flue anaylser readings

[mark_mc]

hi all,

just wondering I am doing my oftec course at the minute and wondering what is readings that you would desire when servicing a boiler and hits and tips how to acheive this.

like your o2 count, co2 count and ppm for carbon monoxide

many thanks
mark

 

[kirkgas]

hi all,

just wondering I am doing my oftec course at the minute and wondering what is readings that you would desire when servicing a boiler and hits and tips how to acheive this.

like your o2 count, co2 count and ppm for carbon monoxide

many thanks
mark

i only do gas, but it must be the same, your training notes must have target/action levels, or the specific appliance MI's give you exactly what you need, OR i could be wrong, but dont worry we wont need to wait long to find out!!!!!!

 

[mark_mc]

im i right to saying the following

02 count of 4-8
co2- 10-12
and cant remember the carbon monoxide ppm i cant remember

cant you help

 

[dontknowitall]

Ratio: 0001 to 0009 (from another plumber I know)
O2 between 5.0 and 6.0 (from the OFTEC assesser)
CO up to 100ppm I think but I don't like it to be more than something around 25ppm

It will vary from day to day and on things like wind conditions. For example, readings in the middle of winter at 2 degrees with a 10mph north wind blowing will be very different to a spring reading of 12 degrees with a 5mph south westerly. The CO2 should be set to manufacturer's tables but this is not always possible.

If you clean the baffles and casement and flue properly, change and use the correct nozzle as per the manufacturer's instructions, change the oil line, check the fan and motor, set the electrodes EXACTLY as per the manual (distance apart), set the electrodes distance in front or level with the nozzle and diffuser exactly as the the manual, then the air intake as per the manual, 9 times out of 10 you're going to have the perfect flame and resulting readings.

I was told at Worcester (excellent follow up £50 training for a day) that allen keys are not as accurate as a micro reader thingamy jig (whatever they're called).

One piece of advice if you're still doing your course: ask loads of questions about the servicing and fault finding, the water process through a boiler, the flow switch, the high limit thermostat and so on.

All OFTEC is interested in is your knowledge of whether it's J regulations or P or whether something applies to Scotland or Wales or how many millimeters your tank is away from Mrs Jones's roses. They couldn't care tuppence whether you know or don't know how to fix someone's boiler!

 

[mark_mc]

your exactly right about this OFTEC course its all a pile of regulations of the distance the tank is away from the garden boundries etc a pile of ****

Im a fully qualified plumber and think i may ring up the oil service guy and go out with him when i can to get more experience. I learnt more from a guy also taking the course with me than the guys teaching it
is it just me or do the guys teaching courses think they know everything.

I just really want to know how to fix someones boiler and how to do it good and right, its were the money is in oil. if you were to go to someones house and tell them you cant put your oil tank were they want it they are just going to get someone else, who wants there oil tank in the minute of the garden they just want it tucked away in a corner.
i think that OFTEC/ the oil industry as it all wrong.

 

[kirkgas]

your exactly right about this OFTEC course its all a pile of regulations of the distance the tank is away from the garden boundries etc a pile of ****

Im a fully qualified plumber and think i may ring up the oil service guy and go out with him when i can to get more experience. I learnt more from a guy also taking the course with me than the guys teaching it
is it just me or do the guys teaching courses think they know everything.

I just really want to know how to fix someones boiler and how to do it good and right, its were the money is in oil. if you were to go to someones house and tell them you cant put your oil tank were they want it they are just going to get someone else, who wants there oil tank in the minute of the garden they just want it tucked away in a corner.
i think that OFTEC/ the oil industry as it all wrong.

aye it is you, i work in a college!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[mark_mc]

thats the thing kirkgas, i dont know nothing about oil boilers and i would like to know.

mayb your the best college teacher, but there is a few that just think that if you know nothing they are brillant and have a bit of an attitute and im sure you can argee.

an im not going to take back back what i say about OFTEC they do have it all wrong, they should totally reform the oil industry and only allow OFTEC comptent persons to work on oil, anyone at the minute can.

could you please help me and tell me about using flue anaylsers with oil boilers, in this course i was on they used the wet kit not much of the flue anaylser.

 

[aim plumbing]

hi mark if i wer you i would get out with an experienced oil engineer, i spent 5 years workin on oil and gas, in that time 2 other boys went through there oftec because i had my gas certs. even a couple of years after doing there oftec they still came to me for advice because proper on site training and getting to know the appliances beats anything u can learn on the course.
wel thats my thoughts anyway

 

[Dotty]

If you clean the baffles and casement and flue properly, change and use the correct nozzle as per the manufacturer's instructions, change the oil line, check the fan and motor, set the electrodes EXACTLY as per the manual (distance apart), set the electrodes distance in front or level with the nozzle and diffuser exactly as the the manual, then the air intake as per the manual, 9 times out of 10 you're going to have the perfect flame and resulting readings.

All OFTEC is interested in is your knowledge of whether it's J regulations or P or whether something applies to Scotland or Wales or how many millimeters your tank is away from Mrs Jones's roses. They couldn't care tuppence whether you know or don't know how to fix someone's boiler!

dontknowitall is right, best thing to do is refer to the MI's.

Luckily on Oil there's not too many manuals to carry round, If you go to the websites for Warmflow, Grant and Firebird and download their manuals you'll cover roughly 80% of the OB's over here. Another freaky wee one is Monoflam.

As for analysers it'll be whatever you can afford. wet kits are ok but imho they're more of a back up for your fga. try an entry level Kane 250 but go take a look at other threads going into the whys and wherefores and my fga's better than your fga so there!

Kept an eye out for you on Tuesday at CCTS kid, I spoke to a couple of guys on the oil course, dunno if you were one of them. I saw your van though, nice wheels!

 

[mark_mc]

thats what i am going to do, was talking to a fella that i get to my commissioning and servicing but he cant pay me, and im not worried, im a fully qualified plumber and i think it will be worth it, the days here and there were im waiting for work to come up, im just going to go out with him, will be experience and you only learn that way.

im also going to get a few cheap burners and a cheap casing of gumtree of something and just do a wee bit in the garage.

another fella i was talking to do oil boiler servicing local, servicing and commissioning and when a repair was need he just put in a spare burner and took the old on with him, if the problem wasnt sorted timely.

 

[dontknowitall]

I don't do many boilers as I'm mainly a wet plumber but the first few were nerve racking. I've returned to the boilers they're all working well.

For the first 3-4 boilers I told each of the customers how new I was and if they were happy for me to use them as guinea pigs then I'd be happy charging only £40. They all appreciated the honesty, told me I spent much more time than the previous people they'd used, had no idea about the oil tank, etc and (apart from one) are all now repeat customers and paying my full rate. In addition, one or two have recommended me.

My second boiler had a water leak. My third boiler had a motor which started screaming 2 weeks after the service. It's a steep learning curve but I wouldn't change my attitude - total open honesty about my lack of experience, under charging, asking if customer was happy and would they like me to return the next year.

Ironically, I seem to be servicing and repairing boilers at the moment and not doing any wet plumbing!