimney and this helps with noise also.

Regards,

Robert

ME

Bob Knebel

Hey Thanks Robert and Ron Jr!

I will definitely look into Tjernlund. We have had good luck over the years with their power venters (not in oil service) and "fans-in-the-cans" for combustion air. I'll talk to the Tjernlund and/or the W-M rep here in Montana to see what I can find out.

Bob Knebel / Radiant Engineering, Inc.

J.C.A._3

Robert,

Haven't seen one yet, but the oil fired units I've installed lately always have the Fields in seperate boxes.(my choice) The latest ones I saw with Viessman were tossed, (6" units going into a 7" pipe, no thank you) We tend to use the same chimney's far more than I would like, but that usually comes down to the situation on a new install.(always measured and inspected, to cover my butt!)

I will give a look/see at the Tjernlund units. Haven't come across one yet, but will look at them with "my minds eye" open, and decide. Thanks for the input. Chris

Robert O'Connor_6

Oh Chimney's

There is a real can of worms. Are they putting miles of slinky's in chimney's across Mass too?

i have to winder how long they are gonna hold up. Someones in for a bad nite call!

Regards

Robert

Weezbo

Field

Jack_23

FYI...NFPA 31 committee

Is discussing eliminating the "requirement" for a barometric on every unit.

Robert O'Connor_6

Jack

are you on the committee?

I think the manufacturer should be able to dictate. I actually think they already have that option if they spell it out in their I/O manuals?

Thanks

Robert

ME

JaredM_3

The Field model RC has always been the most reliable. The Field model that ships standard with many oil boilers is a cheaper alternative. The Effikal stainless model is also very good. I have found the Effikal is a bit noisy on some boilers, especially the Weil McLains.

Proper placement of the draft control is important, the instructions are very specific on their replacement...but who reads them anyway?

-Jared

Dave Palmer_3

but

they stopped shipping the collar so you have to buy a tee

Jack_23

Yes, I am

With the changes in technology and system design, I think it's time to give "system design flexibility" to the manufacturer. this is a personal observation only and doesn't speak for the committee, BTW. (I have to put that in there).

Robert O'Connor_6

listing

i was under the impression that if an apliances as "listed " for use with out one that was Ok?

And while I have you on the keyboard. , those charts showing liner sizing really need to be finished. I underrstand this was a funding problem at Brookhaven, Maybe NORA can kick in the funding to get it doine. To me thats an incredibly important area. I deal with lots of old unlined chimney's.

Thank you

Robert

ME