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Bacharach wet kit

Ragu_3
Ragu_3 Member Posts: 3
in THE MAIN WALL
I only tried an electronic unit once, and the o2 sensor was bad. Hear a lot of that on The Wall. How do you guys justify the purchase/ongoing costs of an electronic unit? Do you gain in speed AND accuracy on your tests? Do you charge per use? What is the payback? Thanks.

Comments

  • Biged
    Biged Member Posts: 117
    Bacharach wet kit

    Don't throw away those wet kit yet. I neglected to check the date for servicing my fyrite pro.so I scheduled all my spring tune ups, when I notice my O2 reading zero ...oops I had two more scheduled for the day, what to do? the trusty old wet kit prevented me from losing three days work the time it would take to ship to N.J. and back.
  • sootmonkey
    sootmonkey Member Posts: 158
    yep

    Yep i keep both in the van...service manager wants wet kit back for new guy...keep putting him off....good lumber jack owns to working chain saws...
  • Firedragon_4
    Firedragon_4 Member Posts: 1,436
    That's why I still

    teach wet-kit use and maintenance right along with the electronics. Right now the plan is to do that for a long, long time.


    www.firedragonent.com

  • Mark Hunt
    Mark Hunt Member Posts: 4,909
    With all due respect


    When are you going back to finish the combustion testing?

    You have a CO2 number, will you guarantee that the CO numbers were in line with only the limited data you were able to collect?

    I respect you Biged, I read all of your posts here and at OTT. But if the wet kit is good enough, why bother with anything else?

    Mark H

    To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"
  • Biged
    Biged Member Posts: 117
    I wiil Return

    as soon as I get it back , it won't be a problem.
  • Jim Davis_3
    Jim Davis_3 Member Posts: 578


    Biged-Just a word of advice-Don't send your analyzer to NJ for an O2 sensor, they are field replaceable. They could have your unit 4-6 weeks. There are other self-checks you can do to verify other functions. Sensors have a one year warranty but unless you know when it was last replaced you will be charged for a new one even if it is less than a year old. There are faster ways to get it repaired when it does need fixing other than NJ.
  • sootmonkey
    sootmonkey Member Posts: 158
    Ragu

    I am very new to electronic testers. I have had the use of a Fyrite pro 125 for about 3 months now. There is a learning curve as to use and care of it. I have had no problems at all that required factory support. I have found that it is no quicker to do "A" combustion test with a fyrite 125 than with the "old" kit. The advantage with the 125 is seen in the ability to dial in the burner. The 125 is hugely (is that a word) faster at doing the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, ....100th test. I bet that I can do test number 2 in 10 seconds with the 125. IE: Adjust air and see O2, O, Stack temp, effincy, exss. air, and a rough draft reading. Like I said, it takes about the same amout of time to set up and take the first test as it takes to get the first test from the old kit, after that the 125 SMOKES the wet kit. More info, much faster. Let me state this right now, before I got the 125, I knew everything...I mean everything about combustion. (come on guys, Im just deluding myself :0). Just by using the 125, you will learn so much more. If you work on direct vent appliances, it is my opion that you CAN NOT set them up with out this tool. To try to set one up with a wet kit would take longer than even the most decated tech would be willing to spend. When I requested one from the service manager, I told him that I didnt need the printer. The unit came with a printer anyway. I am glad that it did and would order it with the printer again. My complants with the 125 are as follows...The case that the unit comes in. I would like to have a case that would hold the 125 and the following... The smoke tester and the draft gage that comes with the wet kit. If you are going to purchase a 125, I would buy 6 extra filters and a couple of rolls of printer paper. The extra filters would be for the "learning curve" that you may need. Hint, take a smoke test before you stick your 125 probe in :0. I have talked about the 125 in this post because it is the only tester that I have experence with. Bottom line is "I love it, use it every day" just one monkeys bannanna
  • Rudy
    Rudy Member Posts: 482
    Paybacks

    Hi Ragu, I figure you are going to have about $15 - $20 a month average to keep up the instrument, much less if you service and calibrate it yourself.

    The newer Pros read out the strength of the O2 sensor during the 60 second warm up period so you know when to order a new one. There are alot of things you can do to extend the life of the sensors - there is a section regarding that on our application website.

    Sensor replacement and calibration info for the 125 is at the www.bacharach-training.com website if you want to take a look - it is easy, the instrument was specifically designed to be serviced by the contractor - this ain't rocket science!!

    In terms of the investment, you will speed up your tune ups considerably and you will absolutely find more service work and equipment replacements. Plus, to me it makes the job more rewarding - I get to see exactly what is going on.

    Having printing capabilities will provide hard copy documentation of problems and that the problems were fixed. The printer is also a great marketing tool!!

    The shaker bottles are very dependable - but it's 1932 technology. Plus they don't measure CO - a critical issue, particularly as equipment becomes more and more sophisticated. To me the shaker bottle is alot like the mini spare tire in my car. It's nice to have when you need it, but I can't do 90 mph with it and power slides through the turns are out of the question....

    I know there have been a few complaints about the electronics on this and other discussion boards.

    What can I say - whether a manufacturer's problem or a customer's problem, I strongly advocate for our customers (to the point of seriously getting my butt in a sling a couple of times - gotta keep reminding myself who signs my paycheck!!).

    If there is a problem with your instrument, I will take care of it - one way or another, folks just have to get in touch!
  • Mark Hunt
    Mark Hunt Member Posts: 4,909
    From the field


    I can say that our testing equipment paid for itself with one month of owning it. It is the most important tool we have.

    Our Fyrite-Pros get some serious work out and other than having to change an O2 sensor, no major repairs have ever been required.

    As Rudy points out, the wet kit only gives you a CO2 reading while the electronic testers show you CO2, O2 and most importantly CO. There are few folks that post regularly here that have saved peoples lives because they were able to test for CO. One saved life is a heck of a payback.

    We can find cracked HX's using these units as well. That allows us the opportunity to replace unsafe equipment.

    We can fine tune our adjusments to combustion equipment which helps lower our customers annual fuel bills. They then brag about us to the neighbors and then we get calls from them.

    I would recommend attending a class or two on testing, perhaps even get into one of Rudy's classes. That will help ease the learning curve.

    Mark H

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