Oil Furnace. Is this safe?


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Old 10-05-08, 10:32 AM
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Oil Furnace. Is this safe?

First I wanted to say thanks for all of the great info here on this forum.

I have an oil furnace in my garage that I use to keep it heated during the winter. Yesterday I was cleaning the unit and discovered that the lip around the entrance hole to the fiber combustion chamber was missing along the top. Is it alright to operate the unit with the lip damaged like that?

With the burner assembly placed back into the furnace, I noticed that the nose of the burner barely meets the the entrance hole of the chamber. The rest of the chamber seems to be in good condition. The chamber did however come apart in two seperate halves when I was claening it. I did manage to get it back together but I am not sure if the metal clamp that holds the two halfs together just wrapped around the chamber, or if it wrapped around the chamber and the metal bracket that holds the chamber in place. Right now the metal bracket is just pushing against the bottom of the chamber, pinning it against the rear wall of the unit. Should I modify the metal bracket that keeps the chamber in place to move the nose of the burner further into the chamber?
Heres a picture, hope it works.
 
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Old 10-05-08, 05:16 PM
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Chamber

I do suggest replacing the chamber. It isn't something super critical at this point but could easily become so.
 
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Old 10-06-08, 04:08 PM
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Is it a safety issue the way it is right now? Like I said the rest of the chamber looks good, it's just the lip where the nose of the burner meets it. Should the nose of the unit extend into the chamber, or just meet up with it like it is now? Also, how snug should the burner fit the hole in the chamber? It must have atleast a 1/4 gap all the way around right now.

Sorry for all of the questions, but it looks like a chamber might cost $200 or so, and I would like to put it off until next season if possible.
Thanks again.
 
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Old 10-06-08, 04:44 PM
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$200?

Two hundred bucks for a chamber? What kind of furnace is it?

For now I would suggest using some kaowool around the burner air tube where it enters the chamber. The end of the burner is normally 1/4" back from the inside edge of the chamber.
 
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Old 10-06-08, 04:46 PM
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Hi,

The 1/4" around the blast tube is normal.
The burner is usually flush with the inside of the combustion chamber or slightly back (recessed). If the end cone sticks into the chamber, you are taking a chance of melting off the end cone of the burner.

Like Grady said earlier, without seeing the chamber and going by your description, it sounds like you are fine for now, But you need to watch for any kind of overheating areas.
Replacement of the chamber is definitely recommended. I cannot see the chamber costing $200, Is that an installed price?
 
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Old 10-06-08, 05:20 PM
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$200 was just a guess based on some chambers I saw on a website. My furnace has name plate that says WISE FURNACES and BOILERS, and the burner is a Beckett. The only label, on top of the furnace, may have had a model number but it is deteriorated to the point where I cant read it. The chamber is a round cylinder type, made out of some kind of fiber material. Any suggestions where to go for a replacement? Heres a picture of the furnace.

The furnace is located in my garage, detached from my house, solely to keep some palm trees and tropical plants alive during the cold winters here in New Jersey. The electric heater hanging from the ceiling is a backup in case the oil heater fails. Im an ASE certified auto mechanic, so I am pretty good with my hands, but the local supply house for oil furnaces is not to happy about NON-Contractors coming in for parts or information, which I totally understand by the way. So I like to purchase any parts I need online unless it is an emergency.
 
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Old 10-06-08, 05:28 PM
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Oil Furnace

Never heard of Wise, sorry. Personally, I'd can the oil furnace for that application & either use gas or electric.
 
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Old 10-06-08, 05:41 PM
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I would get a box of wet pack, which is a form fitting moist kaowool product, and you could just reline the existing chamber if that concerned about it.
 
 

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