2x8 oil fired subpar boil?

[asknupp]

I've got a oil fired arch fired from the front. raised Flue pan boils hard at the front but barely boils past that. Any ideas to why? Not sure of stack temp and fire blanket is flush with arch rails.

[Pdiamond]

Is there space for the heat under the back part of the pan?

[maple flats]

Check with other oil fired guys. What burner gun and nozzle are you using? They might have ideas.

[ecp]

Could be a lot of things. Have you had the burners turned (hint hint the next couple questions all tie back to this? Is the oil filter plugged? Do you have air entering the oil line anywhere? do you have a nozzle clogged? Any of these would reduce the heat that the burners can put out. Also what brand are you using?

Are you able to measure chamber pressure with a magnehelic (hint hint the next couple question all tie back to this)? How tall is your stack? What wind conditions do you boil in? If your camber is to negative the fire will sweep right out the stack but if it is too positive you could be keeping the flame to much up front. I suppose stack temps can indicate some of this as well but chamber pressure is a very important point that nobody talks about you want to run between 3 and 5 100ths negative in general.

Another good indication of poor burner performance is black soot on the underside of your pans.

[asknupp]

It's a beckett burner equivalent to the 301 Carlin. Most definitely have soot build up. Don't believe it's fuel filter. 14' stack heighth. I need to find a burner guy.

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

Definitely sounds like an issue with firing correctly. Is this set up new to you? What are you running for fuel? #2, K-1??

[ecp]

I need to find a burner guy.

That's your best bet. Might be you don't have enough air to the flame or too much oil (either way the ratio is not right). Do you have any black smoke coming out of the stack when you are running it? Again, I'll echo getting something put in so you can see the chamber pressure would be good for you.

[Brian]

Most burner guys are not good at setting them up because we take efficiency and throw that out the door. We want them hot and fast but low stack temp so we know the heat is going in to the pans. It takes time to get them set up. First you need to make them boil water before you even think about making syrup and then you will have somthing. There is the nozzles, pump presure and air. If you change one thing it will change up all the other settings.

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

I agree with Brian. A boiler tech can help but it would have to be a good one, not just someone that services boilers. The nozzles on oil evaporators are oversized for the same burner that you would run on a house boiler. It's all about the flame and where it is hitting. Too far back and it goes up the stack. Too far forward and the rear pan may not boil good. There is a sweet spot and it changes drastically with the fuel being used. We run K-1 because that is how the previous owner had ours set up. We run a 680-700 stack temp. Tried #2 oil one year and we lost 20% efficiency in the boil rate and the stack temp. went to 1000. All the heat was going up the stack. I would also get a stack temp. thermometer to help with any adjustments.