# Cluster Fook



## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

Going to have an interesting one tomorrow...

Boiler cleaning and certification...

Here's the story behind this one ..

The customer calls saying they need the boiler repaired ...

The father inlaw figured he would repair their boiler and service it ..

Well after 2 months of operating the boiler was putting out a massive amount of CO in the room air... 500 ppm to be exact ..

So the customer called the fire department because their CO detectors were going off ...

On arrival the FD called the fuel supplier ...

The fuel supplier on arrival called TSSA...

Now this guy is facing possible fines ....

So now we have been contracted to fix this mess...

Pictures to follow once we are on site


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## Relic (Sep 30, 2012)

Awesome! I needed a story to cheer me up. Thanks :thumbup:

Another dumb HO/ handy hack know it all got a big dose of reality


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## U666A (Dec 11, 2010)

It's a wonder no one was killed.


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## newyorkcity (Nov 25, 2010)

That'll beat up your CO sensor pretty good at >500 ppm if you don't pull the probe out in time. Gas or oil?


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## Gettinit (May 9, 2012)

newyorkcity said:


> That'll beat up your CO sensor pretty good at >500 ppm if you don't pull the probe out in time. Gas or oil?


You need a much better analyzer. Most cheap ones can handle 2500 ppm without issues for a while.


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## Gettinit (May 9, 2012)

How were they getting CO in the house at those levels?


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## newyorkcity (Nov 25, 2010)

*are you sure?*



Gettinit said:


> You need a much better analyzer. Most cheap ones can handle 2500 ppm without issues for a while.


I have a Bacharach Fyrite Pro 125. Not a cheap analyzer.
Many of the guys over at The Wall pull the analyzer out immediately at high CO levels. Also takes a while to purge out all that nasty from the analyzer to get back to 0.
And a boiler / furnace is in pretty bad shape if the CO is over 500 ppm anyway.
Maybe you're right, but I have spent enough on this unit, and on replacement O2 and CO sensors to not even want to chance it.


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## Tim`s Plumbing (Jan 17, 2012)

About 3 years ago shortly after I was voted on to the property managment team at my church. I got a call that the fire department had came out because the C.O. detectors out side one of the boiler rooms was going off. Found out that the boiler was putting out nearly 900 ppm. I told the church we needed to fire the HVAC company that we where paying around $5,000 a year for maintance. 
This was a 300,000 BTU boiler with a Power Flame natrual gas burner the HVAC co had no clue what they where doing with Power Flame burners.


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## dclarke (Dec 22, 2012)

i would really like to learn a bit with boilers. ill learn anything somebody is willing to each me that will help me in my career.


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

The flue exhaust was not going up the chimney ...this tells me the heat exchanger is plugged up with carbon ... There must have been some flame roll out also ...

This is a natural gas fired boiler...


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## futz (Sep 17, 2009)

OldSchool said:


> The flue exhaust was not going up the chimney ...this tells me the heat exchanger is plugged up with carbon ... There must have been some flame roll out also ...
> 
> This is a natural gas fired boiler...


What fun! :no: Prepare to have a *very* dirty day and destroy a shop vac. :laughing:


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

I went there today ...

I told the customer they were looking at over $ 1,400 in cleaning and repairs and in my professional and honest opinion they would be wasting their money ...

So I sold them a new boiler ... Monday is the install date ...


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## user2090 (Sep 26, 2009)

OldSchool said:


> I went there today ...
> 
> I told the customer they were looking at over $ 1,400 in cleaning and repairs and in my professional and honest opinion they would be wasting their money ...
> 
> So I sold them a new boiler ... Monday is the install date ...


Now there you go making more work for yourself. Guess you just can't help it. Lol


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

Indie said:


> Now there you go making more work for yourself. Guess you just can't help it. Lol


Well the boiler they have is at least 50 years old ... It's old residential tube fired boiler .... With up shot burner.....

Completely plug with carbon ... Chimney also has no liner ... So we would have to bring this thing up to code ...

Then we could fire it ... Code here says the exhaust can not be over 100 ppm ... I have my doubts I could get it there ... Then there is a question about the combination gas valve ... That might be screwed ... Pressure regulator might be screwed ... 

So it's like the money pit ... How much money do you throw at it ... 

I would rather a customer spend the money on some thing that will save them fuel and give them years of trouble free operation than spend their money on some thing that is at it's life's end ... And make a disgruntled customer


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## Gettinit (May 9, 2012)

OldSchool said:


> Well the boiler they have is at least 50 years old ... It's old residential tube fired boiler .... With up shot burner.....
> 
> Completely plug with carbon ... Chimney also has no liner ... So we would have to bring this thing up to code ...
> 
> ...


Not more than a 100? That can be a challenge with many if nit all of those copper fin heat exchangers. Do you have to submit yearly reports for compliance or just on start up?


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

Gettinit said:


> Not more than a 100? That can be a challenge with many if nit all of those copper fin heat exchangers. Do you have to submit yearly reports for compliance or just on start up?


Mandatory inspection on all residential atmospheric boiler .. Each boiler needs a tag of yearly inspection for CO output less than 100 ppm


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## Gettinit (May 9, 2012)

OldSchool said:


> Mandatory inspection on all residential atmospheric boiler .. Each boiler needs a tag of yearly inspection for CO output less than 100 ppm


I may have to buy your code books to try and push that here. It's pretty much a joke here.


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

Gettinit said:


> I may have to buy your code books to try and push that here. It's pretty much a joke here.


Go to our fuel safety authority website ... TSSA and they have all the bulletins there


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## Catlin987987 (Nov 12, 2010)

What have you decided to install? Any pics?


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

Gb142-24


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