oil fired boiler/soot and smoke

Rookie_3

I am getting smoke, and soot build up on an oil fired boiler. -.02"wc over fire, -.04 at breech, 12 1/2% co2,
0 smoke, 500 net stack temp. I lost a trace of smoke at
5 on the air gate. Had to go to 10 with the additional air band slightly opened to get the above readings and 3 days later it started to smoke and soot up. It's a Burnham with a Beckett AFG burner and a power vent. System was clean with a new nozzle and correct pump pressure. I re-cleaned
it and still have the air gate at 10 with the additional air band opened approx. 3/8". now I am at 11% co2 with a net
stack of 550 degrees. aside of the 79- effic. my main concern is that it is going to smoke and soot up again with nobody home. Also seems like it's getting too much excessive air at around 35%. Any ideas?
Thanks Dan

ed wallace

soot and smoke

is there a woodworking shop or laundry room in the basement have you disassembled the oil burner and checked the blower wheel for lint or saw dust ?

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Ken D.

Smoke &Soot

Are you checking the pump pressure from the right port? Is your pressure gauge accurate? Is there enough fresh air available for combustion where the heater is located? Is the filter and pump strainer clean? Any impurities or water in the oil can affect combustion. If the nozzles are partially blocking, the oil system must be cleaned and flushed to remove any impurities, assuming the oil is good.Is the pump coupler slipping? Are there any exhaust fans on- including whole house and attic fans- that could affect combustion air and draft? Check to make sure the burner fan and other air handling parts are clean and not distorted in any way. Combustion head and drawer assy. must be good condition and drawer must be concentric and nozzle depth true. Electrodes must be set correctly. If you are using recommended nozzle gph, angle and pattern, try another brand of nozzle in the same gph, angle and pattern or use a different pattern and angle after performing a nozzle application test. We are assuming flues and chimney is clear and draft is constant. Check for any impingement or problems with combustion chamber or flue passages. This is a start. Good luck.

Weezbo

Hmmmm..... Dan

that sounds suspicious to me everything clean burning then soot?! this may not be the minor technicality however does it have the burner beneath the fuel oil tank? is there a possibility the oil solenoid valve is frickin up the works? is there a tigerloop combo on it? any water in the oil filter canister if not? just some thoughts....

Leo

Oil Burner

Did this problem start after the system was cleaned? Could be the cleaning dislodged something and messed up the nozzle, change it. When the system was cleaned did the tech change anything? Nozzle size or adjustments, if so set it back to where it was. What model Burnham and what burner?

Leo

Rookie_3

Thanks for all the suggestions, I changed the nozzle after the cleaning was done and the oil filter at the tank was water free. the system is a Burnham V7 series model PV73WC.
The burner called for a .85gph 80 degree Hago solid. There was a .85gph 80 degree Delavan hollow in it. There was a odd
style damper with the weight missing and a -4 1/2" OF draft.
The system wasn't cleaned in approx. 18 months but was pretty clean. I put a new Field/RC damper and brought everything into burner specs. including going to the solid nozzle vs. the hollow that was in it and back to Hago.
I didn't want to leave the high OF draft but probably should have stayed with the Delavan hollow Huh? I figured whoever tuned it last just didn't have a solid on his truck and used a hollow.

Unknown

Dan,

> Thanks for all the suggestions, I changed the

> nozzle after the cleaning was done and the oil

> filter at the tank was water free. the system is

> a Burnham V7 series model PV73WC. The burner

> called for a .85gph 80 degree Hago solid. There

> was a .85gph 80 degree Delavan hollow in it.

> There was a odd style damper with the weight

> missing and a -4 1/2" OF draft. The system

> wasn't cleaned in approx. 18 months but was

> pretty clean. I put a new Field/RC damper and

> brought everything into burner specs. including

> going to the solid nozzle vs. the hollow that was

> in it and back to Hago. I didn't want to leave

> the high OF draft but probably should have stayed

> with the Delavan hollow Huh? I figured whoever

> tuned it last just didn't have a solid on his

> truck and used a hollow.

Unknown

Dan

I would suggest checking the following things. First and foremost, is the power venter. These have a damper adjustment to help establish a consistent draft. If it is a Field, the damper is generally located on the bottom of the pipe extending through the wall. This must be set and locked in position with a screw or wing nut. I believe the Tjernlund models have their adjustment on the wall discharge outside the building. There is a pyramid shaped fitting that moves fore and aft with locking screws.

Second is the burner head setup. Is the electrode gap, forward adjustment, etc. correct? Are the electrodes straight in reference to the head assembly? Has the boiler been completely cleaned from these previous sootup predicaments? Is the burner equipped with a Low Fire Baffle? Are the cleanout plates completely sealed up after the cleaning was done? Is the gasket under the ignition transformer properly sealing? Condition of the target wall and burner mounting plate insulation as well as swing door gasket. These are all things that can be overlooked and can contribute to the dilemma you have.

There were several AFG burner setup configurations through the years with this boiler. All burner setup changes were made in conjuncton with Beckett to deal with the few burner/combustion noise difficulties that arise in the field with anyone's burner/boiler. All configurations would have had a clean firing condition though. The latest setup was with a Hollow nozzle and Low Fire Baffle if my memory serves me right. I would check these and to check with our Technical Services Dept. on Monday to get the most recent burner configuration. 1-800-722-0720

Hope this helps.

Glenn Stanton

Burnham Hydronics

Leo

Hi Dan,

Glenn is super so listen to what he says. If the nozzle was changed once since the 18 months and you now have a problem change it again. I have had some problems with the Hago B's right out of the package.

Leo

Unknown

I checked this AM

This boiler/burner should be setup as follows:

.85-80B Nozzle

140 psi Pump Pressure

F4 Head

Primary Air Band "0"

Secondary Air "7"


If you are getting the high over-fire draft with this setup, you have a power venter adjustment problem. This would also account for the high net stack temperature you are encountering. Find the adjustment damper and close it down a bit to get your draft in line and everything else should fall into place. Also make sure the burner gasket points are not leaking air (ignition transformer gasket). While you have the transformer swung open, check the squirrel cage for lint buildup. Running the secondary as high as you have it (10) will sometimes clean up the flame, but will put you at the outer bounderies of a clean fire. Keep it closer to the 7 and deal with the draft situation.

Glenn

Ken D.

Smoke and soot II

Another thought. Many burners including Beckett and Blue Angel have air inlet dampers in the burner air inlet. Check condition of it if you have one. Especially on the Beckett one or more of the springs can fail causing the damper to open only partially- if at all. I have never had a problem with Hago nozzles. They are my primary brand. There is a difference in the SS and ES. I have always found that the manufacturers specs concerning nozzle applications are the best the majority of the time.

Paul Mitchell_2

secondary air

Is there an attic fan or something else that affects your combustion air?