# Oil burner help please



## beenthere (Mar 5, 2009)

Did he tune it before you cleaned the chimney?


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## Clammie (Oct 23, 2010)

he back later and did the final tune for it. Found a friend's friend who is very good and a lincense plumber. After everything was cleaned he came back and did a final tune up for free.


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## DuMass (Feb 6, 2008)

Clammie said:


> Oh boy was that chimney dirty as all heck. I actually had to use a brink tied on a rope to knock some of the very heavy stuff off (being carefull not to break any bricks in the chimney). I then bough a $40 chimney brush and did it the right way.
> 
> Thanks for all your help as it is running very well now. $125 for guy to come tune it up and clean, the parts i paid were $38 for transformer, $3 for nozzle, $70 for electorades, $5 for the eye, $20 for the Eye Holder with the 2 wires, $3 for filter. Final bill around $250 but that is alot cheaper then having somebody else come and do all that work.


 
Glad you got it taken care of. I’m not sure I see the real savings here though. I come up with $304.00, but this doesn’t even take any of your time and aggravation into account.
For that kind of money, you probably could have sat on the couch watching TV and sipping suds while letting someone else get blackface cleaning and servicing the equipment. You may not have even needed to replace all of those parts.

Even so, if the stack or chimney was partially blocked, as you said it was, that means your own annual “Tune ups” have not been done properly because that type of buildup or blockage occurs over time. I really hope your friend of a friend’s plumber actually checked the draft and used a combustion analyzer on the system along with a smoke test instead of just eyeballing the flame. 
Smoke backing up into the house you can generally see and smell, but it’s the CO you can’t that sneaks up on you.


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## Clammie (Oct 23, 2010)

well the transformer had to be changed as that was blown to begin with. The CaD Sensor wire was broken, the porcelien on the electrodes were cracked, needed its year tune up aka. nozzle, filter. 

I just started with the transformer, nozzle, filter. Then there came all the problems which took me some time to figure out and with the help of these kind folks here. Now just waiting for the circulating pump to go. 

Even if it costed 300 bucks that is still a hell of alot cheaper then paying somebody to do it. 

I would of had to pay for a plumber in new jersey $75-100 and hour. 3 hours tops to tune and clean the boiler. $300 bucks. Then the upsell on the price of the parts. I learned alot more about oil boilers in the process so in the end it was very good.


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## Leo G (May 12, 2005)

I do most of my own servicing of my burner. Every three years I get the pro out to do a real tune up and check performance. Basic maintenance isn't that difficult or expensive. A filter, a screen, a nozzle and the liberal use of a brush and vacuum take care of most things. Check the gap and look to see if anything is cracked. Wipe the eye if it is dirty.


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## DuMass (Feb 6, 2008)

I don’t have anything at all against people doing their own annual maintenance and don’t want to make things out to be overly complicated, but in reality, your system may work fine and you may be completely satisfied with the performance of your service year after year, but it’s almost certainly not operating as efficiently as it could be.
You simply can’t see the changes in combustion efficiency made by seemingly small adjustments to draft and air without a smoke tester and C/A.

Now whether or not you can actually find someone competent in your area to do the work without raking you over the coals, that’s a whole different story.


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## beenthere (Mar 5, 2009)

I was setting up a new Beckett AF in an older boiler yesterday. I went from a 6 to a 4.5 on the shutter(final setting was a 3.5). It barely made a change in the smoke test. By eye, the flame changed a lot. But I still had less then a trace of smoke.

Without a smoke test, it looked like it was burning the way it should. It wasn't though.


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## Dr Heat (Dec 25, 2008)

One thing a magigy $5 one case of blats $12 the feeling of accomplishment after doing it myself priceless. Oh crap the house is on fire.


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## beenthere (Mar 5, 2009)

Dr Heat said:


> One thing a magigy $5 one case of blats $12 the feeling of accomplishment after doing it myself priceless. Oh crap the house is on fire.



ROFL...


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## DuMass (Feb 6, 2008)

beenthere said:


>


Well, they had heat for a little while anyway. 

What’s kind of unnerving is that Home Depot around here now sells parts for oil burners.
Mostly just nozzles, filters and electrodes… apparently, the only stuff needed for a “_toon up_”.


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## Leo G (May 12, 2005)

I buy my ignition device (AKA electronic transformer) from HD for 1/2 the price of anywhere else.


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## beenthere (Mar 5, 2009)

Leo G said:


> I buy my ignition device (AKA electronic transformer) from HD for 1/2 the price of anywhere else.


I get mind for less.


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## Leo G (May 12, 2005)

$32 Most places wanted $60.


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## beenthere (Mar 5, 2009)

Leo G said:


> $32 Most places wanted $60.


Not if your in the trade.


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## Leo G (May 12, 2005)

Does my trade say HVAC?


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## beenthere (Mar 5, 2009)

Leo G said:


> Does my trade say HVAC?


thats why I said, not if your in the trade.

You need a friend thats in the trade, to get you your parts.


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## Leo G (May 12, 2005)

$32 to get my burner working is a good deal. I was glad to pay it.


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## WarnerConstInc. (Jan 30, 2008)

Leo, do you need a time out?


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## beenthere (Mar 5, 2009)

Leo G said:


> $32 to get my burner working is a good deal. I was glad to pay it.


32 bucks is a deal for heat.


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## Leo G (May 12, 2005)

WarnerConstInc. said:


> Leo, do you need a time out?


Ya, I do....But who is gonna give it to me? :whistling


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## Clammie (Oct 23, 2010)

I paid $38 for my Carlin 99FRD .


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