Hot Box??

I got it to fire from the beginning now and that seemed to cure the the flames. Now it just pours white smoke. So bad my neighbor came over to make sure my house wasnt burning.
 
Russ Johnson said:
It lit late for some reason. Electrode adjustment, partially clogged nozzle, air band out of whack. If it hasn't been run for a while, start fresh with a new filter, nozzle, clean the fuel pump strainer (you'll need a new gasket), and see what happens.

Travis, how much of a diesel smell do you get from the exhaust before you fire the burner, as someone said earlier the insulation may be soaked with fuel, or is being soaked with fuel while on.


What color smoke? White is an incomplete burn, black is excessive fuel or not enough air. Could be sooted up or the fuel pump piston may be stuck at full pressure
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What could cause an incomplete burn?

Russ do you think I could burn successfully in a 20" diameter boiler 1/2" coil, 24" long, 4.15 gallons per hour without problems.

I have a modified SM burner with larger blower motor(1/4 HP) and wheel than standard on the coil.
 
crfguy168 said:
I got it to fire from the beginning now and that seemed to cure the the flames. Now it just pours white smoke. So bad my neighbor came over to make sure my house wasnt burning.
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Is the smoke blowing up in the air, or is it kind of cascading out and over the side?

White that blows up is unburned fuel vaporising. It'll either have to burn itself out, or you'll have to pull the coil, wash it and the housing, and replace all the insulation.

White / gray smoke that lazily pours out and over the side indicates a massive soot blockage. It won't burn itself out. The coil needs to be pulled and washed.
 
810f250 said:
What could cause an incomplete burn?

Russ do you think I could burn successfully in a 20" diameter boiler 1/2" coil, 24" long, 4.15 gallons per hour without problems.

I have a modified SM burner with larger blower motor(1/4 HP) and wheel than standard on the coil.
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Dang, you want it HOT do you?!

Incomplete burn is usually a partially clogged nozzle. Half of the pattern fans, the other half dribbles. The dribbly half is what will cause white smoke.

4 gph is a lot of fuel, but with the right fan and cone, it should be ok.
 
sometimes those fuel nozzles get clogged up. If the spray isnt a mist it wont flame right and will cause it to smoke. on my 110 volt, I run 50-100psi on the fuel pump. If you run too much, it might smoke and if you run too little it wont ignite properly. I run around 50-60 in summer and 90-100 in winter.
 
Russ Johnson said:
Dang, you want it HOT do you?!

Incomplete burn is usually a partially clogged nozzle. Half of the pattern fans, the other half dribbles. The dribbly half is what will cause white smoke.

4 gph is a lot of fuel, but with the right fan and cone, it should be ok.
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At 8 to 8.5 gpm from the pump I was not happy with the heat output at my gun (after 200ft of 1/2" hose and 50F inlet). I currently have a 3.25B nozzle and fuel pressure set at 140 psi, that should translate to 3.85 GPH diesel consumption. I am trying to find out how much feet of coil I have, Farley's say look for a stamp but I dont see it.

NeedClean said:
sometimes those fuel nozzles get clogged up. If the spray isnt a mist it wont flame right and will cause it to smoke. on my 110 volt, I run 50-100psi on the fuel pump. If you run too much, it might smoke and if you run too little it wont ignite properly. I run around 50-60 in summer and 90-100 in winter.
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Interesting how does it burn in the summer time at 50-60psi ? That sound low, I am thinking that the fuel may not be atomized enough
 
Nigel, I think there just isn't enough room to burn that much no matter how much air you blow in. It's tedious, but if your trying to modify it you just have to get a few nozzles, have your pressure guage and thermometer and just start trying combinations - pressure, nozzle size, air intake ... If your thermometer is on the outlet of the coil you'll be able to see the changes pretty quick. It's interesting when your testing and you drop the fuel pressure and cut the air and the temperature goes up! you just have to find that sweet spot.
 
tomtucson said:
Nigel, I think there just isn't enough room to burn that much no matter how much air you blow in. It's tedious, but if your trying to modify it you just have to get a few nozzles, have your pressure guage and thermometer and just start trying combinations - pressure, nozzle size, air intake ... If your thermometer is on the outlet of the coil you'll be able to see the changes pretty quick. It's interesting when your testing and you drop the fuel pressure and cut the air and the temperature goes up! you just have to find that sweet spot.
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I remember you telling me about that in Vegas Tom. But that last sentence is interesting, drop fuel pressure and cut air flow and temp goes up. hum........

I could see reducing air flow could increase temp, because you could be blowing the heat to fast through the coil and out the stack.

At my current boiler settings (3.85gph) and pump bypassed to reduce flow, outputat 3600 psi with a 5.5 new tip that translates to 5.2 gpm , the boiler would cut out (cycle) about every 45 seconds when set at 200F, the gum i was removing was going great, then I set the thermostat at 245 and the boiler did not cycle. But the gum removal was truly faster as Jim said. I think that is the highest I can hit with the least flow I would want to run.

But I do need the gages like you mentioned and adjust the parameters and see were the "sweet spot" is. Thanks bro!!
 
810f250 said:
Did you do all the suggestions that Russ J made?

Sorry for jacking the thread.
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Yeah.. still no change, someone said i need to just run it for about 15 min straight and burn all the excess fuel, I think i flooded something that's why. I left the fuel valve open for a day while driving and so on, so maybe that is why, just now when i try to burn everything up, It smokes so bad neighbors start coming out.
 
Which fuel valve are you speaking of?

I believe that the fuel (diesel) only comes on via the fuel solenoid when a flame is detected and the trigger is pulled (pressure or flow switch). When the trigger is released the fuel solenoid shuts of, and the fuel goes in bypass back to the tank.
 
810f250 said:
Which fuel valve are you speaking of?

I believe that the fuel (diesel) only comes on via the fuel solenoid when a flame is detected and the trigger is pulled (pressure or flow switch). When the trigger is released the fuel solenoid shuts of, and the fuel goes in bypass back to the tank.
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Where the hose from the tank feeds into the ignition.. There is a valve that shuts off the fuel that feeding through the line, I left it open.. Maybe something is flooded.

John
 
The diesel should be locked up tight by the solenoid. Is your tank above the burner? Have you opened up anything? The nozzles are very easy to remove, the coil cover is not bad, the problem might be staring at you if you can get your eyes on the inside.
 
PressureWashE said:
Where the hose from the tank feeds into the ignition.. There is a valve that shuts off the fuel that feeding through the line, I left it open.. Maybe something is flooded.

John
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If i am reading you correctly that valve you speak of is up stream of the fuel pump. leaving it open should not have caused the insulation to get fuel soaked (which I think has happened or is continuing to happen when you fire it).

You have to preform surgery on the coil assembly, open it up and see whats going on inside.

Unless you borrow my X-ray glasses....jk:)
 
810f250 said:
If i am reading you correctly that valve you speak of is up stream of the fuel pump. leaving it open should not have caused the insulation to get fuel soaked (which I think has happened or is continuing to happen when you fire it).

You have to preform surgery on the coil assembly, open it up and see whats going on inside.

Unless you borrow my X-ray glasses....jk:)
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Ah okay Ill probably take it apart today.
 
Well i took apart the ignitor and cleaned that out real well, drained the old diesel and put new diesel with some diesel treatment in it, And still smokes horribly, The coils are going to be very difficult becasue once i break open the hotbox to take the coils out, I will have to reseal everything with some kinda apoxey.. Good thing is the shop that made this pressure washer is local and i can get the work done there, I will post pictures of what im talking about tomororw, Its a wierd pressure washer,


John
 
Those skids look pretty cool. Would it be too much for the manufacturers to make the coil cover quick release, or a hinge? How about the nozzle, did you check it out? Thats a pretty easy fix or replacement. If you pull the burner head off you can look inside from there. Are you adjusting the air band when you fire it, it might have shaken loose and moved. I think least likely is coils massively plugged, less likely insulation fell in front of the burner, more likely nozzle. Also it could be sucking air at the filter canister. Good luck.
 
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