How should the electrodes for an oil burner furnace be adjusted?
I looked at mine today, and they were a trifle, 1 mm. or less, behind the face of the nozzle. I have notes somewhere but I thought they were supposed to be about 2 or 3 mm. ahead of the nozzle face (and above it) to insure good ignition.
It's running now, seems fine, after I swished the nozzle around in soap and warm water, and wiped off the electrodes, but I'm afraid the electrodes are in the wrong place and will cause trouble later in the season, because this nozzle was new last January or February and yet evertying was already so dirty with what seemed like lumpy oil. And it wouldn't start.
I disconnected the oil, and pulled out the thing with the nozzle and the electrodes. They were covered with oil, lumpy oil it seemed. Before I ever had a contract, I tried wiping the nozzle off but I think I either missed the opening, and left lumpy? oil clogging the opening; or I rubbed over the opening and forced lumpy? oil back into it, and ruined it. Could that be? Why does the oil look lumpy?
This time I dipped it in a soap and warm water, and swished it around and the nozzle looked pretty clean afterwards. I wiped off the metal and ceramic parts of the electrodes, put everything back in, and connected the oil line, and it started right up.
I don't have a maintenance contract for my oil furnace at the moment, and my oil furnace wouldn't start when I tried this month. I have a third of a tank of oil.
It may be that it didn't run at the end of the season last spring but I didn't notice it, because it was warm enough for me.
Thanks,
Meirman
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