C H AN G I N G T IME S Although that statement was first made
in a manual on the installation of the low- pressure Williams Oil-O-Matic oil burner published in the 1930s, it has never been more accurate than it is today about setting up any burner because, please pay attention, nowhere in that statement is the fuel being burnt mentioned. Draft continues to be the most misun-
derstood and the most important factor to deal with when setting up any burner, oil or gas and even a coal stoker for that matter and yet oil guys keep screwing it up running in parallel with the gas guys. If you don't own a draft gauge, buy one or even better buy a digital manometer that you can use for monitoring and setting your draft con- ditions and gas pressures. Yup, one good gauge, Figure 1, can do most of it if you work with gas, the other is a gas analyzer and that doesn't have to be electronic, Figure 2, but why not? Speaking of pressures, many of you who
are already doing oilburner setups wouldn't think of setting oil pressure without a pres- sure gauge and yet some people think all burners are set perfect from the factory. That every oilburner pump pressure is "purfuct"(sic), that every gas- burner is set right on regardless of the gas inlet pressure and that the correct manifold pressure is set at the factory. You need to wake up, that just isn't reality. You can't trust anyone but yourself with your future and if
Figure 3
you haven't heard the oil business is going to the dogs and if you don't become an Alpha puppy, you will just be another in the pack. If you want to survive you have to be better than the rest; it's just the way it is.
Every day, I get calls asking "Do I really
need an analyzer?" You're kidding, right? Look, no magic bullet is going to save the oil business, nothing, n-o-t-h-i-n-g! Stop believing all of the hype and get close to your customers. If you want to keep them you must service their burner bet- ter than anyone else because it's already been proven over and over, anybody can deliver oil. Buy an analyzer, a good one, not the
cheapest, remember you get what you pay for, and learn how to use it. Nothing sets up a burner, gas or oil, faster than an analyzer, Figure 3, so yes you need one. If you come to our classes (oil or gas) we can show you how to do that and even tell you what you need. Learn all you can about draft and vent-
ing, setting pressures (oil and gas) and if you get those items right the rest of your setup on gas or oil will be one you can be proud of, will make for a happy customer, and make you money. Finally, in my opinion only three things
are going to save the oil business: great cus- tomer relations, fantastic burner service
and conservation. All the rest is just consultants and gurus taking your money and padding their pockets while they lead many of us along with their feel good crap, period!
See ya. l FON
George Lanthier is the owner of Firedragon Enterprises, a teaching, publishing and consulting firm. He is the author of over 40 books and manuals on HVAC subjects and can be reached at 608 Moose Hill Road, Leicester, MA 01524. His phone is 508-421-3490, fax at 508-421-3477 and his website can be found at www.FiredragonEnt.com
www.fueloilnews.com | FUEL OIL NEWS | JANUARY 2012 17
