Getting rid of soot

[Robert Tyrrell]

Ok - got called to a Worcester Danesmoor utility 18/25 condenser today and it's sooted up big time. I did get it running (Smoke number 0) and set it according to the MI but the guy has just called to say that he can still smell the soot, and that its cut out again.
Im thinking that the soot might be causing a problem and I'd like to know the best way of getting rid of it? I thought :rolleyes2: that the soot might disappear if I had the boiler on for a while but that doesn’t appear to be the case. Going back in the morning and I'd like to know if any of you have ideas on the best way to get rid of the soot deposits?

 

[lame plumber]

vacuum and dualex spray or a sootbuster but make sure the flue doesnt exit near washing line or customers car!! Check to say the burner mount isnt faulty, I had one last week completely sooted up, which I had set up 4 weeks ago and the burner mount had failed letting poc out and recirculate back into the boiler again as it wasnt using a balanced flue, and this is why I believe it sooted up again as the burner had been set up fine and I rechecked it a week later after another issue as I wanted to be sure all was ok.

 

[Best]

To be honest, I just do it the hard way and vacumn the soot up carefully and scrape it off the shell with a long scraper. Then I wire brush it to get rid of as much soot as I can. Obviously I try to keep clean and wear a decent mask. No matter how clean I get a previously sooted up boiler, I find the smoke test is yellow and remains like that for a day or two.

 

[SimonG]

Scrape and hoover. Leave baffles out and fire it up, increase the air and then stop and start a dozen times to blast any further muck out. Baffles back in and then set it lean. Call back in a weeks time to fine tune. Wont work on steamers tho

 

[Millsy 82]

To be honest, I just do it the hard way and vacumn the soot up carefully and scrape it off the shell with a long scraper. Then I wire brush it to get rid of as much soot as I can. Obviously I try to keep clean and wear a decent mask. No matter how clean I get a previously sooted up boiler, I find the smoke test is yellow and remains like that for a day or two.

That's pretty much what I do.

Although I can't keep clean overalls gloves dust mask and I still manage to come out looking like I've been working in a coal mine for days.

 

[Best]

That's pretty much what I do.

Although I can't keep clean overalls gloves dust mask and I still manage to come out looking like I've been working in a coal mine for days.

Worst are the sooted up boilers with low level flues. Those flues have no real draw on them & often the draft is coming back at you from outside while you have the boiler door open to clean it.
I cleaned a boiler joined to a low level flue a couple of months ago that was only slightly sooty. I was careful, but when I looked in the mirror at home I realised my face & neck were covered in soot.
Not good for the health & the red & orange dust is sulphur, which I believe turns to acid when it hits a damp place - like your eyes or inside your lungs, - so avoid!

 

[lame plumber]

it always seems to be ok when you start off, half way through you end up sticking on a mask to be able to keep going!!!! never learn me!!

 

[bennythedip]

If anyone knows of way other than vacuum, scraper and wire brush I'd love to know. It's worse if it's one of the first calls as you stink of soot for the rest of the day. Her indoors loves me coming home with eau de soot on!

 

[Robert Tyrrell]

Right - the soots gone (Well almost), I scraped and hoovered it all, but I now have another problem with the thing - Oh! forgot to mention that it’s a Greenstar not a Danesmoor.
The burner is top mounted and it just won't run
Ive set it to the MI and it didn't work. Ive tried adjusting settings and it won't work. I've checked the resistance on the solenoid and it shows 106 where the book says that it should be 100. I can't check the spark as [it's] facing downward into the boiler, and the RDB pump appears to be working ok.
I've tried the photocell check but all I get is this routine:
box clicks
green light on
motor runs
pump comes up to pressure
approx 3 seconds after that the pump pressure drops to 0 and it it shuts down.
It's a Riello RDB 2.2 burner with a Riello pump and the whole thing is only 3 years old.
Any ideas or suggestions?

 

[Best]

Could you remove the solenoid off the oil pump, or else remove the entire oil pump & take a look at the spark down in the blast tube?
Could be photocell or control box or a broken oil pump. Less likely, but possible is the solenoid faulty.

 

[Robert Tyrrell]

Could you remove the solenoid off the oil pump, or else remove the entire oil pump & take a look at the spark down in the blast tube?
Could be photocell or control box or a broken oil pump. Less likely, but possible is the solenoid faulty.

Doh! - now why didn't I think of that in the first place. It wouldn’t have made any difference as the merchants were shut but at least I'd have known the cause.
Still, at least the customer has got some heating until I can it fixed so they won't freeze

 

[Bunker]

I never get sooty atall even on ones that are filled with it. The trick is, new bag in Henry and imagine you are the assistant in the dentist, with the suction pipe thing, just keep Henry close and the airborne soot will fly straight up his pipe. I even hold the pipe on the top flat side of the scraper so it just lifts the soot off the baffles. Just very careful hoover management is all you need, Ive never made a mess.
Also if its really bad, I use those arm covers you see scientists wearing, for when I need to get the arms in the boiler.

As to the fault, as above, check the spark but also, check the recent list on the Top Tips section.