Setting the oil burner air adjustment

[@franklynharrison9451]

Thank you so much for posting this video , I had soot coming out of the chimmney and adjusted the air . Now it's burning clean . You are such a blessing and a great help !

[@DEXTER941]

Thank you very much for posting this video. You have saved me so much hassle and I got my oil burner sorted as it was burning really sooty black smoke, thanks to a so called expert tampering with it. I'm very grateful to you, guys like you that go to the trouble of making these videos really help when someone like me is in a bind.

[@grayfurnaceman]

Welcome GFM

[@Bdpjev]

This is an old video but thank you for your insights. You help the industry out tremendously.

[@thegrayhandyman9964]

Welcome GFM

[@joesphgallo5534]

this winter was a cold one i tune my burner my self , instead of paying some one that did a crappy job last . everything was out of adjustment air fuel and gap this winter i only went thru 100 gallons of fuel .and still have 3/4 left . it pays to do your own tuning

[@ezam8522]

My Beckett system kept locking out on account of maximum recycles. I cleaned the nozzle and assembly and it stopped locking out. However it started running very rich, and exhaust filled the space. I made the air adjustment, assuming a wider gap provided more oxygen. When I opened it all the way, black smoke creeped out the exhaust seams. I realized I had it backward, and narrowed the space on the air adjustment. Now it seems fine. Thank you GFM for taking the time to post these videos - they're more incisive than Chilton books.

[@louisseaman8455]

@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.

[@2102Chris]

Thx very much for the informative video. My burner was constantly cutting out and turning on again. I just turned the air down and now it runs perfect

[@seanbrothers2839]

Thanks a ton, I had to replace my pump motor today and i accidentally set my air intake to minimal. Was wondering why everything was smoking really bad. I adjusted the air up to 4 (a little less than half way) and no more black smoke or smoke smell in the house. Thanks again for the informational videos.

[@justa_dude]

Just wanted to say your video has helped me out very much! I serviced my boiler myself, replaced the nozzle and electrodes. My problem was the boiler was blowing black smoke, had me wondering wtf was going on. Until I found your video! problem fixed thank you

[@Rick-pl5ey]

still the best vid around for how to see how things are!

[@williamjones3616]

Thank you! My oil boiler is now fixed - much appreciated!

[@grayfurnaceman]

Welcome GFM

[@pa_maj.MARTINI-van-MAN]

Good upload, also great to see you reply back to people.

[@capt.crunch281]

This video just fixed my smoke problem. Thank-you so much!

[@Rob-vx2fb]

So I have been dealing with a issue of exhaust pooling out my damper when running. When it is off air flows though the damper fine. Watching this video I messed with my air. It seemed set pretty high. So I turned it down and immediately felt like the bottom part of my damper was pulling air again. So I am crossing my fingers that fixed it. My house and garage have reeled of exhaust and my fur is guy said to run exhaust threw roof or get a power venter. I think I answered this but can too much air cause a backdraft type feeling in the damper and furnace? Thank you for your time and sharing the video.

[@grayfurnaceman]

Too much air seldom will cause a backdraft. You either have a blocked vent or there is not enough upward pitch to create a draft. If it does not go thru the roof, it should. GFM

[@danielchisler412]

I have an anciet montag from the 1920 i think maby newer its my best one yet . I also mix resturant oil about 50/ 50 with that blend the nozzles don't clog . you have to start it on the red oil and finish it on red too to be set for the next round. its kinda a hobby and saves money ....

[@waynegretzky8464]

Friggin awesome bud, thank you.

[@man2841]

Hey , your videos are so informative , the best on you tube I can tell !!!

[@jonathansgarden9128]

Your video saved my life and my machine. Thank you so much

[@grayfurnaceman]

I gotta hear the story. GFM

[@Hammer757]

This is a great video. Have you made one showing the same for flame retention burners like this?

[@craigclark6922]

Nice to see that you can adjust the air BUT where is the adjuster located to adjust the air to fuel ratio???

[@grayfurnaceman]

I did not spend a lot of time on the adjustment location, but at 2:50 you can see the mass air adjustment. There is another smaller adjustment on the diameter of the mass air adjustment. This is only for the Beckett burner. GFM

[@danielchisler412]

the best yet . Will get my beckey dialed good with this good advice .have several spares . just got a farm with a beck been sitting for years . won't lite yet has oil . Probably a clogged nozzle .

[@grayfurnaceman]

I will be doing combustion analysis on the oil furnace soon. GFM

[@danielchisler412]

saw that one maby there is yet another . got a gauge off ebay and will bring some parts out to futs with thanks mate . may call on you again if trouble visits ...Dan out

[@grayfurnaceman]

Certainly true of newer burners. The antique burners seemed to be rather cavalier about adjustments. I will be putting a flame retention in the unit soon so we can see what happens then. I have not seen any vids from you lately. Get with the program. Thanks for the comment. GFM

[@dgmenace73]

Thanks again for another great video. You said something that caught my attention about, "sparklys". If you have those, what does that mean? Thanks

[@grayfurnaceman]

The sparkles usually mean too much air. GFM

[@dgmenace73]

@grayfurnaceman thanks for replying back. I'm working on one now that has been down for a couple years for my neighbor. I pulled the wool filter out and it was gunked. The strainer in the pump was very clean though. I adjusted the electrodes and got it fired up. It had those sparklers though so I shut it down. I figured it may of been too much air and you definitely have confirmed my thoughts. This is an old one. It doesn't have the solenoid. They told me that it would run fine until the ambient temps were below freezing. I told them I wanted to research it and talk with someone who knew their stuff. I checked their oil (visually) and it looks clean, very red....doesn't look to have water in it but I do know tanks build up condensation in them. I have thought about some sort of water removing additive but really don't know for sure what would work. Other than the filter their oil burner looks clean. They did add 100gal of fresh fuel in it back in October and their gauge shows about 120gal if its correct. Its a one line system, above ground and is layed out to where it does work as far as gravity. When I bled it, I saw very little air bubbles. I probably caused most from changing the filter. I'd like to check the pressure and will also try to adjust the air. I told them that they should have their oil company come out and do a professional check on things. It may have had lower pressure with the gummed filter and now have more with clean filter but I won't know until I check the pressure. What are your thoughts about this? Thanks in advance and sorry for the long message, just like to give as many details as I can when troubleshooting.

[@grayfurnaceman]

I think you have fixed it with the filter change. GFM@@dgmenace73

[@brianbvachek3219]

Do you mind if i ask how or where your can look to see the flame on an oil furnace? It looks like yours might be half apart… on one thats in service is there a way to inspect the flame? Thanks for all the tips! This video helped me clear up the black smoke that appeared directly after i paid a furnace guy a grand to replace a gasket (that allegedly caused the fuel oil leak out all over my basement)

[@grayfurnaceman]

There is usually an inspection hole above the burner. It will not give an unobstructed view of the flame as seen in the video(this unit is a test mule), but with a flame mirror(made of stainless steel), you can usually see fairly well. GFM

[@joemcpherson1172]

My Weil-McLain 68 oil boiler has periodic coughing fits. Every so often while running, the boiler cuts out for fragments of a second causing the damper to make a coughing kind of action. Afterward, it runs fine until the next coughing attack. Is the air mixture off or does it have something to do with the fuel mixture. I absolutely love your videos and have used them to gain a better understanding of how boilers and furnaces work.

[@grayfurnaceman]

This one sounds like a fuel supply problem. Plugged oil filter, blocked screen, possible vacuum leak in the supply line. Hope this helps. GFM

[@joe96787]

I have an Oil furnace that's over 5 years old and every time the temp go's to 15 or less I have to run a hair dryer on the line coming in from the outside to the Electronic Post Purge . do you know how to fix this ? thanks and keep up the videos

[@grayfurnaceman]

If you have an outside tank, you will need to add some #1 stove oil to the tank as long as the temp remains low. #2 will gel at those temps. GFM

[@joe96787]

it's not the fuel line it's just a tube that looks like a brake line from a car that just plugs into a mother board looking thing

[@shireltomkins6202]

Only number one fuel and I mean only number one will work.MANY yrs.I tried number 2 in my oil stove and no matter what the oil man and other people told me to add in it,number 2 froze up in the oil line every winter. l froze my bum off using a hair dryer.Number one may cost more but no more going out in the cold.

[@chaseww]

hi, we're getting oil smell upon startup of the Becket burner all the time in the basement not a whole lot but a decent amount in the basement. There's no black smoke coming through the chimney do you think it's either too much air or not enough air flow on side adjustment if burner? getting some oil smell upon startup? The big band vent is halfway open and you said that should be closed is that correct? I appreciate the help thank you I have a 1.00 .80 nozzle. And Becket burner

[@grayfurnaceman]

This is probably a venting problem, meaning blockage in the smoke pipe or chimney. GFM

[@biker55555]

Thank you for your videos... is the flame supposed to be touching/hitting the back of the firebox like in the video? I was under impression that it shouldn't be hitting the back of the firebox like shown. What is the downside of a mixture that's too lean, where there is too much air? lack of heat and thus efficiency? because as shown the flame is so much smaller. I heard some techs say it's better to run a bit leaner to prevent sooting under occasional abnormal conditions, such as less draft, etc... true or not?

[@grayfurnaceman]

A proper burning flame will always touch the sides of the chamber. If you get buildup of soot on the chamber, you have too much nozzle for the chamber. The downside of more air is lowered flame temp. In order to burn properly, the flame must be very hot to evaporate all the fuel. When you are operating at 0 smoke, you are operating within those abnormal conditions. On an oil furnace, too much air is devastating to efficiency and will deposit unburned oil on the heat exchanger and chimney. GFM

[@matthewkernek2185]

Hey thanks for posting some really informative videos! I am helping a friend with his oil furnace in his shop and it going to put out to much heat for the shop size. Is there a way to tune it down so it puts out less bdu's. That way it cycles on and off less. Is it as simple as changing the nozzles to a size or two smaller? Or will that over work the oil pump? Its and old Lennox oil furnace. Thanks and Merry Christmas!

[@grayfurnaceman]

You can reduce the nozzle size. Just adjust the combustion air down. GFM

[@matthewkernek2185]

Sweet appreciate the response

[@jimhendrix7776]

Hope your still answering questions lol... how r you seeing dirty smoke? Obviously my furnace is fully enclosed and yours isn't.... hows one see everything you mention in this video? Thanks much Jacob

[@grayfurnaceman]

You can't. This for demonstration only. To determine smoke in the vent you will need a smoke pump. GFM

[@nially85]

Hello mate, thanks for the video, can I just confirm the last sentence... When the flame lifts off or detaches as it did in the final seconds of the video, this is because of lack of air? My burner is doing this and wondering if air filter is blocked?!

[@joequillun7790]

How do you view the flame in an installed unit, with all the duct work in place? I have a 40 year old Thermopride horizontal model. The adjustable 3 air ports above the burner, don't allow much of a view. Plus if I opened it all up to see, wouldn't that affect the burn ratio? Thanks for your response, and videos.

[@grayfurnaceman]

On some furnaces, there is no good view of the flame. That is when a combustion analysis is necessary. GFM

[@joequillun7790]

@@grayfurnaceman Bummer. Designers, (as in the automotive industries) never consider the repairmen. Guess I'll need-ta dive deeper into your other videos. Thanks again for your time and expertise.

[@danielchisler412]

Gray Furnaceman I have always cleaned the nozzles with an ultra sonic and watch cleaning solution and have found it is usually the filters that cause most of the problems especially the cintered type . the screen ones are a lot less problamatic. Do you recomend just buying a new nozzle or cleaning well ?

[@robertfleming2614]

It is very simple after you get used to fooling with them, very very small adjustments is what it takes, that cool to get a inside look at things, I have replaced about every single part you can think of on these things even down to the liner, thanks for sharing that!

[@robertfleming2614]

Yah I know I am going to have to get my butt in gear and get another one going, I have been so busy with these crazy doc apt. and all this crap comps putting me through, going to try to work after it, you keep em coming so I got something to watch, LOL thanks

[@Xbreaselx]

Will a soot filled flue cause black smoke? I changed very bas nozzle and checked flame it looked ok but smoked a little after a while of running? Does air need adjuster or flue cleaned?

[@ken97531]

i have a beckett af oil burner. its sputtering on start up and strarts smoking about 8 secs into the start up. I have a 45 sec time out once that is up the unit turns off. any idea whats going on. replaced nozzle and filter allready

[@kommoncents0000]

I have a wayne msr burner with a smaller flame. There seems to be 2 sets of air entries they are open 3/8" top and 7/8 inch on bottom. Not sure if the 7/8" bottom is an opening or not. Flame looked kind of small like the end of your video. What would that mean efficiency wise if I have too much air.?

[@grayfurnaceman]

You probably have too much air. If you do not have an analyzer or smoke pump, just get rid of the dirty flame and stop there. Hope this helps. GFM

[@yukka2]

My oil fired furnace recently sooted up. I found the electrodes were considerable out of adjustment and worn to the point that they didn't even have points on them anymore. They were last set a year ago. Any idea what would cause that? Also, now that I've cleaned and replaced I'm trying to set the flame without a smoke tester. It looks like it's burning pretty clean and think I have it set close but I do see a light amount of soot on the walls inside smoke pipe ( which I had cleaned) if I look in through the damper. Is that normal or not enough air? The air going past the damper does not appear smoky to my eye when I look in while it's running. Lastly, thank you for all your videos. I've learned so much from you. Greatly appreciated!

[@grayfurnaceman]

There is no way to be sure without the tools, but you can add a small amount of air. It may reduce the efficiency a bit, but that is better than shooting up. Hope this helps. GFM

[@DOLRED]

From high school Chemistry days... So we learned the best heat from a flame is a flame which has the inner core defined blue tip. At the top of that tip is the hottest point. Large oversize orange flames are usually inefficient and lack heat (Or so it sounds like you concur?). I have used what I learned from school days in soldering pipes.

[@grayfurnaceman]

+DOLRED You are describing propane or natural gas flames. Oil flames have no blue. Only yellow. Large dirty flames have too little combustion air. Small bright yellow flames have too much air. The best way to determine efficiency is with a combustion analyzer and smoke pump. GFM

[@musthaqimosman1722]

thats right

[@kolitimi]

Hi all, i have a regular 87 gasoline burner stove from www.google.com/url?q=m.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DgaVpeb8gmPg&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwj-1eGvgPTfAhWHm-AKHQTEB10QtwIwAXoECAkQAQ&usg=AOvVaw19L0f78qzvOLn7m9rigM7D and it goes blue flame all the way. It makes me wonder if the atomizer is working properly in this case.

[@ИгорьМихеенко-я4э]

Grayfurnaceman good afternoon! I also invented a new technology. The boiler has achieved very good results in ecology. Sulfur emissions are almost 400 times lower. A coal boiler burns cleaner than a gas boiler. :-))

[@fishsquishguy1833]

Hi Grayfurnaceman, Love your channel and vids! You’ve helped keep my house warm through many winters! My current oil fired furnace is a 30 yr old Weather King that still does it’s job but I want to replace it now as I don’t want the heat exchanger to force me to change this winter. Let’s just say I’ve got my money’s worth out of the old boy. Was looking at either a Blueridge or a Patriot. They both seem very similar and both use a Beckett AFG and list the same 14ga heat x wall thickness. What would you recommend? I’ll do the install myself and having an Oil Burner Tech buddy tune the burner afterwards. Thanks!

[@grayfurnaceman]

Both these furnace have more or less equal quality. If I was to choose, I would probably go for Blueridge. GFM

[@fishsquishguy1833]

grayfurnaceman Thank You Sir!

[@grayfurnaceman]

Close the adjustment until the flame is dirty looking. Then open until it clears. Use as little air as is necessary to clean the flame. GFM

[@powerram92]

I have closed the air adjustment and moved the adjustment little by little and I still have smoke coming back into my face. What do you think the problem could be?

[@grayfurnaceman]

@@powerram92 If you are getting smoke out the inspection hole, you have a blocked heat exchanger or vent pipe. GFM

[@powerram92]

@@grayfurnaceman where would the heat exchanger be on an oil beckett furnace? Or do I just have the vent pipe?

[@grayfurnaceman]

@@powerram92 The heat exchanger is above the combustion chamber. It could be a second circular chamber above the combustion chamber or a section of pipes between the combustion chamber and the venting. GFM

[@mainelyelectric]

I have a old mobile home furnace in my dads shop that is used to heat only when needed and I have always noticed a slight rumble when it's firing and does it more when its cold but just a little once warmed up. Its been doing this for about 4 years and no problems. nozzle is .579MH 

[@grayfurnaceman]

The unit is having trouble establishing draft. Could have a dirty vent or heat exchanger. Also mobile home oil furnaces are very tough to get working right because of the small combustion chamber. Hope this helps. GFM

[@mainelyelectric]

Well ok thanks I did clean the heat exanger. Anyway other then that issue it. seems to run well. Flue is 4 inch galvanized steel flue pipe and goes out through a metalbetos flange in the wall and then goes up about ten feet.

[@gregorymalchuk272]

Wait, so that is a "sunflower" burner? A non-retention type burner? Do you have any more information on those?

[@anthony84vette]

thank you very much for this video,real big help no more smell of smoke in my house..... ,tytytyty

[@grayfurnaceman]

Welcome GFM

[@mastergroda8915]

Hi Gary. Thanks for the videos l. Very helpful. You mentioned little sparklies in the flame. Is that supposed to mean too much air or too little air?

[@grayfurnaceman]

It is too much air. The sparkles are the incomplete burn of atomized oil. GFM

[@mastergroda8915]

Awesome thanks. I just noticed it's not Gary. Sorry. Ha.

[@MrJoelrollock]

grayfurnaceman

[@wesleymoyer5530]

I've done a complete service on my oil furnace, including replacing the combustion chamber. The furnace called for a .85 nozzle, but a .75 was installed. I've replaced it with a .85 and all is working well, but it seems that there's a little bit of soot when it's burning. I just went down and checked the burner, and to get the flame to look good with very little smoke at the top, the beckett AFG is set between 9.5 and 10 (fully open) on the air setting. It was previously set on 9. Is this normal? I thought that it may need a little more air since it's shooting more fuel, but it's already at/near the max setting. Nothing is leaking that I can tell, and there's no 'boom' on startup that would indicate puffback. Any tips? Thanks!

[@grayfurnaceman]

Are you sure you do not have a flame impingement. GFM

[@wesleymoyer5530]

@@grayfurnaceman , cleaned all the pipes (very short run to the chimney), chimney is good, new nozzle, flame head, electrodes, all gapped and spaced correctly, old damaged combustion chamber liner removed and replaced with new. The only thing I noticed was that the air intake area was pretty dirty on the burner. I vacuumed out all that I could, but I didn't disassemble that side of the oil pump beyond the cover to replace the screen and the gasket. Is it possible that it's clogged on that side? When the old chamber liner failed there was a small crack opposite of the flame head - that has been repaired with high heat stove repair and sheet metal on the outside, and a generous amount of high heat stove repair on the inside - also, the area inside now has a double wall of 1/2" Kaowool over it. I've rechecked the patch and it's still solid.

[@grayfurnaceman]

The reason for the concern about impingement is the air adjustment is opened very wide and you still have smoke. You could also have impingement if the combustion chamber is too small. I would also replace the nozzle as it could be partly plugged. GFM

[@wesleymoyer5530]

@@grayfurnaceman , I installed a new nozzle when I did the cleaning/service. After adjusting the flame by eye/smoke level, it went from the previous setting of 9 to 10 now. I can't see any smoke/soot in the flame, or in the air passing the barometric damper. I wonder if it's just dirty on the air intake side. I have it so that it doesn't seem to be making soot, but it seems odd that it'd be wide open for that to happen. I'll do more checking and see what I can do. I don't want to pull the burner because it's pretty cold out, and we can't take much down time at this time of the year!

[@jmike2435]

Thank you for posting! Information was very useful...

[@TitanBobL]

Thanks for the info. I'll do all this stuff as soon as it gets cold in the house.

[@philjohnson8999]

I have a white smoke coming out the front of my boiler when the burner turns on. Smoke continues until burner shuts off. Heating the house but the smoke fills the garage. The boiler has been off for about two weeks and began this behavior when restarted. The smoke has a strong diesel smell. Any help would be appreciated.

[@grayfurnaceman]

+Phil Johnson Look for plugged heat exchanger or smoke pipe/chimney. Hope this helps GFM

[@08monkey100]

You are right to the point.thanks for your video

[@grayfurnaceman]

Welcome GFM

[@babyyoda2219]

I've got a beckett burner. Is there only the side air adjustment or is there another adjustment somewhere?

[@grayfurnaceman]

There is a mass damper on the circumference of the burner in addition to the end adjustment. The mass damper is seldom used for nozzles less than 3 gph. GFM

[@jritch789]

What causes the insulation inside of the burner to diminish? I just purchased a used hot water pressure in the gentleman told me that the insulation was shot and needed to be replaced, wonder what the cause of that was. Thank yoi

[@grayfurnaceman]

There are a number of things that can happen to the combustion chamber. If the flame impinges on the chamber, it can damage it. Fire brick can crack for no apparent reason. Sometimes, if the burner has been changed, the higher temp of the new burner flame can damage the chamber. It can also be damaged by cleaning operations. GFM

[@TitanBobL]

It looks like my air adjustment is just about full open. Whats a good starting point for that. All the filters have been changed and I got a new nozzle. So I'm ready to go. The flame is too white, I think. And it seems like I'm not as efficient as I should be. Thanks.

[@Mykal1970]

Dear sir, I have and old (mid 1950's?) Siegler model 6640UTL oil heater that suddenly ceased to flow oil into the combustion chamber. Would you happen to know the brand/model of the carburetor that came on the unit originally? It is believed to be the carburetor original to the unit. I intend to try and tackle the issue myself as opposed to calling someone in as my local guy isn't much of a fan; he told me prior to my installing it that it would be an effort in futility. After viewing your other videos, you've given me the confidence to make an attempt at rectifying the situation myself. I own/operate a CNC machining and fabrication facility and feel to be fairly mechanically inclined; so, what the heck. This way, at least, I have the option of reproducing virtually any component within the carburetor myself in the even they aren't commercially available. Any advice would be truly appreciated! Kind regards, Mike Ward.

[@grayfurnaceman]

I have no idea on that one. Would love to see your replacement carburetor when it is done. GFM

[@grassrunner7983]

you're the best man

[@jgaudio69]

I have a question that you might be able to answer for me... when I start the furance it smoke a lot then when I shut it down it still burns at the bottom what can I do to fix that....plus if you look in the camber you can see like half inch gap in front of the flame.... I need help a.s.a.p and can not afford a service tech.... I love in upstate ny and we are keeping the house warm with electric heaters....

[@grayfurnaceman]

+Jason Gaudio If it smokes out the inspection door, you have a plugged heat exchanger or vent pipe. The after burn may be from the oil dropping pressure at the end of the cycle. It can be fixed by installing a solenoid in gun line. It could also be from a partially plugged nozzle. Hope this helps. GFM

[@jgaudio69]

Thank you I'll change the nozzle

[@myfavs1979]

Can you have to much air that ignition won’t occur? I’m at 100 psi but I can’t get my O2 up to 3.3% without compromising ignition. It lights off delayed, and sometimes goes into lock out instead of igniting. HELP!

[@grayfurnaceman]

I would be looking at nozzle type and size, heat exchanger cleanliness for starters. GFM

[@myfavs1979]

grayfurnaceman , it ended up being the head position was to far back. It was set at 0 instead of the required 1. It was causing to much velocity so it couldn’t ignite. Now this thing is purring during the entire operations and my O2 is at 4.8. Thanks for the reply.

[@ruukodragon521]

Any insight on a burner with excess air? This specific Beckett AF burner I am working on provides so much excess air that even with the air shutter at the lowest setting and the air band completely closed, the flame still appears to be a bit too lean, and there is absolutely no visible smoke at all. The stack temps seem far too high for the current setting. This specific unit has a Becket AF burner with a .7 nozzle.

[@grayfurnaceman]

Rico Draconis If you are sure both the mass air band and shutter are closed, the only thing I can think of is an air leak. Perhaps around the transformer. Hope this helps. GFM

[@ruukodragon521]

grayfurnaceman Both were when I was adjusting it, and I have checked for leaks around the transformer and other places. Could, perhaps, an incorrectly sized head for the nozzle size cause this problem? That is the one thing I can think of that I have not yet checked, mainly due to how difficult it is to get the burner unit off and on the furnace, as it is an old furnace (~1959 I believe) and the studs are quite rusted...

[@ruukodragon521]

Wow, I never did correspond again with my findings did I? Well, looking through old videos I've commented on I found this again, and I might as well go ahead and explain what my findings were. Back then I was learning all the needed material to get the system up and running again properly, and I determined not long after the comments that the nozzle was in very bad shape and was quite badly under-firing the unit, there was no way to get the excess air low enough for the tiny amount of fuel that was being added, replacing the nozzle as well as cleaning the pump's internal filter resolved the issue and greatly improved efficiency, and reduced stack temperatures quite alot. Thanks for the insight though, your videos are very educational and I enjoy them.

[@palangnar3588]

Hi, i also service my burner and watch most of MR. Gray videos, i want to ask you, i think your burner is like mine "Beckett F,AF type, what size of Nozzle did you use when you change it, i am using 1.10/80W, i think i it is a little over the size, but i think Beckett recommend 80, but not sure A,W or what.

[@johns.3951]

I had my beckett burner shuddering and/or sputtering lately. This started happening 2 weeks of having a service tech. perform yearly maintanence on the furnace. I suspected water/sludge in the fuel tried some "Hot Shot" into the tank but I'm not sure that this is truly fixed. Any thoughts ? Thanks

[@grayfurnaceman]

John S. First, get the tech back. It sounds like a supply problem. plugged line, tank outlet or even pump screen. Hope this helps. GFM

[@johns.3951]

grayfurnaceman They stopped back and replaced the nozzle which was changed 2 weeks ago. They also adjusted the weight on the damper. They did a combustion measurement and said it was 11.3 I believe that is CO2 Percentage. So far the sputtering is gone. Interesting point was that they said that the damper that they installed (because the old one was rusted) is not truly needed and they have installed systems without it. Does this make sense? Thank You

[@grayfurnaceman]

With a dirty flame, there is some orange, and there should be some indication of black tips to the flames. GFM

[@lordkosc]

What do you have to adjust if you do see sparkles? You mention it at 3:50 in your video. Thanks in advance.

[@grayfurnaceman]

Sparkles are just bits of dust in the flame. Ignore them. GFM

[@MigMonkey]

Great videos, haven't found my issue yet. It's an oil fired water heater, I open the peep hole and I see it light a flame but only for a second and it's out. So it's getting spark, and the light sensor is clean. But I can't find anything on how to access the nozzle. Had to shut off the breaker till I can sort it out because the pump keeps running. Don't need a bottle rocket in the basement..

[@grayfurnaceman]

You probably have a supply problem or a plugged nozzle. You can send pics to [e-mail] and I may be able to help. GFM

[@stanleymckinney8916]

do your videos run ia series or just scattered about? i like you oil videos, and all your videos as a matter of fact

[@myhealthtoo]

I want to be warm tonite too but mine turns the fan / blower but not motor for oil so I think its igniter controller module?.

[@L2fish]

I noticed some of my neighbors chimneys have a lot of dark smoke where mine seems to look more like just vapors

[@grayfurnaceman]

Dark smoke means low combustion air and soot buildup. GFM

[@SatSergeevich]

Please I need your help. When I turn on my oil burner it seems to be working just fine. However, there is a lot of smoke coming out from every hole. What should I do? Thank you very very much!

[@grayfurnaceman]

Sounds like you have a plugged chimney or heat exchanger. Start by pulling off the vent pipe and looking inside. Be prepared for soot all over. GFM

[@SatSergeevich]

grayfurnaceman Thank you very very much!

[@andrewsolheim1474]

Awesome video, thanks!

[@grayfurnaceman]

Check the playlist. I have put them together there. Hope this helps. GFM

[@kommoncents0000]

Is it normal for the chimmney to smoke when the furnace starts up ? After about 4-5 minutes of my furnace running my smoke dissapears from the chimmney.

[@grayfurnaceman]

Sometimes you will get a little smoke upon startup, but that is too much. You may have leakage from the nozzle in the off cycle. GFM

[@kommoncents0000]

Thank you. I have a pro tek valve nozzle on order. Will try that. Also I think I had my control set to "spark in on delay" maybe that's what was wrong too.

[@l0n3d4nger4]

Need some help adjusting how can I get a hold of you

[@grayfurnaceman]

You can send questions to [e-mail] GFM

[@cirus1985]

Hi there, i had a beckett oil diesel burner that i used on my shelf oven. Currently i am facing some difficulties, there is too much smoke in the combustion chamber but there is some different with the setting for the air, when i adjust the air more the fire is fierce and on the side can see the blue flame and front is red flame but when i adjust the air into low flow the flame turn into all red but the smoke got diesel smell. Both also has a lot of smoke. What should i do?

[@grayfurnaceman]

cirus1985 First, replace the nozzle and service the burner assembly. I have a playlist on servicing the burner. Also check the burner tube and combustion chamber for obstructions. Hope this helps. GFM

[@hvackid9]

I saw an acount it was hvacsalvagman he sells furnace parts like off of the pulse or bryant jw if it was u?

[@Mountainmanfingerpicker]

My sister has an oil furnace and periodically it will make a strong oil smell in the house usually before it rains or a low atmospheric pressure weather wise she has noticed, but a new carbon monoxide detector dosen't go off and the oil smells unburned the last man set the air mixture it looks just like this one in this video older furnace, would too little air cause that smell? P.S. it doesnt have a barometric damper or any damper on the pipe has a pretty new through the roof exhaust pipe

[@grayfurnaceman]

The venting will not work properly without the barometric. Wind conditions could cause the problem you have. I would not be looking at combustion air. GFM

[@Mountainmanfingerpicker]

Thank you sir! I thought so. but it never used to do that until recently with the same setup though until she had a furnace man over he told he he decreased the air :)

[@grayfurnaceman]

I still don't think that's it. You could also have a plugged smoke pipe or heat exchanger. GFM

[@grayfurnaceman]

No, I do not sell anything off these furnaces. I don't even scrap them. They are returned to where I got them. GFM

[@rodgraff1782]

That blast tube should be set back a little bit, flush with the wall of the combustion chamber. The heat will damage it. If that’s an old non flame retention burner, it should run 0 to trace of smoke and 8 to 10 percent C02. I like to keep the stack temp at 400 if possible, with only a slight overfire draft.

[@grayfurnaceman]

All good information, but 400F net is a bit optimistic. GFM

[@rodgraff1782]

@@grayfurnacemanMost oil furnaces can be de rated and fine turned by changing the nozzle and static disc. If I had high stack temperature, and everything was clean, then the nozzle is too big. 400 is just what I shot for. Too much draft can also cause high stack temp. The flue gasses are sucked out before the heat can transfer through the heat exchanger. I ran a slight overfire draft, and .02-.04 at the stack, depending on the heat exchanger design. A lot of residential oil furnaces are over fired for the condition. Lennox supplied a kit to de rate some of them if necessary. Over here their were mostly Wayne and Beckett burners. Lennox had their own design. Back in my day, we used the old style combustion test kit, that was in a suitcase. Manual smoke pump, and hourglass CO2 instrument, which we had to pump I believe 18 times. Pain in the butt.

[@grayfurnaceman]

@@rodgraff1782 Thanks for the look back at the bottles. We still use the pump as a double check to the combustion analyzer. The Bacharach pump is 10 strokes. GFM

[@rodgraff1782]

@@grayfurnaceman Yea the smoke pump, the smoke paper, the chart to see the #. 10 pumps. The hour glass shaped CO2 instrument, with the red fluid was 18 pumps, I believe. That was a real pain. I never had anything else except a carbon monoxide meter, a bore scope, and a weird heat exchanger test kit. I don’t miss those oil calls a bit. I used to do 2 a day, spending 4 hours on a complete service and cleaning on each. Over here we mostly had underground tanks, so you never knew what was growing inside. One customer had two buried 50 gallon drums, piped together. The worst headaches were the fuel quality, and the underground supply and return lines.

[@edsmith2503]

Mine is very similar but I have 2 sit adjustments a small one on outer ring and the same one you have. What one do I adj

[@edsmith2503]

Also I have almost zero smoke out chimney

[@grayfurnaceman]

@@edsmith2503 Keep the outer ring closed. It is only for very large nozzles. GFM

[@grayfurnaceman]

@@edsmith2503 Close the outer ring. It is only for very large nozzles. GFM

[@johntuttle1558]

Trying to understand the correlation between too much air and too little air in relationship to the output air temperature (at the heater vent). It seems that with too much air, the output temperature will decrease. However, it also seems that with too little air the output temperature also decreases (and the exhaust air gets smoky). Is that correct?

[@fugaldestroyer7334]

+John Tuttle as you increase the amount of combustion air past what the burner can actually use, the stack temp will increase. I know this seems backwards but it is because the extra air can't be used for combustion because the flame has all the oxygen it needs, so the extra air gets heated and put up the chimney, decreasing efficiency. With too little air, the result is incomplete combustion. The soot you see is fuel that could not be burned because the flame didnt have enough oxygen. resulting in a lower stack temp due to less fuel being burned.

[@grayfurnaceman]

Nick Bohdanowicz I think you have that one a little backwards. Excess air will cause lower stack temp. I will do a vide on that. GFM

[@fugaldestroyer7334]

In my CSA textbook for conversion burners it states When excess air is introduced, more gases must be heated by the same amount of btu. at the same time a larger volume of flue gas is forced through the heat exchanger in a shorter period of time, causing a decrease in heating efficiency due to higher flue gas temperatures. My teacher told us 10 - 20 % excess air is ideal, any more than that and you are decreasing the combustion efficiency.

[@grayfurnaceman]

Nick Bohdanowicz There is a drop in heat transfer when more gasses are forced thru the heat exchanger, but the difference is quite small compared to the lower temperature of the flame caused by excess air. I have to differ from your teacher a bit about excess air. I have found that 10% excess air is a disaster waiting to happen. GFM

[@johntuttle1558]

Nick Bohdanowicz You have to admit though that Mr Gray's video and explanation are quite convincing.

[@grayfurnaceman]

Glad it helped. GFM

[@michelleboyarskidelucia1508]

My oil furnace will light and sounds like its gonna stay lite but turns off after 20 seconds...Low H2O was noted first, put some in until light went off and tried again...still did same thing ran for about 20 seconds and just stops....Help, I hope that is enough to tell you what I should do next. TYIA

[@grayfurnaceman]

Are you sure the burner has lit? It sounds like the safety is shutting down the unit due to flame failure. Not sure what low H20 is. GFM

[@joe96787]

if it's like mine you have to follow the wires to you get to a tube that looks like a brake line and warm it up with a hair dryer ( about 45 seconds ) then it will start :( I have no idea what it is but this works

[@johnwhitehead5457]

Show us how you clean a Thermopride Oil Furnace. All the guys ever do is pull the plugs and stick the vacuum cleaner nozzle in. Nobody ever brushes the heat exchanger. Is that proper?

[@seldomseen07058]

Best explaination Ihave found

[@grayfurnaceman]

Thanks for the support. GFM

[@amaz1ng77]

thanks for the info .

[@grayfurnaceman]

What's an ebay accout? GFM

[@99baggedmazda]

I fixt my problem but know when my furnest start I get some smoke in to my house so my question is do I have to adjust the air or is spraying to much oil can u help me please and thank you....

[@grayfurnaceman]

+Jaime Baeza I would look for blockages in either the smoke pipe and chimney, or the heat exchanger. Smoke pipe blockages will see smoke out the damper. Heat exchanger blockages will see smoke out of the inspection door over the fire. Hope this helps. GFM

[@ghostridergr8259]

hi ... what we make to if the pressure in oil burner its higher from the sheet data? i must have 3.5 mdar but i measuring and is 5mdar ... thanks my friend?

[@grayfurnaceman]

You can adjust the pressure down with the regulator on the pump. GFM

[@ghostridergr8259]

the air pressure not the pump pressure!

[@grayfurnaceman]

I don't know of any air pressure requirements on oil burners. GFM

[@hotdogs5265]

Thank you!

[@mdamad1318]

What number did u start from when you pulled back

[@grayfurnaceman]

M D A M A D Do you mean the smoke number? GFM

[@mdamad1318]

grayfurnaceman by the air flow adjustment there are number 1 to 10, I put it on 5

[@matthewbuzzard4024]

Very helpful thank you

[@golfmc78]

Is it normal to have a little bit of smoke upon initial startup of the burner? goes away within a couple seconds

[@grayfurnaceman]

+Robert McNamara As long as no smoke comes out of the barometric damper, its ok. GFM

[@golfmc78]

+grayfurnaceman yeah nothing out of the damper just a little out of the top of the chimney.

[@myhealthtoo]

could I use one of the front ports to adjust air??

[@grayfurnaceman]

thetruth I would need to know what ports specifically. GFM

[@myhealthtoo]

grayfurnaceman just the ones that have the flap on it to see the flame. Anyway on the airflow adjustment has numbers from 1 to 10 what is recommended?

[@grayfurnaceman]

thetruth The flap is just an inspection hole. Should be closed. The numbers are just for reference. The best way is using a smoke pump to check the amount of smoke in the vent gasses. No smoke pump open until the flame looks just bright and no more. GFM

[@myhealthtoo]

grayfurnaceman right now I have it in the middle around 5 and it looks clear no black smoke and no rumble sound

[@jeromebanks273]

My furnace is blowing white smoke through my vents what so I do

[@grayfurnaceman]

I am assuming this is not a fire in the house. Smoke in the vents indicates the heat exchanger is cracked. Usually means a new furnace. GFM

[@99baggedmazda]

my furnes start and go through a whole cycle but after that it try to restart and nothing no flame just the blower running what can I do to fix this please some help so my kids won't freeze!!!!! thanks

[@grayfurnaceman]

+Jaime Baeza It probably needs service if it has not been done yearly. You could have a plugged oil line, which is the first thing I would look at. Hope this helps. GFM

[@frankofam1069]

I went thru 500gal in 3 months. Sound weird?

[@grayfurnaceman]

Not really. GFM

[@wellwonky]

Thank you!!

[@asidasid2487]

It's got too much air that's for the burner with too little air, early said too little air creates soot, so ? WHAT FLAME WAS FOR TOO MUCH AIR ? and which flame was for too little air?

[@grayfurnaceman]

Look at 4:20. GFM

[@grayfurnaceman]

Yes, I have. GFM

[@born919]

Thank you

[@marvin993]

How do you check or pressure

[@grayfurnaceman]

You will need a 150 to200# pressure gauge mounted on the gun line between the pump and the gun assembly. Hope this helps. GFM

[@marcelinopuma5582]

Saludos Tus videos ayuda a ser un mejor profesional Ayúdanos con la información en español