JBenson 14 Report post Posted April 7, 2006 My burner is smoking really, really, really bad. it is a solid black stream. I held the trigger for about a minute and the water was only luke warm also. The air band is all the way open so could this be the problem? I am running number 1 diesel in it. Last year with kerosense it wasnt as bad. But regardless, it should still be OK with diesel. What else can i check or do. Thank you all in advance. By the way, this is a Hydrotec 3500 psi @ 4.6 with a beckett burner. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
R. Williamson 14 Report post Posted April 7, 2006 The air band all the way open creates the least amount of smoke. Try backing out the fuel pressure screw located on the fuel pump. Where there any symptoms leading up to this problem to help us troubleshoot the problem? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beth n Rod 1,279 Report post Posted April 7, 2006 It may not be firing correctly. Either the ignitor is not connected or is faulty. The fuel is not burning completely. Call your local rep for some tech assistance. Tom Vogel at ACR Products is at the pwna convention this weekend so he is not available but if it can wait till next week, give him a call. Rod!~ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PLD 14 Report post Posted April 7, 2006 It may not be firing correctly.Either the ignitor is not connected or is faulty. The fuel is not burning completely. Every time I even mention burner issues, my rep hops up on a soapbox about the battery being fully charged. Apparently, a low/dying battery is a very frequent cause of burner problems. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JBenson 14 Report post Posted April 7, 2006 I will try backing out the screw tomorrow, there were no other issues, When i first got it it had kerosene in the tank and it would puff a little when you first pulled the trigger, but now that i have diesel in it, it smokes really bad. Other than that, no symptoms. I just charged the battery 2 days ago so that is good to go. Any other ideas, in the mean time , i will play with the fuel pressure screw on the pump Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ron Musgraves 240 Report post Posted April 7, 2006 I think they would have different air mixtures. Dont really know for sure. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VanDiesel99 14 Report post Posted April 7, 2006 I have read that the 12v burners are the only ones that rely heavily on the battery. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JBenson 14 Report post Posted April 7, 2006 I tried turning the fuel pressure screw out and in and everywhere in between. I also played with the air band, it was full open to start and made no difference when i closed it and reopened it so it is not an air problem as far as i know. I checked the battery and it is fully charged. Any more ideas please!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PLD 14 Report post Posted April 8, 2006 I have read that the 12v burners are the only ones that rely heavily on the battery. Well, since 120V AC batteries are tough to come by, that makes perfect sense! ;) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PLD 14 Report post Posted April 8, 2006 I tried turning the fuel pressure screw out and in and everywhere in between. I also played with the air band, it was full open to start and made no difference when i closed it and reopened it so it is not an air problem as far as i know. I checked the battery and it is fully charged. Any more ideas please!!! Black smoke = fuel rich exhaust. Start there. Either it's not getting enough air, too much fuel,or experiencing incomplete combustion. Not enough air: Air bands, blower problem, power/connection problem (slow blower), air flow restricted by soot. Too much fuel: Mixer screw, injectors, fuel pump overpressure. Incomplete combustion: Clogged injectors, ignitor problems (replace or power issues), coil clogges with soot. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Russ Johnson 141 Report post Posted April 8, 2006 Is there ANY water in your fuel? The adjusting piston in the fuel pump can rust and stick. You know the fitting with the adjusting screw in it? Remove the whole fitting (11/16" wrench) and the fitting opposite it where the fuel comes out. There are springs in there (sometimes 1, sometimes 2), so don't lose them...they won't come flying out at you. Use a Phillips screwdriver and see if you can push the piston out. If not, get a hammer and drive it out. Polish the piston with fine sandpaper and use the Phillips screwdriver to stuff the corner of a rag through the bore where it was. Gat ahold of it and run it back and forth..like polishing a shoe.., lubricate the piston with WD 40 or similar, and put it back together. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beth n Rod 1,279 Report post Posted April 8, 2006 Water in the fuel filter is a good suggestion to check as well. Check your wiring and make sure all burner connections are intact. Rod!~ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
R. Williamson 14 Report post Posted April 8, 2006 I have also seen fuel nozzles loosen causing them to smoke like crazy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JBenson 14 Report post Posted April 8, 2006 restricted air do to soot, let me know what you think of these. I took the burner apart a minute ago and found part of the casing melted, chunks of soot and metal at the bottom of the coil, and soot about an 1/8 inch thick or so on everything. I am thinking is cant breath or my nozzle is not atomizing very well. I was a Jet Mechanic in the Air Force and cant fix this, same principals but i just dont know the parts and trends. Let me know what you think of the pics Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JBenson 14 Report post Posted April 8, 2006 more pics, never mind the lables, somehow i got the picture descriptions screwed up Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
R. Williamson 14 Report post Posted April 8, 2006 My guess is your burner slowly built up the soot till it could not take anymore and clogged it, probably due to an incorrect mixture. Using diesel after it ran the kero the air / fuel mixture got worse. You need to pull the coil out take the insulation off and use a shop vac to get as much soot out as possible then pressure wash the rest out (prepare to get filthy). What you think is melted is not. This is a upright burner from what I can tell from the pics. corrosion thinned the metal and the weight of the coil curled the metal up. Go to a fab shop after it is cleaned and have them roll you a ring and weld it in place around the bottom, don't let them go crazy on the weld it just needs about (6) 1 inch long welds around the circumference. Reassemble with a complete tune up kit and if the old insulation is not usable that to. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JBenson 14 Report post Posted April 8, 2006 this is a horizontal burner, i will try cleaning the coil and see what happens. Something along the way kept getting worse as the air band was all the way open when i bought the machine. I will clean it and hope for the best. any other advice or opinions would be great Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PLD 14 Report post Posted April 8, 2006 restricted air do to soot, let me know what you think of these. I took the burner apart a minute ago and found part of the casing melted, chunks of soot and metal at the bottom of the coil, and soot about an 1/8 inch thick or so on everything. I am thinking is cant breath or my nozzle is not atomizing very well. I was a Jet Mechanic in the Air Force and cant fix this, same principals but i just dont know the parts and trends. Let me know what you think of the pics I'm not a burner mechanic, but I would tend to agree. The coil head end is the only place that air can exit the coil and yours looks pretty well stopped up. No air out = no air in. Also, an injector sprays the fuel and then the air column helps to vaporize it. Restricted air flow means that the fuel becomes less atomized in the same period of time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JBenson 14 Report post Posted April 8, 2006 Thanks Phillip, i think we found the problem. I am going to take out the coil and power wash it tomorrow and then we will see what happens. In two of the pics you can see the HEAD end of the coil and there is a piece of metal covering the middle, is this normal or should that not be there. You can see what i am talking about in the picture, it is the two pictures that have all the rought edges. thanks for all the help Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PLD 14 Report post Posted April 8, 2006 I do see that, and I too wondered if it should be there. Imho, it leaves VERY little room for air passage. But, that could be how they accomplish such an obscene heat transfer rate. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Douglas Hicks 128 Report post Posted April 8, 2006 I have had 2 Pressure washers, a horizontal and a vertical. My machines had a baffle plate that came loose. The baffle plate was to direct the flame around the coils. Sometimes the plate was where it was supposed to be, and sometimes it was not where it was supposed to be. When it was in the wrong place, the flame did not burn clean, and lots of smoke and soot were product, very litttle heat. After putting the plate back in position and some welding, I was back in business. My helper did mention the verticle burner has lots of nasty black soot. He took it the the car wash. Douglas Hicks General Fire Equipment Co of Eastern Oregon, Inc Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JBenson 14 Report post Posted April 9, 2006 OK, i took the burner apart and power washed it, it left my driveway a solid black, along with me. Anyway, I put it all back togather and it smokes a little bit, so cleaning fixed most of it. Now it still smokes a little bit, the fuel pressure screw is all the way out and the air band still has to be all the way open. I think i still might have some airflow issues. Any other suggestions? The squirrel cage spins but i did not take it apart to check its condition. Other than that i am out of ideas as far as air flow. I might buy a new fuel nozzle and change that out to ensure i am getting a good spray pattern. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
R. Williamson 14 Report post Posted April 9, 2006 If you have the fuel pressure backed all the way out then do what Russ suggested and undo the hex around the adujustment screw and unstick the plunger. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JBenson 14 Report post Posted April 9, 2006 OOPS, forgot to mention that i did take that out and the plunger moved freely. Now that i think of it it was hard to get to move at first so maybe it was stuck a little bit, i didnt try firing it after that. I will go fire it up right now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JBenson 14 Report post Posted April 9, 2006 I just fired it up and there was no difference after monkeying with the plunger. Now What? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
