Boiler Fuel Nozzle

**bigal0043** · 10-08-2012, 05:55 AM

I have a Weil Mclain AB-466E boiler, not sure on the age. What is the correct fuel nozzle size? We seem to go through a ton of fuel in the winter. I was looking up the size and its a pretty big boiler 144kbtu our house is about 1500 square feet so i would imagine that it may be related to that.

It currently has a 60 H 1.10 nozzle.

**BobL43** · 10-08-2012, 06:51 AM

If you don't have the manual for the boiler, Weil Mc has manuals you can view/download from their website. The manual should indicate the nozzle size if I remember. I have a mode P468V, which is a 4 section cast iron, and have a 0.75 80 degree hollow nozzle in it. The max nozzle size on my boiler' s name plate is 1.25. when I had a 1.0 or larger nozzle in it, the recovery time was rather quick, and the boiler short cycled. If I rmember correctly, my boiler nameplate is also a big number, like 150K Btu.
Oil's not cheap like it used to be, and I use quite a bit each heating season too
There are boiler experts here who will give you good info here though

**bigal0043** · 10-08-2012, 07:03 AM

I found the manual online but see no refrence to the nozzle size. My name plate on the boiler is in very rough shape, all i can read are the numbers that are stamped into the metal not sure what they relate to.

**BobL43** · 10-08-2012, 07:17 AM

Originally Posted by bigal0043

I found the manual online but see no refrence to the nozzle size. My name plate on the boiler is in very rough shape, all i can read are the numbers that are stamped into the metal not sure what they relate to.

What does your oil burner service tech recommend? Which burner is installed in it? Mine is a Backett AFB, which is like a comodity.

I do mine myself, because the techs in my area don't seem to give a crap about doing a good job. (I am being kind here). My friend has a combustion analyzer and checks it out after me.

**bigal0043** · 10-08-2012, 07:29 AM

Ill have to check to see what the burner is, do i have to take it apart and pull out the little burner that the nozzle hooks to or the model of the whole unit,

As for asking the service tech i have asked before and they just put in whatever was in there before. So if someone made a mistake years ago it would have just carried over.

**BobL43** · 10-08-2012, 07:49 AM

Originally Posted by bigal0043

Ill have to check to see what the burner is, do i have to take it apart and pull out the little burner that the nozzle hooks to or the model of the whole unit,

As for asking the service tech i have asked before and they just put in whatever was in there before. So if someone made a mistake years ago it would have just carried over.

The burner usually has an ID tag on it on the outside of the blower housing.

Unless you know what you are doing, I would leave it alone and not take anything apart yourself. Try another tech. I know how difficult it is to get a good tech from an oil supply company, especially. There are HVAC companies that have good techs, and know and care how to do the job correctly.

I never had one tech from an oil company do a good job in over 40 years! It is pathetic, but you get what you pay for.

A pro company that does installation and service, and no interest in selling you more oil, will charge me about 250 bucks to clean and tune my heating system. Maybe in 10 more years when I'm to old and lazy, I'll spend that, if I have any money.

So, I have to take back what I said in my post #4; you get what you pay for. an oil company is interesting in selling you oil, and their service contracts and techs they send out, from my experiences anyway are a poor value at whatever they charge. Maybe OK for an emergency "no heat" job, but for getting it set up correctly: Feh! Cleaned well? Are you watching?

Hey, its my opinion anyway. And I am no pro; just in a chatty mood at the moment

I still think you need to get a new tech there at least once to get it checked out and see if it can be made to run more efficiently. The nozzle in there now may just be the right one for you.

**Tom Sawyer** · 10-08-2012, 08:17 AM

Without knowing the pump pressure and having a chart, selecting the correct nozzle is impossible. the .60 at 100lbs is underfiring the boiler but, the pump pressure has probably been raised to promote better atomization and increase input. At any rate, fiddling around with any of this stuff without having a combustion analyzer is a huge mistake. A wrong adjustment or part will cause your boiler to soot up within a day or two. Call a professional with the equipment needed. If you are going through a lot of oil, having the unit cleaned and properly adjusted is well worth the cost. Then look into having an outdoor re-set control installed like the Beckett Heat Manager or Taco's PC700.

**bigal0043** · 10-08-2012, 09:15 AM

okay thanks guys, i should give the oil company a call see if they can do some test on efficency, after finidng the boiler model number i think its way over sized for the house. We are getting natural gas in the town by next spring so i may just suck it up for a winter and then switch over.