Aluminum Furnace Maintenance Tips

Burner and Pilot Inspection

Burners should be checked at intervals of no less than once a month, preferably weekly or bi-weekly. The checks should include mixture (fuel/air ratio) and those factors which would upset the ratio. This includes inspection of the burner tile and orifice to make certain that they are not plugged or burned off.

A definite ratio of burner orifice area to mixer throat area is established in the combustion equipment, to maintain proper function and fuel/air ratios. When this ratio is upset by a plugged burner or an enlargement caused by burn off of the nozzle, the system can no longer operate correctly or safely.

Pilot systems are affected in a similar fashion and, therefore, must be inspected, cleaned, and tips replaced when inspection shows that they have been burned off. This area of pilot maintenance is important, since proper pilots are important to the function of combustion safeguards and flame sensing devices.

Where blower filters are not used, and the environment is dust laden, some of the dirt is entrained through the blower and deposited in the burners and mixers. On larger burners and mixers, it takes considerable time to deposit debris of any significance, however, the larger devices should have an inspection and cleaning on at least sixty day intervals.

Pilot tips and pilot mixers are relatively small, and the orifices in the system are consequently small. Very little dirt can upset proper function, so inspect them weekly.

The latest design, materials and equipment specifications should be obtained from the company before any reliance is placed on the enclosed since changes may occur due to product improvement.