PSG Max Caddy Mistake?

brenndatomu · Jan 18, 2015

Sounds to me like the tech is barkin up the wrong tree.I find it hard to believe the draft would make the oil burner kick out, draft speed on the oil side is more a function of efficiency (and safety) sounds to me like there is a mechanical/electrical problem (air in the line or filter issue?)(could be a nozzle/electrode adjustment issue too?) What brand of burner is on the Caddys?
I would think with a 30-35' chimney that thing would draft like a Hoover, I bet that has something to do with the poor performance on the wood side. From your pic of the stove pipe it looks like you have those "small" baros. I bet that is part of the issue, can't get enough air to lower the draft sufficiently. FYI, Fields makes baros that are the full size of the pipe.
Ever get any draft #s from the techs?

maple1 · Jan 19, 2015

Sounds like multiple issues. I would bet your wood side is seeing too much draft with a chimney that high. Mine is about 30', and with my baro (full sized) adjusted to allow minimum draft I still have 0.1" on the manometer when burning. But the double baro situation is not straightforward - bottom line, there needs to be manometer readings to verify & establish draft before you can trouble shoot much further on the wood side. Both the oil & wood side should be seeing the same draft though, I think. Then there is the lockout issue - no idea on that one. But I think I would be on to the selling dealer, and manufacturer support, about it.

NotSoToasty · Jan 19, 2015

brenndatomu said:
I find it hard to believe the draft would make the oil burner kick out, draft speed on the oil side is more a function of efficiency (and safety) sounds to me like there is a mechanical/electrical problem (air in the line or filter issue?)(could be a nozzle/electrode adjustment issue too?)

Actually, the tech said the exact same thing when he first arrived after I had shared my experience and theory. Once he checked all of those things and found no issues, he tried to fire it up. Nothing, the burner wouldn't light even after 3 attempts. So he decided to give my theory some weight and took out the instrument to measure the draft, he said the draft measured "off the charts" for his tool. That's when he re-adjusted the damper and had success with ignition. He left feeling optimistic the problem had been solved. Later that night, we were back to square one. He is returning either late today or early tomorrow for another go around.

For the record, I have been in contact with the dealer on several occasions (all last year) but found them not to be all that helpful. I have also been in contact with PSG through email but haven't seen much result there either. They are French speaking so phone communication is rough. I came to this forum hoping to find someone with some Max Caddy experience. You all have been really kind in offering your advice, and its greatly appreciated. Perhaps with your suggestions, my theories and the new technician we'll get this mess figured out!

maple1 · Jan 19, 2015

I think I would consider getting my own manometer. Not just for this particular issue, but also for monitoring things. They are also quite useful for balancing flows in ductwork, I think - although I have no experience with that and it might not be necessary in your case. But it makes it easy to tell at a glance if you have an abnormal draft condition say from a sticking damper or something else odd - or to help in a case like this where things konk out again, you could easily rule it out. A Dwyer Mark II Model 25 is pretty popular & cheap.

Good luck & keep us posted.

brenndatomu · Jan 19, 2015

maple1 said:
A Dwyer Mark II Model 25 is pretty popular & cheap.

This ^^^! I have bought two of these now off fleabay for ~$20 delivered to the house. That is too cheap to not have one. I have it hooked to my stack permanently, verify things at a glance everytime I load.

Smoke Signals · Jan 21, 2015

Proper electrode adjustment is of the utmost importance when dealing with oil burners. Proper settings are in the manual. Thats where I would start.

p.s.drill bit work well for measuring the spacing.

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PSG Max Caddy Mistake?

brenndatomu

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