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www.fueloilnews.com | FUEL OIL NEWS | FEBRUARY 2016 45 HVAC/ HYDRONICS since running across cold-soaks in the late 1980s. By the way, they do this after each cold-soak and have never had a repeat call or rework as many are calling these things now. 1. Install a partial, Figure 3, or even better a full chamber sized to the firing rate used. This can be done very easily using some- thing like the Lynn Quickee or bathtub type design, Figure 4. This will ensure that ignition point is main- tained and the fire stays hot. We've found over the last 30 years that any chamber is better than none at all. True, the water content of a boiler makes a huge difference and bigger is not even close to being better. 2. Fire the boiler to within 25% of the maximum firing rate. This does two things. First, it creates and helps keep a larger temperature differential between the thermal draft elements. This allows the burner to make as much thermal draft as possible. This is very important for summer operation. Second, it allows the boiler to fire within the outlines called out by the manufacturer, the ASME and the DOE for optimum and correct performance and operation. 3. Go to interrupted ignition operation. The interrupted ignition prevents the burner from running with a borderline fire that can happen with intermittent ignition and in my opinion that is not only a better operating burner, it's a safer one. 4. Add a pre-purge cycle. Pre-purge is what sets off a good instal- lation from a great one! A pre-purge cycle is always used on commercial and forced- draft installations—think about that and ask yourself why. The purge doesn't have to be long, and even a few seconds is better than nothing. Did you know that with the burner design that came before the retention head, the Shell-head, no burner was ever installed without a delayed oil valve? Also, have you ever seen a commercial burner or industrial burner without one? Okay, you knew, but do you know why? 5. Always set up the burner for a "Trace of Zero" on the Lanthier Scale, Figure 5. This provides for a minimum of excess air while preventing operation at any smoke level. "Trace of smoke" is dead. Today's oilburn- ers don't have to make smoke, so why are you? 6 . I n c r e a s e your summer hot water control dif- ferential from 10°F to 20°F or more. The longer the run cycle the better chance you have of getting everything hot and it sure helps to make bet- ter thermal draft too! With today's controls, Figure 6, up to 45°F differentials can make a big difference in summer and winter burner operation. Well, that's my story and slant on the oookies. Maybe not the one answer, but a few more things to look at and check. As we get more on this we will let you know, and yes Virginia, oil quality and cleanliness and the need to move to low-sulfur oil all has an effect on this problem. However, I just have to ask, when are we going to do something about those problems and stop talking and whining about them? By the way, the reason commercial and forced- draft burners always use a pre-purged oil valve is simple. It allows the burner to establish draft flow, volume and direction. In English, it just works bet- ter. As for the other question on Shell-heads, here's the official word from the Shell Oil Co., which developed it: "…the purpose therefore is to allow the fan to come up to operating speed and to give direction to the draft before oil is introduced for burning." Interesting, huh? Want something even more interesting? Did you notice that the issue of higher pump pressures in regards to cold-soaks didn't come up, even though many think that higher pump pres- sures will fix all that is wrong with the world? That's just the point, in my opinion pump pressure is irrelevant, no issue, a zippo factor when it comes to the oookies. Finally, and in case you're interested as to what the oook- ies do to a chimney check out Figure 7 and Figure 8 sent to me by my friends at the Chimney Sweep Institute of America, the chimney pros. So, what do I really feel is the solution to the oookies? Read this article again. You're not getting it, and that's just the point! See ya. l F O N George Lanthier is the owner of Firedragon Academy, a Massachusetts Certified School teaching heating subjects around both gas and oil. Firedragon Academy has its hands-on training facility in Sturbridge, Massachusetts at the Beckett Training Center. Firedragon is also a publishing firm publishing George's over 60 books and manuals on HVAC subjects. He is a CETP, NATE, NORA, PMAA and PMEF Proctor and has been a Massachusetts Certified Instructor since 1975. He can be reached at 608 Moose Hill Road, Leicester, MA 01524. His phone is 508-421-3490 and his website can be found at FiredragonEnt.com Figure 3 Lanthier Scale Shell-Bacharach Scale 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 TRACE TRACE 0 0 Figure 6 Figures 7 & 8 Figure 4 Figure 5