The Goderich Signal-Star, 1977-11-10, Page 53Page II
Furnace requires maintenance
Most Canadian homes,
especially older ones, are
heated by oil furnaces. In
Quebec and the Maritimes,
residential heating is almost
exclusively by oil.
In the conventional oil
furnace, heating is ac-
'complished by mixing a
spray of oil droplets with air
and igniting it to give a flame.
To get the most heat, your
fuel should be burned com-
pletely. The oil -air mixture
should use the minimum
quantity of air that will give a
"clean" flame. Smoke at the
tip of the flame will cause
soot deposits, and rob you of
heat.
How well is your furnace
working? Three ways to find
out yourself: The major care
of your oil furnace should be
left to a qualified serviceman.
But there are a few points
that you can look after
yourself:
Look for a dirty flame. In
the front of your furnace
you'll find a flap covering a
small hole. You can peek in
here to see the flame.
(Careful! If your furnace has
been on for a couple of
minutes the flap will be hot.)
Black smoke coming from the
tip of the flame is a sure sign
that your burner needs ad-
justment. Call a serviceman.
Check for soot. When your
furnace is not operating, take
a flashlight and have a look
inside the box. How much
soot has built up? The more
soot, the less efficient the
furnace - and the more it's
costing you to heat your
home. If there's a soot build-
up, arrange for an ad-
justment and cleaning.
Even with a well-
functioning burner there will
be some build-up of soot
during the winter. This
happens when the burner
switches on, before the fuel
oil is properly mixed with the
air. The same thing happens
when the burner switches off.
You can buy a "clutch
coupling" or "Solenoid
valve" that will help to
counteract this. Your ser-
viceman will have the prices
and can install either one for
you.
Check the barometric
damper. You'll see the
barometric damper on the
pipe leading from furnace to
chimney.
This valve bumps open and
shut as the wind blows and as
the furnace cuts in and out.
(Occasionally mistaken for a
noisy burglar!) It allows cool
air to be drawn from the
basement into the chimney,
acting as a buffer to keep
most of the warm air in the
furnace. Check the damper
and be sure it's swinging
freely.
If it sticks when you push it,
clean the hinges and give
them a drop of oil. When the
furnace is on, check to see
that it opens. If it continues to
stick in any position, it means
you're wasting energy and
money. 'Call your ser-
viceman. Twice -a -year
service can cut 10 per cent
from your heating bill.
Both furnace and burner
should be checked and
cleaned twice a year - once in
summer and once midway
through the winter. This will
save at least 10 per cent on
your fuel bill. For every $400
you now pay for fuel oil, an
efficient furnace -burner
combination will save you at
least $40.
If all Canadians saved this
10 per cent, Canada would
save $90 million and 7.5
million barrels of oil a year.
You can see how every drop
we save can swell into big
savings for the country. Here
are the six important checks
your serviceman should
carry out twice a year. Make
sure he does:
Remove soot_ The firepot,
heat exchanger and pipes
should be completely
cleaned. Some experts go so
far as to say you should be
able to see your reflection in
the clean heat exchanger.
II
We're Masters
At Our Craft!
See us for the best in
* COLLISION WORK
* BODY WORK
* SPRAY PAINTING
"We're Your Cars Best Friend"
CLINTON
BODY SHOP
CARL COX
73 MARY ST. CLINTON 482-9531
Alr Blast Tubs
(contains spuria)
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Typical 011 Burner
Tell that to your serviceman !
Check stack temperature.
The largest heat loss will be
in hot gases going up the
chimney. To keep this to a
minimum, your serviceman
should measure the tem-
perature of the gases leaving
the furnace. It should be
between 300 degrees F (148
degrees C) and 450 degrees F
( 230 degrees C). Often this
temperature is over 600
degrees F (316 degrees C).
Much too high. It can be
reduced by increasing the
speed of the circulating fan.
This usually requires an
adjustment of the 'motor
pulley. If this doesn't work -
or if you have a hot water or
steam heating system -
possibly the burner is putting
out too much heat for the
furnace and you need a
smaller oil nozzle.
Try a smaller nozzle -size.
Try a nozzle -size tb per cent
smaller or the lowest firing
rate recommended for your
furnace - whichever results in
the greatest improvement.
Your flue gas temperature
will drop., furnace efficiency
will increase and your
comfort level_ should not
change. If you feel cold when
the furnace is operating, use
a nozzle -size only 10 per cent
smaller than the original.
Better still, improve the
insulation in your house.
Check smoke nye
serviceman should
Y
throusmalgh amount of stack
w -in a Nolte
meas
detie
efficient furnace,
u me'
,
the
be
gas will 'drill -ally
soot. 1f not, the btu
be re -tuned.
Check carbon dioxide
The amount of carb�
•
in the stack gas will
further
measure of
nace's thermal effit.,
Measured in this ya
best efficiency s•°a
expect is about
cent. �8i
Check draft and
barometric damper,
serviceman sh,ch
ett
draft or draw of air
the firebox and in the
The barr,metr.c d.
should be adjusted
necessary.
There are a number.
other checks and proc.,
which a good serIicemao
undertake ask your
vicernar, tl, do them
visit. on
Grounds at OntarioH
Picke;ing generating
east of Toronto, are
developed to pre
recreational areas for
residents. .A storage
pound used during
station construction has
transformed into a
hilly parkland and m
excavated during the
expansion program is.
piled into a hill designed
skiing.
When it comes to
Autos - come to ..
McKerlie-MiIIen
WE CARRY
A COMPLETE LINE OF AUTOMOTIVE
SUPPLIES INCLUDING ...
C.I.L. AUTOMOTIVE
PAINTS
• FRAM; FILTERS
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McKerIie-MiIIen Inc.
86 Albert Street, Clinton.
Call 482-3445