Wow what a great video and it’s over a decade old. I’m studying for the FDNY low pressure oil burner exam and was having trouble visualizing a certain section of the packet which was explaining the combustion chamber and reflected heat. Thank you sir, even 11 years later your effort is helping people
Per usual, you’ve given me significant insight into another issue with my oil burner. Thank you for making these videos, saving my sanity and helping me keep my family safe!!! God Bless 🙏
certainly the best approach to teaching i've seen. very revealing both the viewing and the verbal presentation. your care in instructing the principles is without peer. i enjoy your videos and hope you continue.
That combustion chamber liner is also there to protect the metal behind it from burning out. The flame must be adjusted so it doesn’t get so long as to lap onto the heat exchanger above. Good video.
@grayfurnaceman: Your videos have been very helpful since I first had to troubleshoot my furnace on Christmas Day years ago! I run a 1.1GHP - 80B nozzle on my Beckett AFG burner on a short barrel, heat exchanger, in a low-boy forced hot air furnace. Beckett says both the F6 & F12 combustion/flame retention heads are within range of the nozzle I run, but given the choice, I am inclined to always run the smaller slot sized, F6 head, so I can run with a little more air pressure behind the head. The original head was an F12, and I had to run the burner with the fresh air intake almost entirely closed to get the air setting correct. As for flame color, I've found that if it's orange, like the Sun at dusk, it's air-starved, or if it's almost white, you have way too much air and you're blowing heat right up your chimney. You want to to be much closer to "just not orange", than "almost white". Also, if you have a Beckett burner that won't stay lit, check your drive coupling between the pump and the motor; they are plastic and the square drive hole rounds out over time. You may start the hear clicking, and when it gets bad enough, your fuel pressure will not maintain a steady pressure, and you'll get constant flame-outs.
Love your videos !! I'm an 80 year old man who has never done any work on my furnace but I would like to start doing the very simple stuff ,so , can I replace the oil filter element on the oil filter canister with any other one as long as they look the same and fit . Thant You .
You sir, ROCK!!! watched your videos, and learned to tear down my furnace, find the gun clogged with soot and make it run like NEW again. THANK YOU!! tuned perfectly now!!
I have worked on a number of these burners. The technology is fairly common. The 2 worst problems with them are pump failures and the need for cleaning of the heat exchanger quite often. If I get one of these I will do some vids on it. GFM
You really did not explain the proper air setting you showed what happens with too much air, but you didn’t show what the flame looks like with the ideal the right amount of air. I would like to see what the flame looks like. We can’t look in from the top looking in through the flame port what does the flame look like with the proper air fuel mixture, please?
Thanks for the video, I never get to service these furnaces where I am located. I enjoy learning about them and seeing the fire box first hand is cool.
you are right. most people just dump oil in a trash can. this guy seems to have a good idea that only needs a patent to get it going. i wish i was an engineer. i would help design this burner he is using.
All your videos are so informative... thank you so much!!!... I have a Beckett oil burner that calls for 65gph nozzle.. but I noticed the previous home owner installed a 60gph nozzle.. everyone up here burns kerosene #1 fuel because of the weather.. My question is with kerosene should I using the 65 or the 60 nozzle?
I have a mobile home with a kerosene burner ,Can I replace the burner assembly complete from a regular oil burner unit is it the nozzle that is the only difference?
There will be a series on oil flame. Oil burners are the only ones we can still make a difference on by the air adjustments so they are kind of fun, if stinky. GFM
gfm, would you say that the best oil flame can be found by reducing air to the point of smoke/soot, and then adding just enough air until the soot stops?
Mine was making black styrofoam I think heat exchanger is clogged it blows back out peep hole and look like not enough air situation how do you clean heat exchanger I made sure burner was clean as well chimney but still not clean burn
this kind of stuff only dummies like me would try. i was amazed at how much energy there is in a pint of oil drained from my old ltd ford. just a half pint would have made the flue red. i saw a drip sustem back in an old popular mechanics. you could crank it ip or down to help your oak or whatever last a long time and turn it off when you went to bed. u ever heard of it?
right i also know there's many types of it around such as jet fuel an aviation version #1 fuel oil that somewhat in between kerosene and #1 grade diesel an it's extremely difficult to light without it being atomize or turned into a vapor
Some combustion chambers make it pretty much impossible to actually see the flame. A smoke pump is the only way to determine flame health. GFM@@taimeinstone1955
So, when the fuel cuts off, the cone comes back over the nozzle, wetting the nozzle and adapter. I assume it burns off the next firing. on mine, not only is the nozzle wet, the adapter AND the electrodes wet up, and any carbon produced gets thick and it shorts. also,I'm having an issue of "threads" of carbon hanging off the electrode tips. I assume this is from unburned/overaired flame, not burning enough of the fuel. I think the solution to my problem is to reduce the air over the fire, and ensure a clean burn. Am I missing something?
@@grayfurnaceman thanks for the reply. My electrodes are set as per the usual instructions: 1/8x1/8x7/16 inches or so. I'll have to pull the whole gun assembly to see WHERE the nozzle sits in relation to the head.
@@theThinkerator The depth of the gun assembly is probably where your problem lies. I would be looking down the tube at the head. Probably the head will need, at the very least, cleaning. GFM
@@grayfurnaceman You know what? I clean the gun assembly 3 times a day due to the fouling. but I never worried about the depth it sat, due to very LITTLE adjustment on my unit. So I took the nozzle assembly out, cleaned it again, and using a mirror, took a good look in the tube. it was all clean (a bit rusty due to age, I guess, but no soot to speak of) When I was reassembling it, I pushed it into the tube as far as it could go, and using my mirror, I could see the nozzle from the burn chamber side. everything appeared OK to me. So, I tightened everything up, and it has been running good for over 24 hours. This is a HUGE improvement. I'm thinking about replaceing the end of the tube. it has a turbulator on it, but it is old style Convex shaped. Could I put one of those "flame retention heads" type ends on it?
@@theThinkerator First, if you don't have a retention head burner, you should. They can sometimes be retrofitted to older burners but the retention head burner took over the industry 50 years ago. I would replace the burner. GFM
@@grayfurnaceman I drilled a hole in the stack and inserted a length of hobby shop brass tube and adjust the air until there is no soot when I wipe the tube.
Shouldnt look like a rocket booster and on the other end it should have a 'lazy' flame like a campfire. It should be almost too bright to want to look at. Also a good flame should have the burn chamber glowing red like the video.
only adventurers would try this. experimentation nearly caught my house on fire using used motor oil. i like this guy's spirit. the industry burns oil in generating plants. i do know they try to keep the temp high to stop the smoke. it does work. the video i saw showed a good hot fire in part of it. one man told me to heat the oil before dripping it into the heating chamber. this is a good way to get rid of waste oil and warm your butt at the same time. what you think?
@@grayfurnaceman thank you... I just am not near my furnace at the cottage... I can't rake a good lack it. I likely would have noticed. Thanks for all your videos. They are so interesting.
I enjoy your videos- very instructional and informational. However I have some questions pertaining to a furnace I am working on. I want to know if I describe the senarios are you going to get back to me. I don't want to waste my time typing and explaining and not get a response. Ben there done that ! I hope for a reply. Thank you Garry Clark
Thank you so much ! The short of it first. Its an older Wayne Blue Angel HS. Put in new nozzle .75x80. Cleaned the whole burner - bought and set new trodes {Crown universal # 31156-K - got the number from Wayne} to burner specs. NOTE - Except moved the trodes out to 1/8" from face of nozzle per tech persons advise from Wayne - it called for 1/16". Checked transformer spark - looked just like your spark from video. I thought before checking spark that possibly the transformer was weak and it was breaking spark. I have ruled that out to a certain degree but - you never know ! Called Wayne back and talked to John again. I asked him if maybe the spark is getting to much air and blowing it out. Lower baffle was set at 3 1/2. He said set it to 1 1/2 to 2. Secondary baffle was set at about 2. No need to adjust. Fired it up - ran decent, sounded good, flame looked good, exhaust looked good with plenty of fresh air - cycled through blower 2x then turned it off. Let it set for about an hour. Fired it up again- ran for 20 to 30 seconds and then kicked off. Fired it up again same result. Added a little more air -same result then added a little more air - same result. Then back to the 1 1/2 setting. Same result. 1} The Wayne tech did mention that the Suntec a2va-7116 pump has a built in check valve and if the pressure drops tp 80 to 90 psi the check valve will close off fuel flow. 2} Wondering if I should move the electrodes back to 1/16" away from face of nozzle even though the tech said put them at 1/8". 3} Wondering if fuel is contaminated - although looks good in bleeder jar. 4} still wondering about possible weak transformer - yet spark looked great. Thank you for listening and and thoughts or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Garry Clark
@@garryclark9313 You may be barking up the wrong tree. Even if the spark weakens after startup, the spark is generally not needed after the flame is lit (I leave the spark on continuously anyway). If the drop out is within the trial for ignition, (up to 40 seconds and less on newer cad cell relays) you could have a flame detection problem. This is assuming the flame is on until the shut down occurs. Cad cell positioning must be looking straight at the flame. Cad cell resistance should be above 20,000 ohms dark and less than 1,000 when lighted. GFM
All your videos are so informative... thank you so much!!!... I have a Beckett oil burner that calls for 65gph nozzle.. but I noticed the previous home owner installed a 60gph nozzle.. everyone up here burns kerosene #1 fuel because of the weather.. My question is with kerosene should I using the 65 or the 60 nozzle?
@@mikefedor78 I'm not a tech but k1 i believe is 'thinner' and more volatile. If the nozzles were the same or smaller when running k1 vs no.2 oil, probably dropping your pumps psi might not be out of line. Again this is theory from a non hvac tech. Just a joe.
you should keep warning people about using waste oil etc. my dumb ass decided to use a little used motor oil on a real cold night. end of story, i had to stand outside our shack with the hose at ready. that shit burns DAMN good when it gets air. i shut the vents and i thought i was gonna burn our shack down. i do like the idea of using waste oil but we got to get a way to meter the oil and control the oxegen source. you had one part that had a good burn on it. u use it for heat?
exactly. the design i saw has a metred system that dripped used motor oil on a hot fire an the smoke from it was fairly clear but still emitted a lot of british thermal units or BTUs to the shop. i would like to see someone really develop the idea. do it like benny franklin. donate all inventions to the public domain. that includes the world. giving your talent is a good way to be remembered.
duno why but althought oil furnaces are bad for the environment, I miss my oil furnace from years ago at a house I use to live at.... Hell most of the houses in Southern Oshawa are oil furnaces.... I miss the heat, and watching the bright orange flame through the peep hole
Oil furnaces use #1 And/or #2 depending on whether the tank is in the basement or outside where it gets colder Mine is in the basement & uses #2 while my neighbors tank is outside & uses #1 You Can use #1 with an inside tank, but you wouldn't want to use #2 with an outside tank in the colder climates You'd think an oil furnace repair man Would Have Known That It helps to understand the subject before you try to explain it to others At 3:05 Atomized or vaporized oil burns. Evaporated Doesn't
Wow what a great video and it’s over a decade old. I’m studying for the FDNY low pressure oil burner exam and was having trouble visualizing a certain section of the packet which was explaining the combustion chamber and reflected heat. Thank you sir, even 11 years later your effort is helping people
Per usual, you’ve given me significant insight into another issue with my oil burner. Thank you for making these videos, saving my sanity and helping me keep my family safe!!! God Bless 🙏
certainly the best approach to teaching i've seen. very revealing both the viewing and the verbal presentation. your care in instructing the principles is without peer. i enjoy your videos and hope you continue.
+Nelson Vega Thanks for the support.
GFM
That combustion chamber liner is also there to protect the metal behind it from burning out. The flame must be adjusted so it doesn’t get so long as to lap onto the heat exchanger above. Good video.
@grayfurnaceman: Your videos have been very helpful since I first had to troubleshoot my furnace on Christmas Day years ago!
I run a 1.1GHP - 80B nozzle on my Beckett AFG burner on a short barrel, heat exchanger, in a low-boy forced hot air furnace. Beckett says both the F6 & F12 combustion/flame retention heads are within range of the nozzle I run, but given the choice, I am inclined to always run the smaller slot sized, F6 head, so I can run with a little more air pressure behind the head. The original head was an F12, and I had to run the burner with the fresh air intake almost entirely closed to get the air setting correct. As for flame color, I've found that if it's orange, like the Sun at dusk, it's air-starved, or if it's almost white, you have way too much air and you're blowing heat right up your chimney. You want to to be much closer to "just not orange", than "almost white".
Also, if you have a Beckett burner that won't stay lit, check your drive coupling between the pump and the motor; they are plastic and the square drive hole rounds out over time. You may start the hear clicking, and when it gets bad enough, your fuel pressure will not maintain a steady pressure, and you'll get constant flame-outs.
Love your videos !! I'm an 80 year old man who has never done any work on my furnace but I would like to start doing the very simple stuff ,so , can I replace the oil filter element on the oil filter canister with any other one as long as they look the same and fit . Thant You .
You sir, ROCK!!! watched your videos, and learned to tear down my furnace, find the gun clogged with soot and make it run like NEW again. THANK YOU!! tuned perfectly now!!
lowzone69 Glad I could help.GFM
I have worked on a number of these burners. The technology is fairly common. The 2 worst problems with them are pump failures and the need for cleaning of the heat exchanger quite often. If I get one of these I will do some vids on it.
GFM
You really did not explain the proper air setting you showed what happens with too much air, but you didn’t show what the flame looks like with the ideal the right amount of air. I would like to see what the flame looks like. We can’t look in from the top looking in through the flame port what does the flame look like with the proper air fuel mixture, please?
Generally, the oil furnaces use #2 fuel oil and stoves use #1 which is a lighter, more volatile oil.
GFM
Thanks for the video, I never get to service these furnaces where I am located. I enjoy learning about them and seeing the fire box first hand is cool.
Great video! Thats exactly what I was looking for. Color differences, why and whats better.
you are right. most people just dump oil in a trash can. this guy seems to have a good idea that only needs a patent to get it going. i wish i was an engineer. i would help design this burner he is using.
Huh? Lots of people run waste oil heaters up here in Maine. Most loggers heat their shops and lube their bar and chains with filtered, used motor oil.
All your videos are so informative... thank you so much!!!... I have a Beckett oil burner that calls for 65gph nozzle.. but I noticed the previous home owner installed a 60gph nozzle.. everyone up here burns kerosene #1 fuel because of the weather.. My question is with kerosene should I using the 65 or the 60 nozzle?
I don't think it makes an appreciable difference unless the furnace cannot keep up with the load.
GFM
I have a mobile home with a kerosene burner ,Can I replace the burner assembly complete from a regular oil burner unit is it the nozzle that is the only difference?
in Chattanooga and north Georgia i seen a bit of homes that have oil heat
we also have oil burning radiant stoves that use the same heating oil
There will be a series on oil flame. Oil burners are the only ones we can still make a difference on by the air adjustments so they are kind of fun, if stinky.
GFM
No fun in cleaning out a sooted up heat exchanger. Some of the old ones used asbestos gaskets behind the clean out plates.
Great visual and explanation.
gfm, would you say that the best oil flame can be found by reducing air to the point of smoke/soot, and then adding just enough air until the soot stops?
just watched your other oil burner videos and got my answer. thanks!
Mine was making black styrofoam I think heat exchanger is clogged it blows back out peep hole and look like not enough air situation how do you clean heat exchanger I made sure burner was clean as well chimney but still not clean burn
I did some videos on cleaning the heat exchanger: ua-cam.com/video/8ha2LRyGRpc/v-deo.html
GFM
this kind of stuff only dummies like me would try. i was amazed at how much energy there is in a pint of oil drained from my old ltd ford. just a half pint would have made the flue red. i saw a drip sustem back in an old popular mechanics. you could crank it ip or down to help your oak or whatever last a long time and turn it off when you went to bed. u ever heard of it?
You are the best man keep the good work
That furnace is a mule for training. Waste oil will not work in these pressure burners. It will not atomize. It must be preheated and aerated.
GFM
i guest it might be kerosene or some #1 oil like it, although we do use both kinds of oil heat here along with gas and electric far as i know
I guest because it burns cleaner it will mostly be #2 in any mix humid or colder climates both you will need heat in
right i also know there's many types of it around such as jet fuel an aviation version #1 fuel oil that somewhat in between kerosene and #1 grade diesel an it's extremely difficult to light without it being atomize or turned into a vapor
Should you be able to see the flame through the peep hole I can see the orange glow but no flame
Thinking I need to take air away but the burner proofed getting close
Some combustion chambers make it pretty much impossible to actually see the flame.
A smoke pump is the only way to determine flame health.
GFM@@taimeinstone1955
Great video Thanks for posting !!
Welcome
GFM
WOW, great video. thanks
How do you do the air flow
Not really clear. You said you turned it up and the flame got bigger. You opened up the air or closed up the air to turn up the flame?
Reducing the air to the burner makes the flame bigger.
GFM
So, when the fuel cuts off, the cone comes back over the nozzle, wetting the nozzle and adapter.
I assume it burns off the next firing.
on mine, not only is the nozzle wet, the adapter AND the electrodes wet up, and any carbon produced gets thick and it shorts.
also,I'm having an issue of "threads" of carbon hanging off the electrode tips.
I assume this is from unburned/overaired flame, not burning enough of the fuel.
I think the solution to my problem is to reduce the air over the fire, and ensure a clean burn.
Am I missing something?
Yes, you are missing something. You are impinging. The oil spray is contacting the head or the electrodes. You need to adjust the gun assembly.
GFM
@@grayfurnaceman thanks for the reply. My electrodes are set as per the usual instructions: 1/8x1/8x7/16 inches or so.
I'll have to pull the whole gun assembly to see WHERE the nozzle sits in relation to the head.
@@theThinkerator The depth of the gun assembly is probably where your problem lies. I would be looking down the tube at the head. Probably the head will need, at the very least, cleaning.
GFM
@@grayfurnaceman You know what? I clean the gun assembly 3 times a day due to the fouling.
but I never worried about the depth it sat, due to very LITTLE adjustment on my unit.
So I took the nozzle assembly out, cleaned it again, and using a mirror, took a good look in the tube. it was all clean (a bit rusty due to age, I guess, but no soot to speak of)
When I was reassembling it, I pushed it into the tube as far as it could go, and using my mirror, I could see the nozzle from the burn chamber side. everything appeared OK to me. So, I tightened everything up, and it has been running good for over 24 hours.
This is a HUGE improvement.
I'm thinking about replaceing the end of the tube. it has a turbulator on it, but it is old style Convex shaped.
Could I put one of those "flame retention heads" type ends on it?
@@theThinkerator First, if you don't have a retention head burner, you should. They can sometimes be retrofitted to older burners but the retention head burner took over the industry 50 years ago. I would replace the burner.
GFM
Great video!
If you only have a spy hole how do you know if the flame is to cold or hot ? Is the color of the hot flame the key?
Color is sometimes used, but it is not accurate. That's where you need combustion analysis tools.
GFM
@@grayfurnaceman I drilled a hole in the stack and inserted a length of hobby shop brass tube and adjust the air until there is no soot when I wipe the tube.
Shouldnt look like a rocket booster and on the other end it should have a 'lazy' flame like a campfire. It should be almost too bright to want to look at. Also a good flame should have the burn chamber glowing red like the video.
only adventurers would try this. experimentation nearly caught my house on fire using used motor oil. i like this guy's spirit. the industry burns oil in generating plants. i do know they try to keep the temp high to stop the smoke. it does work. the video i saw showed a good hot fire in part of it. one man told me to heat the oil before dripping it into the heating chamber. this is a good way to get rid of waste oil and warm your butt at the same time. what you think?
Is it the oil pressure adjuster that adjusts the air intake?
No, the air shutters are between the pump and the burner housing.
GFM
@@grayfurnaceman thank you... I just am not near my furnace at the cottage... I can't rake a good lack it. I likely would have noticed. Thanks for all your videos. They are so interesting.
sir i want a furnace wherein i get a hole from where i can get my molten liquid run out is it possible
If you are trying to melt metal other than steel, any burner and combustion chamber will work ok. The flame temp will be over 1800F.
GFM
I enjoy your videos- very instructional and informational. However I have some questions pertaining to a furnace I am working on. I want to know if I describe the senarios are you going to get back to me. I don't want to waste my time typing and explaining and not get a response. Ben there done that ! I hope for a reply. Thank you Garry Clark
Go ahead and send. I will respond.
GFM
Thank you so much ! The short of it first. Its an older Wayne Blue Angel HS. Put in new nozzle .75x80. Cleaned the whole burner - bought and set new trodes {Crown universal # 31156-K - got the number from Wayne} to burner specs. NOTE - Except moved the trodes out to 1/8" from face of nozzle per tech persons advise from Wayne - it called for 1/16". Checked transformer spark - looked just like your spark from video. I thought before checking spark that possibly the transformer was weak and it was breaking spark. I have ruled that out to a certain degree but - you never know ! Called Wayne back and talked to John again. I asked him if maybe the spark is getting to much air and blowing it out. Lower baffle was set at 3 1/2. He said set it to 1 1/2 to 2. Secondary baffle was set at about 2. No need to adjust. Fired it up - ran decent, sounded good, flame looked good, exhaust looked good with plenty of fresh air - cycled through blower 2x then turned it off. Let it set for about an hour. Fired it up again- ran for 20 to 30 seconds and then kicked off. Fired it up again same result. Added a little more air -same result then added a little more air - same result. Then back to the 1 1/2 setting. Same result. 1} The Wayne tech did mention that the Suntec a2va-7116 pump has a built in check valve and if the pressure drops tp 80 to 90 psi the check valve will close off fuel flow. 2} Wondering if I should move the electrodes back to 1/16" away from face of nozzle even though the tech said put them at 1/8". 3} Wondering if fuel is contaminated - although looks good in bleeder jar. 4} still wondering about possible weak transformer - yet spark looked great. Thank you for listening and and thoughts or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Garry Clark
@@garryclark9313 You may be barking up the wrong tree. Even if the spark weakens after startup, the spark is generally not needed after the flame is lit (I leave the spark on continuously anyway).
If the drop out is within the trial for ignition, (up to 40 seconds and less on newer cad cell relays) you could have a flame detection problem. This is assuming the flame is on until the shut down occurs. Cad cell positioning must be looking straight at the flame. Cad cell resistance should be above 20,000 ohms dark and less than 1,000 when lighted.
GFM
All your videos are so informative... thank you so much!!!... I have a Beckett oil burner that calls for 65gph nozzle.. but I noticed the previous home owner installed a 60gph nozzle.. everyone up here burns kerosene #1 fuel because of the weather.. My question is with kerosene should I using the 65 or the 60 nozzle?
@@mikefedor78 I'm not a tech but k1 i believe is 'thinner' and more volatile. If the nozzles were the same or smaller when running k1 vs no.2 oil, probably dropping your pumps psi might not be out of line.
Again this is theory from a non hvac tech. Just a joe.
you should keep warning people about using waste oil etc. my dumb ass decided to use a little used motor oil on a real cold night. end of story, i had to stand outside our shack with the hose at ready. that shit burns DAMN good when it gets air. i shut the vents and i thought i was gonna burn our shack down. i do like the idea of using waste oil but we got to get a way to meter the oil and control the oxegen source. you had one part that had a good burn on it. u use it for heat?
nice
exactly. the design i saw has a metred system that dripped used motor oil on a hot fire an the smoke from it was fairly clear but still emitted a lot of british thermal units or BTUs to the shop. i would like to see someone really develop the idea. do it like benny franklin. donate all inventions to the public domain. that includes the world. giving your talent is a good way to be remembered.
Kerosene is #1 fuel oil.
GFM
How do you adjust the air flow
duno why but althought oil furnaces are bad for the environment, I miss my oil furnace from years ago at a house I use to live at.... Hell most of the houses in Southern Oshawa are oil furnaces.... I miss the heat, and watching the bright orange flame through the peep hole
oil furnace burn very clean. Should be 0 visible smoke from chimney when running correctly. Higher btu than gas and 100 times safer.
Oil furnaces use #1 And/or #2 depending on whether the tank is in the basement or outside where it gets colder
Mine is in the basement & uses #2 while my neighbors tank is outside & uses #1
You Can use #1 with an inside tank, but you wouldn't want to use #2 with an outside tank in the colder climates
You'd think an oil furnace repair man Would Have Known That
It helps to understand the subject before you try to explain it to others
At 3:05 Atomized or vaporized oil burns. Evaporated Doesn't
#2 is pretty much diesel and #1 is kerosene.
My flame blowing out look hole like a back pressure
Remove smoke pipe and chimney connection and clean heat exchanger and pipe.
GFM
I hate this damn oil furnace lol..ive had ppl fix this damn thing twice...im bout to go back to wood