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Barometric damper for oil burner
Mike_Sheppard
Posts: 630Member
What brand of barometric dampers do you guys prefer for oil applications (single acting). I am going to replace the four on these oil burners I posted about before. They are 8 inch. They currently have double acting dampers in them and I’d like to switch to single acting.
The current ones are very worn out and the dampers get stuck sometimes.
The current ones are very worn out and the dampers get stuck sometimes.
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Comments
If you need one, I like the Field Controls one with the weight on the side, but none of them are really robust.
You should be at positive pressure at the breach, so you vent pipe needs to be sealed.
Manual if you need it:
https://www.weil-mclain.com/sites/default/files/field-file/Weil-McLain_80-Series1_BoilerManual_550141935_1018.pdf
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The customer mentioned to me that in the past they have had incidents where the combustion was off and they would huff and spill smoke and soot into the boiler room from the dampers. The current ones are in bad shape, very worn out. I want to replace them with the proper single acting dampers.
These ones are also Field Controls brand.
I will look into it. Thank you!
When a pressure-firing boiler such as the W-M 80 series is vented into a chimney, it is NOT running as a "forced-draft" unit, but as a "balanced-draft" unit. Everything past the breech damper is (or should be) running under negative draft. Among other things, this insures that combustion products do not spill into the boiler room.
Therefore, even though the flue collar is 8-inch, the table says you need to increase the chimney connector (smoke pipe) size to 11-inch and have at least an 11-inch round or 12x16 rectangular chimney flue that is at least 15 feet high.
Since they don't make 11-inch smoke pipe or barometrics, you're looking at 12-inch ones. Barometrics in these sizes are suitable for oil or gas firing- you simply remove a stop to allow double-swing use for gas.
OK, this is gonna cost a bit more, but it'll solve your problems. We do this on every pressure-firing boiler we install that vents into a chimney, and it works every time.
Do these boilers all have their own chimneys, or does more than one boiler fire into the same chimney?
"Reducing our country's energy consumption, one system at a time"
Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
Oil & Gas Burner Service
Baltimore, MD (USA) and consulting anywhere.
https://heatinghelp.com/find-a-contractor/detail/all-steamed-up-inc
You can probably get away with taking the barometric's off. Unless you have an abundance of draft you probably don't need them
If your system is running under positive pressure then really and truly you should be using listed pressure vent at least for the connectors until it turns north and goes negative. Need to take measurements to be sure.
@Steamhead each one has it’s own b vent that goes straight up through the roof about 40 feet in length.
They definitely need dampers. If I hold the dampers closed they have way too much draft.
Nothing wrong with their current setup. The dampers are just worn out on a couple of them. Was just wondering what brand you guys like.
>
> @Steamhead each one has it’s own b vent that goes straight up through the roof about 40 feet in length.
You mean triple wall chimney vent right?
Field, I don't know what else is available. If the stacks are 40' you need barometrics for sure.
Now that you have the burners smoothed out hopefully the barometrics will not be banging and puffing soot
@EBEBRATT-Ed no more puffing soot. Before I even started on the burners I had to clean all the soot out of the boiler room. So far so good.
"Reducing our country's energy consumption, one system at a time"
Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
Oil & Gas Burner Service
Baltimore, MD (USA) and consulting anywhere.
https://heatinghelp.com/find-a-contractor/detail/all-steamed-up-inc
Forced-draft is really intended for a boiler that exhausts into a short stub flue that just goes through an outside wall and ends.
"Reducing our country's energy consumption, one system at a time"
Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
Oil & Gas Burner Service
Baltimore, MD (USA) and consulting anywhere.
https://heatinghelp.com/find-a-contractor/detail/all-steamed-up-inc
There are just a lot of issues to fix here. At least they shouldn't soot up as quickly anymore and bang the barometrics open every time they light off.
Ed's favorite, 2 pipe. Although by code you are not allowed to have a shut off on the return line.
Also had a 700 hp cleaver brooks oil filter blow out next to me when the engineer turned the transfer pumps on and left the return valve closed. I took a fuel oil bath. Completely soaked from head to toe.
Here is a picture of the hole drilled in the diffuser. Scanner is directly behind it. I don’t think I took a good picture of the scanner.
"Reducing our country's energy consumption, one system at a time"
Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
Oil & Gas Burner Service
Baltimore, MD (USA) and consulting anywhere.
https://heatinghelp.com/find-a-contractor/detail/all-steamed-up-inc
It's the main reason why I hate 2 pipe. Oil could dump on the floor all night and the burner could still run.
Explain to them it's against code and needs to be removed for safety to avoid damage, and risk a major spill. If you can't, at least remove the handles and try to permanently tag them to remain open. You can still have the same issue if any of the return line gets blocked.
Transfer pumps shouldn't be putting any pressure on the filter, or fuel pump, or pressuring the oil line to the fuel pump as even with an OSV, you could still blow out the pump seals.
Transfer should only be filling a day tank (I hope).
The clean head looks good. I don't see a way around not having the hole, even if you switch to a cad cell.
Looks like you're doing a fantastic job and hopefully no one will touch them after you have them humming nicely.
Had a medical research facility call me on new years eve. Drove two hours there. Two large Riello burners on firetube boilers. Both seals were blown and dumping oil on the floor. I asked if they both blew at the same time. He said no, the first on blew about a month ago and they ignored it. He was upset to find out I didn't carry commercial Riello oil pumps on my truck... Wouldn't have fixed it anyways, the return line to the tank was clogged. They ended up abandoning the underground tank and installed new ones.
Their transfer pump is currently maintaining 2 psi on the loop. I am actually not familiar with these Suntec pumps, I am used to the webster pumps on larger burners being able to handle 5 psi on the suction side. They currently do not have day tanks. The transfer pump maintains pressure on a loop and the burner pumps draw off of it.
That hole in the diffuser looks factory to me. Lead sulphide (infrared) needs to see flickering light won't work with reflected light or a light bulb like a cad cell will. Much safer and more sensitive (and more trouble LOL) than a cad cell.
infrared works on oil or gas as does uv although infared is usually a better on oil and uv is better on gas, most use uv now don't see that much infrared anymore at least around here
Depending on the code requirements (did I read Military somewhere) that explains no cad cell
I fact with infrared those could be "self checking scanners and amplifiers" ....you might take a look.used to be required in MA. on oil over 20gph firing rate. I think the FEDS require self checking.
As far as I know you can't use UV for self checking unless you use the big scanner with a shutter in it.........wont fit in the blast tube
Every good two pipe system has checks
8.7.4 The pressure at the fuel supply inlet to an appliance shall not exceed a gauge pressure of 3 psi unless the appliance is approved for a higher inlet pressure.
9.2.13 Means shall be provided to limit the oil pressure at the appliance inlet to a maximum gauge pressure of 3 psi.
8.7.7 Fuel Return Piping.
A return line from a burner or a pump back to a supply tank shall have no valves or obstruction except for a hard-seat or ball valve that shall be left in the open position, with the handle removed, and shall enter the top of the same tank.