Hi
I have found such analyzer for my oil burner. There was an auction on Ebay. Anybody knows the company/product and can say something?
YouTube - flue gas combustion analyzer analyser LMBD3 oil pump pressure and air adjustment

 

Do you know the price of it and where to buy? For me it looks good if the price is low.

 

As I said it was for $222 on Ebay but I found manual http://www.elkom.com.tw/files/lmbd3_eng_03.pdf

Any ideas? May I use it for home oil fired furnace?

 

I don't know beans about oil furnaces --- so I have to ask---- why?


As I understand it, good techs use portable combustion analyzers when they are setting up or tuning up an oil burner. But installing one to permanently monitor the condition of a home furnace seems like overkill to me.

What is your motivation to install this?

 

1. It is the cheapest solution and I can always unplug it
2. I have 250kW with nozzle 4.5 ... a lot of fuel ...
3. As I discovered - every refueling changes burning conditions and O2 needs to be adjusted-what is expensive-calling service every 3 weeks
4. They use portable devices yes but they sometimes can't setup it properly and must come back within some days because there is burner error. Sometimes stack is too cold and I have losses.

If I manage to take care of it and save 10-15% of fuel and cut all service expenses then i will earn for a new car :-) I will be able to set up and keep lower oxygen levels and react on every change what will give me savings because the most efficient combustion is between 2 and 3% of O2. Setting 2.5% is risky without day by day monitoring but efficiency is the best.

 

Did you read the instruction manual? Did you notice that it does NOT come with either the oxygen sensor or the temperature probe? A 100 ohm platinum RTD probe will set you back at least another $50, maybe $100. I don't know what the automotive oxygen sensor sells for but I'd be surprised if it wasn't another $50 to $100 and maybe even more.

It only measures oxygen content and then it is only accurate IF the initial calibration of the sensor is reliable and has minimal drift in service. Since most residential boilers and furnaces have a negative pressure in the firebox this unit will only be correct if all leaks are sealed. Since it is not calibrated in place you have to rely on the calibration of the oxygen sensor from the factory. You have to hope the calibration does not "drift" from the factory calibration while it is in use.

You also need a computer dedicated to the unit if you want to make a real-time accounting or want to make long-term graphs or spreadsheets. I would prefer a unit with a data logger that I could upload to a computer on my schedule.

So, probably about $400 to $500 total investment to get it operating and then no guarantee that the readings are accurate. On top of this is that there is no draft reading, no smoke reading, no oxides of nitrogen reading and no sulphur dioxide readings. I'm sure it is better than nothing but it sure as heck is no instrument that I would rely on. On the other hand, it is a fairly inexpensive instrument. I would be leery about the manufacturer remaining in business or offering any kind of support.


Oh, I would really impressed if you could run that small of a boiler at 2.5% oxygen without horribly sooting up the gas passages. I worked with boilers 100 times larger than yours firing continuously with trained operators in attendance 24/7 and we never tried to get them to fire at less than 3% on gas and 4% on oil. You're are really asking for trouble if you try to go that low with an intermittently fired boiler burning oil.

 

Yes you are right I will keep oxygen at 3-4%. In general Pt-100 is not needed. I need the lambda measurement after each repair/cleaning/refueling and just crude readings will be enough. Even when you open window or door the oxygen can change +/-0.5% :-) The accuracy is good enough but if you study lambda sensor datasheet you can discover very good aging stability and accuracy in general. I think onboard computer for fuel injection requires very good accuracy and stability. I replaced lambda in all my cars only once in my life. They offer calibrated probes but I can buy $30 Chinese probe and calibrate it inside my installation with friend's professional meter :-)

 

OK, I ordered one. The device and a probe + P&P for around $300 negotiated :-)

 

Finally I paid $349 with shipment but it is the best spent money last year. You can't imagine good quality this combustion analyzer LMBD3 is. I have this for some time now. I would never pay for anything else. This is real time combustion analyzer. You can change air/fuel ratio every time the weather changes, you get fuel delivery
I saved 600 gallons of oil this winter!