285 PPM CO...on a brand new peice of equipment...

Mark Eatherton1

It's an atmospheric boiler. Brand new. Used during construction for temporairy heat. During the HO 101 today, I had to do the commissioning of the boiler. Commissioning includes performing a combustion analysis, manifold pressure etc. CO was staying high, approaching 300 parts per million. Most contractors whould not know this because they DO NOT TEST. If I hadn't tested, I WOULD NOT HAVE KNOWN.

It took me all of thirty minutes to pull the burners and clean the burners and secondary air tray. Put the whole shebang back together, fired it up and watched the CO settle down to 10 PPM.

If you don't test, you don't know, and there was nothing really that would have caused me any concern about the outward visual appearance on this system.

How many contractors fire these things on a daily basis and walk away thinking that everything is OK because it was a new system??

Thousands, daily, I'm sure.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE take the time to learn how to do it right...

The soap box is now free.

ME

S Ebels

You're preachin' to the choir here in Mich.

> It's an atmospheric boiler. Brand new. Used

> during construction for temporairy heat. During

> the HO 101 today, I had to do the commissioning

> of the boiler. Commissioning includes performing

> a combustion analysis, manifold pressure etc. CO

> was staying high, approaching 300 parts per

> million. Most contractors whould not know this

> because they DO NOT TEST. If I hadn't tested, I

> WOULD NOT HAVE KNOWN.

>

> It took me all of thirty

> minutes to pull the burners and clean the burners

> and secondary air tray. Put the whole shebang

> back together, fired it up and watched the CO

> settle down to 10 PPM.

>

> If you don't test, you

> don't know, and there was nothing really that

> would have caused me any concern about the

> outward visual appearance on this system.

>

> How

> many contractors fire these things on a daily

> basis and walk away thinking that everything is

> OK because it was a new system??

>

> Thousands,

> daily, I'm sure.

>

> PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE take the

> time to learn how to do it right...

>

> The soap

> box is now free.

>

> ME

S Ebels

You're preachin' to the choir here in Mich.

I can list about a dozen appliances, both furnaces and boilers that I have had the same thing on. If you can't test, you can't know.

Constantin

Congratulations...

Your conscientious nature ensures that the equipment you install is going to run safe when you leave it. I suppose there may be good reasons why the factory can't or won't adjust the equipment to produce little to no CO.

However, I like the Viessmann approach where they'll match a burner to a device, test and adjust, then send them to you as a unit. That way, you at least have a starting point.

Shipping and local conditions can be hazardous to proper operation as well... just a little plasterer dust can plug orifices, burner holes, etc. quite nicely and send unit performance to heck in a heartbeat. Now that the plastering is done, I'm going to ask the installer to come back and clean Ms. Vitola, get the dust out, etc.

Jim Davis_3

Trust me the choir never gets tired of hearing another tune. Just talked to another student yesterday from Waco,TX., and a friend of his wanted him to check his new oven. They had only used it once but it made their eyes water and gave them a headache. It rose to over 7000ppm at light-off and settle out at 5000ppm. It was set up by a factory person initially to factory specs. It is now set up according to real operation and produces less than 60ppm. Heating Contractors should realize that they are the only people that enter a home that actually may know how to test and set equipment correctly and that includes gas ovens.

Steamhead

Stoves and ovens are the worst

because they are generally not vented to the outside in residential applications.

We replaced the flex supplying a gas stove the other day, the lady "smelled gas". The existing flex wasn't brand-new but didn't look that bad, and we couldn't find a leak, but replaced it anyway. Turned the gas on to the new flex, no leaks. Started up the oven and.... ooh, that smell! Testo peaked at 2500 PPM. She was smelling the aldehydes resulting from poor combustion.

We got to this one in time, but we all know there are many, many more out there.

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