Exploring the smoke tester

Feature Story The proper procedures need to be followed when checking oil burner pumps By George Lanthier Well, it’s time to go back to B&B Mechanical and check in with our old pals, Bruce and Bubba. The boys have been very busy, so Bruce decided to hire another guy. B&B’s coming along pretty good and with a January thaw Bruce ...

Feature Story Proper testing of system anti-freeze will help prevent problems down the roadBy George Lanthier In many of my seminars, especially those about hydronics and cold-weather servicing of heating systems, an issue comes up that always surprises me that people don’t know about: how non-toxic or inhibited propylene glycol solutions, or system anti-freeze, can go bad and you may ...

Feature Story Figure1 Using the ‘Lanthier Scale” can simplify burner setup By George Lanthier Many of us have heard of setting up a burner by eye. This procedure ranks right up there in the annals of dumb with so many other backwards and antiquated ways of doing things that only those grouped in the clan of the criminally stupid still ...

Feature Story Understanding vacuum and pressure can improve the operation of your oil pumpsBy George Lanthier Figure 1 In my travels on the Internet, in seminars and just talking to so many people in this industry, it never seems to amaze me how many people have problems with oil lines, fuel pumps and, specifically, vacuum. When I was thinking about ...

Feature StoryA doctor’s stethoscope may be your most important tool in diagnosing chimney problems By George Lanthier I know I left you hanging last month, but I didn’t want to give the best part away, so finally, my $64,000 solution to the noise problem. Remember my ‘Lanthier’s Laws” article about noises and using a stethoscope? Well, as it turns out, ...

Feature Story Testing your equipment before the onset of the heating season can save a lot of headachesBy George Lanthier A lot of my recent articles have focused on meters, testers and gauges, and in response to those articles a lot of my e-mail surprised me, but I guess in some ways it didn’t. When writing articles I’m finding out ...

Feature“Diagnostic troubleshooting” can often eliminate the misdiagnosed “blown seal”By George Lanthier Most of this article comes from one I did a long time ago, but it has to do with probably the most troublesome leak on an oil burner. It originates at the burner housing and in most cases the pump is replaced for an alleged bad seal. The truth ...

FeaturesBy Lindy Lindtveit For Part I Click Here In Part II, we pick up our discussion of the new Tigerloop Model TN oil de-aerator introduced in early 2005 by Tigerholm of Sweden and Westwood Products of the U.S. The new Model TN replaces the former Model T60I, which is the original oil de-aerator and which is installed on millions of ...

FeaturesKnowing the right tests can eliminate confusion in maintaining Permanent Split CapacitorsBy George Lanthier In this article, I’m going to discuss the Permanent Split Capacitor, or PSC motor. About five years ago, these motors hit the United States oil-burner industry and have taken off like no device I’ve ever seen. What’s funny to me as a teacher and industry history ...