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Today, most oil fired equipment is still being serviced and adjusted with traditional manual combustion efficiency test equipment, also known as wet kits, for field service and seldom is testing done on gas, coal, or wood burning appliances. These kits generally consist of a stack thermometer, draft gauge, wet chemical CO2 gas tester, slide rule and smoke pump. Although this equipment has served the industry well over the years, faster, more accurate, real time flue gas analysis is necessary.
Many service technicians are reluctant to used digital instruments; there is a certain comfort in using what we are used to, and in some cases we figure if we don't know, we cannot be held responsible. Nothing could be further from the truth. Failure to test does not absolve you of liability. Information is power whether it is used for you or against you.
With digital equipment, many errors with the measurement process are reduced or eliminated. Analog measurement errors can be the result of interpolation errors, calibration errors, poor repeatability of the measurement, and most importantly not having a procedure in place to consistently repeat the measurement process. |
