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Posted by Jack, CVMS on December 28, 2003 at 15:42:04:
In Reply to: boiler annual tuning question...... posted by franck on December 28, 2003 at 12:47:54:
: I have a 6 years old burnham water boiler V714 with a beckett firing system....
: I have seen the pro coming every year to vaccum and change the nozzle....they charge about $150 to do so...
That price sounds like it's in the ball park for an annual service.
: my question is
: is it something recomended for a homeowner to do....
No. An annual tune-up is far more than vacuuming the firebox/flue passages and changing a nozzle. It should also include checking the flues and stovepipe, the pressure relief valve, and checking all the burner settings with instruments, making adjustments as necessary. If you have the instruments and the expertise to use them properly, go into the business.
: can I just vaccum and brush the fire box's coil
You could probably do that, once shown the correct way of doing it so as not to damage any refractory material in the firebox.
: and just replace the nozzle ....can the nozzle be cleaned instead of replaced....
As stated above, if you merely change the nozzle you haven't done a thorough tune-up. And no, cleaning a nozzle is time consuming, and no guarantee that it will be any better than it was before you started. In fact, there's a good chance it will be worse. Nozzles aren't that expensive. Many, many years ago, I tried cleaning them... didn't take long to realize how foolish I was being.
: also is it common for black smoke to come out of the cheminey ...every year?? should the firebox be vaccumed twice a year???thanks
Unless you're burning coal, and poorly at that, there should never be any black smoke coming out of your chimney. If you've been getting your burner tuned annually, and it emits black smoke, I think I would be looking for a different service technician.