User Guide

31
The fire in a burner is always off center and
heavy on the right side. I can’t find a nozzle
that will straighten up the fire.
1. If the flame is always heavy on one side, the nozzle does not
cause it. It would be impossible to make a nozzle spray that
is heavy on one side and always have it come up on the same
side of the burner.
2. Check the position of the nozzle in the burner head. The
chances are it is off to one side or the other.
3. With a short burner tube, the air stream may be stronger on
one side than the other. That will give the appearance of an
off center fire.
4. If the burner is installed to one side of the combustion
chamber, the flame may also give the appearance of being
heavy on one side.
5. If the nozzle spray pattern is off center due to contamination
or any other reason, it may make a flame, which is heavy on
one side, but it could be in any direction.
How do you cure pulsation?
1. A hollow cone nozzle generally gives greater freedom from
pulsation that a solid cone nozzle.
2. A wider spray angle sometimes helps a pulsating condition.
It may even be necessary to use a 90° nozzle. In this case
watch for smoke at the outer edges of the fire.
3. Reduce the firing rate to the next smaller nozzle if it will
carry the heating load.
4. The combustion chamber may be too large, allowing the fire
to leave the burner.
5. Higher oil pressure sometimes helps because it gives a more
stable spray pattern and smaller droplets, which burn closer
to the burner.
6. Be sure there is air intake into the boiler room.
7. Sometimes a flame retention burner will cure or improve a
pulsating or rumbling condition.
I have a customer who complains of having
soot particles on the floor around the boiler and
other places in the basement. The fire is clean.
What is the reason for this?
1. Make sure that you have adequate chimney draft so that
there is not a back-pressure in the smoke pipe when the
burner starts. This type of complaint occurs with a long
smoke pipe between the boiler and the chimney. If the smoke
pipe does not have enough pitch, there may be a back-
pressure at the boiler connection even with sufficient
chimney draft.
2. Check for an obstruction at the point where the smoke pipe
enters the chimney.
3. Cement up all leaks in the boiler setting where soot might
come out on the start.
4. Install a delayed opening solenoid valve or ProTek valve in
the nozzle line to make smoother starts.