4cylndrfury's HVAC Burner adventures
Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2011 3:22 pm
So, Ive found that scavenging a HVAC shop scrap pile is often a GOLDMINE for a hobby caster (get the HVAC company owners permission first!!! - finding a facefull of smith and wesson is not a price worth paying for a crappy old burner )
Ok, so my first burner find was a beat up Becket unit. The Body had been crushed, and the transformer and associated relays had literally been burnt up. You can see below the electric motor and pump assembly removed (background) from the battered shell.
Here are a few poor quality pics of the pump and motor assembly. The motor powers the blower, as well as the pump. The pump must be run at 3725 rpm or greater to achieve the 100psi needed to atomize the fuel through the nozzle.
I cobbled together a wooden frame to hold the assembly, and plumbed a few lines to run fuel to the nozzle - Delevan nozzle to be exact. I prefer .75 gallon per hour nozzles, with as narrow a spray cone as possible. I think this one is a 80° angle, semi hollow spray (meaning he center of the cone is partially hollow, allowing for air to mix with the fuel for an efficient burn).
it works!
As fun as this setup was, it was rickety and I wanted an all in one system so to speak. I went back to the scrap pile weeks later and found this big behemoth:
Its an Armstrong brand, cast iron boiler burner, supposedly from the 40s or 50s. It had a transformer to ignite the fuel by blowing a spark into the mist, and a badly damaged pump. I degreased the cast iron housing at the self service car wash, and primered and repainted the body in appliance enamel.
And reassembled it with a new fuel tank (1.5 gallon capacity) on a knocked together stand. I plan to build a real stand at some point, but am waiting till I build a new furnace, as I have some ideas about tuyere/nozzle placement etc...to be covered at a later date.
And a shot of my basic foundry setup (minus some other safety gear and associated mmolding tools etc...)
Ok, so my first burner find was a beat up Becket unit. The Body had been crushed, and the transformer and associated relays had literally been burnt up. You can see below the electric motor and pump assembly removed (background) from the battered shell.
Here are a few poor quality pics of the pump and motor assembly. The motor powers the blower, as well as the pump. The pump must be run at 3725 rpm or greater to achieve the 100psi needed to atomize the fuel through the nozzle.
I cobbled together a wooden frame to hold the assembly, and plumbed a few lines to run fuel to the nozzle - Delevan nozzle to be exact. I prefer .75 gallon per hour nozzles, with as narrow a spray cone as possible. I think this one is a 80° angle, semi hollow spray (meaning he center of the cone is partially hollow, allowing for air to mix with the fuel for an efficient burn).
it works!
As fun as this setup was, it was rickety and I wanted an all in one system so to speak. I went back to the scrap pile weeks later and found this big behemoth:
Its an Armstrong brand, cast iron boiler burner, supposedly from the 40s or 50s. It had a transformer to ignite the fuel by blowing a spark into the mist, and a badly damaged pump. I degreased the cast iron housing at the self service car wash, and primered and repainted the body in appliance enamel.
And reassembled it with a new fuel tank (1.5 gallon capacity) on a knocked together stand. I plan to build a real stand at some point, but am waiting till I build a new furnace, as I have some ideas about tuyere/nozzle placement etc...to be covered at a later date.
And a shot of my basic foundry setup (minus some other safety gear and associated mmolding tools etc...)