Waste Oil Heater Forum - Your definitive source for burning waste oil for heat.

Waste Oil Heater => Waste Motor Oil => Topic started by: geo.smc on December 20, 2012, 04:53:57 pm

Title: heavy soot in flue
Post by: geo.smc on December 20, 2012, 04:53:57 pm
Only been using burner for a couple of weeks now,its a drip feed system,
went up on the roof today to fit the flashing round the flue only to find black soot all over the roof,the inside of the flue is thick with soot as well.
can someone tell me why this is happening and how to correct it,
thanks for now.
Title: Re: heavy soot in flue
Post by: Russ on December 20, 2012, 10:13:41 pm
Those drip systems are a little tricky to get burning correctly because once they are built, there isnt much adjusting them.  Is the fuel mixture possibly too rich?  Does it need more air?  I cant say I have any experience with the drip system, but I would guess it is a fuel/air problem.

Have you given any thought to a furnace conversion?
Title: Re: heavy soot in flue
Post by: geo.smc on December 21, 2012, 05:46:14 pm
might end up turning it into a wood burner if it gets worce,next thing is,, the flue will go on fire. :o :o
Title: Re: heavy soot in flue
Post by: geo.smc on December 22, 2012, 05:46:45 pm
not a lot going on in this forum.
Title: Re: heavy soot in flue
Post by: Russ on December 22, 2012, 08:34:49 pm
Yea, some people come, some people go.  Theres a small group of us that usually comes back each year, but yes, it can be pretty quiet out here otherwise.  I would like to see more activity, but how do we get more people here?  Spread the word!
Title: Re: heavy soot in flue
Post by: doug on December 26, 2012, 06:33:06 am
Have you tried anything to correct your problem?
Title: Re: heavy soot in flue
Post by: geo.smc on December 27, 2012, 03:39:13 pm
tried air from airline down vent tube,might be the answer
Title: Re: heavy soot in flue
Post by: techdif on December 29, 2012, 09:53:49 pm
Yep the fuel/air mix is definitely hard to adjust. And getting too carried at start up can set loose a fountain soot. I've flooded mine out twice now and once a passer by stopped to see if the shop was on fire! A ball valve throttle is really not the best, it's hard to beat free. I had very little luck with only the draft pulling fresh air in, so I hopped mine up a bit with a hair dryer. Great heat, cheap, but still dirty. I have almost given up mine, but after logging in I'm starting to get the itch again.  Good luck!
Title: Re: heavy soot in flue
Post by: geck0 on January 26, 2013, 10:03:51 am
I have found that the depth the ex flue goes into the furnace chamber effects heat and soot output...however the catch is the less soot the less heat. considerably less heat.