Chimney explosion?
Re: Chimney explosion?
Well look at this.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Electronic- ... /202312891
Cheaper than Amazon. Unfortunately NK does not stock it but Middletown has one. Maybe I'll just pick it up on the way home from work tomorrow.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Electronic- ... /202312891
Cheaper than Amazon. Unfortunately NK does not stock it but Middletown has one. Maybe I'll just pick it up on the way home from work tomorrow.
Re: Chimney explosion?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8UVtyEFaMf4
I've watched this guy's videos before. He replaces a bad igniter in this one. What is interesting is he replaces a Carlin, exactly like the one I have, and says they are known for crapping out or working intermittently. The reviews I read at Amazon actually mirror that. In the video he swears by the older transformer style which are 10kV instead of 14kV. The funny thing about that is the oil guy I had service my hot water heater burner in 2015 said the newer style Carlin ones are good. Now I don't think that's true.
So I will either get an old style transformer one, or try a Beckett electronic one. I will probably try the Beckett still.
I like how he tests it by shorting with a screwdriver and looking at how long the spark jumps. He says 3/4" is about right.
I've watched this guy's videos before. He replaces a bad igniter in this one. What is interesting is he replaces a Carlin, exactly like the one I have, and says they are known for crapping out or working intermittently. The reviews I read at Amazon actually mirror that. In the video he swears by the older transformer style which are 10kV instead of 14kV. The funny thing about that is the oil guy I had service my hot water heater burner in 2015 said the newer style Carlin ones are good. Now I don't think that's true.
So I will either get an old style transformer one, or try a Beckett electronic one. I will probably try the Beckett still.
I like how he tests it by shorting with a screwdriver and looking at how long the spark jumps. He says 3/4" is about right.
Re: Chimney explosion?
Here's one of replacing the igniter and nozzle.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RImm1j_13Pw
These burners are pretty easy to service.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RImm1j_13Pw
These burners are pretty easy to service.
Re: Chimney explosion?
Got my Beckett igniter at Home Depot in Middletown. They had 2 on the shelf. It was $37 and came with foam for the cad eye sensor, and new screws and hold-downs. Even new wire nuts.
Installation was pretty simple.
- Remove two screws (mine was missing one) and pull back the old igniter on its hinge. Those springs ride on the rods inside and conduct the ~10,000V to the tips where the oil sprays out.
- Remove flare nut, pull line away from nozzle cartridge, and remove the nut that holds it to the burner housing.
- After that the cartridge just slides right out. This is basically all the labor required when changing the nozzle, other than removing the nozzle from the cartridge. It was exactly as easy as it looked on Youtube.
- Mine was not really dirty at all, reinforcing that my system is running clean. Last service of this component was over 3 years ago.
- FINALLY I can identify my nozzle. Since things are working so well I assume it is the right spray angle and the air (for rich/lean) is tuned correctly for the nozzle size. It is a 1.25 GPH with 80° spray. Now that I know what the nozzle is I can order a new one. Or still consider downsizing to a 1.00.
- Bonus maintenance: I sanded and then lightly wire wheeled off the rods where the springs make contact. They were a little grimy.
- Now loosen the screws and remove the controller. This one looks original to the furnace judging by the rust. Everything is just wire-nutted together.
- I had disconnected the cad eye from the igniter and got one of the two screws out. The last one was rusted, requiring vice grips. Compared to cars in the snow belt, this was nothing. I carefully removed one wire at a time and connected the wire from the new igniter because both wires on the controller side were black (of course).
- Finally got the new igniter installed with the included screws. Got wires connected with included wire nuts. Punched out the new foam and installed the cad eye, and slid into its locking tabs on the igniter.
- All done! New hold downs and screws. Now my Beckett burner has a Beckett igniter. Makes sense.
Only real issue was that fitting I removed. I had trouble getting it to stop leaking. I will keep my eye on it and snug it down little by little until it stops because I don't want to strip anything. I actually remember the furnace guy having the same issue when he serviced it back in late 2014.
Total time: about 45 minutes. It took longer to drive to the store and back.
I look forward to tomorrow morning. If the heat turns on without me having to reset it, then it is fixed. I am sure it is fixed anyway.
For any natural gas doubters, I've been here 3 years and have now had to replace parts on both oil burners. My natural gas furnace at the old house, from 2007 (probably before) until now has only required one wiring repair which caused it not to shut off (a wire actually melted due to being run too close to the burners). That repair was free. Other than that, zero annual maintenance required, 10+ years.
Installation was pretty simple.
- Remove two screws (mine was missing one) and pull back the old igniter on its hinge. Those springs ride on the rods inside and conduct the ~10,000V to the tips where the oil sprays out.
Total time: about 45 minutes. It took longer to drive to the store and back.
I look forward to tomorrow morning. If the heat turns on without me having to reset it, then it is fixed. I am sure it is fixed anyway.
For any natural gas doubters, I've been here 3 years and have now had to replace parts on both oil burners. My natural gas furnace at the old house, from 2007 (probably before) until now has only required one wiring repair which caused it not to shut off (a wire actually melted due to being run too close to the burners). That repair was free. Other than that, zero annual maintenance required, 10+ years.
Re: Chimney explosion?
Bonus info on cad cell:
https://www.beckettcorp.com/support/tec ... -cad-cell/
Cad apparently stands for cadmium sulfide. The link also has resistance specs. So if you have a burner that actually works and then shuts down (after the timer expires, usually 45 seconds or so) for no apparent reason, this part should be looked at and measured. There is an old one draped around some wires on my furnace.
https://www.beckettcorp.com/support/tec ... -cad-cell/
Cad apparently stands for cadmium sulfide. The link also has resistance specs. So if you have a burner that actually works and then shuts down (after the timer expires, usually 45 seconds or so) for no apparent reason, this part should be looked at and measured. There is an old one draped around some wires on my furnace.
Re: Chimney explosion?
Pretty good. Hopefully that was it. I am not sure if I would mess with the nozzle because won't you then have to adjust air ratio? Is that difficult?
Re: Chimney explosion?
That's the one thing holding me back. My options include:
- Don't adjust. Just let it run leaner. This might actually work, as long as it ignites reliably.
- Maybe I can adjust by spec (i.e. maybe there is a position on the housing for the air damper that corresponds to the nozzle size - need to look into this)
- Buy expensive instrumentation and actually adjust properly by CO2, CO, smoke, etc.
I should make a note since this will probably come up tomorrow: I had my furnace serviced as part of my home inspection in 2014 and I had my hot water heater burner repaired in late 2015 by a different company. Neither of these guys actually attempted to measure and then set the air damper position. They must have assumed that things are running fine so no adjustment is needed. That has been the same assumption I am carrying. But changing nozzle size would seem to require some actual instrumentation to do it right.
- Don't adjust. Just let it run leaner. This might actually work, as long as it ignites reliably.
- Maybe I can adjust by spec (i.e. maybe there is a position on the housing for the air damper that corresponds to the nozzle size - need to look into this)
- Buy expensive instrumentation and actually adjust properly by CO2, CO, smoke, etc.
I should make a note since this will probably come up tomorrow: I had my furnace serviced as part of my home inspection in 2014 and I had my hot water heater burner repaired in late 2015 by a different company. Neither of these guys actually attempted to measure and then set the air damper position. They must have assumed that things are running fine so no adjustment is needed. That has been the same assumption I am carrying. But changing nozzle size would seem to require some actual instrumentation to do it right.
Re: Chimney explosion?
Yeah, I agree with this, that is what I was saying. I wonder if the instrumentation is actually that much.But changing nozzle size would seem to require some actual instrumentation to do it right.
Re: Chimney explosion?
The "good news" is it won't cost more than this, because this is a professional tool:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Testo-310-0563 ... SwYlRZHuW1
Well I guess there is the Testo 320 with printer....for $1400.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Testo-320-Comb ... 5731.m3795
Here's a used UEi C125 for $249. Getting better.
https://www.ebay.com/p/UEi-C125-Eagle-2 ... 0005.m1851
For $249 that pretty much pays for itself on the first usage.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Testo-310-0563 ... SwYlRZHuW1
Well I guess there is the Testo 320 with printer....for $1400.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Testo-320-Comb ... 5731.m3795
Here's a used UEi C125 for $249. Getting better.
https://www.ebay.com/p/UEi-C125-Eagle-2 ... 0005.m1851
For $249 that pretty much pays for itself on the first usage.