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1.4 Burner and Fan Systems

This part of the Energy Efficiency Manual presents the energy conservation measures that apply to your burners and combustion air fans. The burners are where the fuel is actually consumed in your boilers and furnaces. The burner must operate in coordination with the combustion air fan to provide complete combustion without excessive pollution. Here you will learn how to clean, adjust, and repair burners for best combustion efficiency.

The types of burners are explained, including their efficiency, excess air requirements, turndown ratios, standby losses, pollution emissions, draft requirements, maintenance requirements, and other essentials. You will be able to judge whether you have the most efficient type for your application, and you will be able to select the right kind of replacement burners for your older boilers.

Standby losses are a major cause of energy waste with certain types of burners. The losses occur when the boiler is not firing, so you cannot detect these losses with a conventional combustion efficiency test. Instead, this Subsection explains how to identify where standby losses occur, and it recommends the methods for minimizing them.