Fyrite pro 125

Flangehead

Gentlemen, just a quick question, If I'm using a calibrated digital combustion analyzer, do I really need to pull a smoke test?

J.C.A._3

On Oil....

Without a doubt! The numbers have a sneaky way of sliding to "the other side" of proper combustion quickly if you adjust for maximum effeciency. The smoke test is just another tool to make sure your on the right side.

One other thing to keep in mind is that a couple things change all the time such as environmental conditions, lint from the dryer, dust kicked up during construction projects and the like..but MOST importantly DRAFT!!!!
If you adjust for minimum CO you could also slip to the dark side with very little change. Leave yourself some leeway to make up for any of these things. Chris

Alan R. Mercurio_3

And another thing that's very important about taking a trace sample First is that if you were to just use your analyzer and the readings dictated the presence of smoke, sure you could make adjustments but now you have drawn that smoke through the O2 sensor quickly depreciating it's life in your analyzer.

Always draw a sample first look for 0-trace then introduce your analyzer to the flue gas sample.

Great question.

Your friend in the industry,
Alan R. Mecurio

www.oiltechtalk.com

Jim Davis_3

CO & Oil

Carbon monoxide and Oil have a totally different relationship than CO and Gas. On Oil you can have Zero Smoke and thousands of ppm of CO or have #4-#6 Smoke and no CO. CO on Oil covers more mechanical deficiencies than just fuel/air mixture. Watching the CO readings at Light-off--Run---Shut-down provides a wealth of information on nozzle pattern or selection, drawer assembly alignment, air in the system, cut-off etc. The smoke test is generally the final set-point for efficiency adjustment. Need both for the maximum results.

J.C.A._3

Thanks Jim.

Alan made a very good point about fouling the tester a bit quickly by jumping the gun, but you raised the other big point about CO readings on start-up and shutdown.

I like to get the appliance warm and in a "normal running condition" before testing at all.(I'll admit to doing this first step by eye, with 20 years of experience. Mea Culpa.)

However, I would NEVER rely on it without doing a test before leaving. The smoke test is one of the most important tests you can do to an oil appliance. Finding the "trace", as Alan described is the key to your next adjustments. If you find the trace of smoke and have the knowledge to figure the readings at that point, it will point you in the right direction for the next action. Jim also points out a start-up and shutdown reading.It is an aquirred learning curve, but an attainable one with time and experience to finding the proper nozzle and spray pattern for the conditions.

When a heating appliance is brand new, you've got to take the shutdown reading with a grain of salt, as there are still unburned oils from manufacturing and the like present. I find that to get the true results from an appliance, I have to go back after a few days of it running and re-test.

That is when you really find out the results in the working situation. (How many times have you seen a yellow trace of smoke while testing a boiler on startup...if you said never, you SHOULD be smoke testing!) Chris