Loving Monday: Succeeding in Business without Selling Your Soul, is written by John D. Beckett, Chairman and C.E.O. of the R.W. Beckett Corporation. Beckett is the largest manufacturer of residential oil burners in North America. Affiliated companies are leaders in other home appliance components.

In Loving Monday, John Beckett provides a compelling account of how he has integrated his faith and work at Beckett. The result is a business that is respected throughout the heating industry for its integrity and ethics. Within the company, Beckett’s employees find a dynamic work environment where excellence is expected, and where each person is viewed with dignity and a high value on his or her individual worth.

Beckett’s book reveals life-lessons taught him by his father, the company’s founder. These lessons, coupled with insights gained from his decades-long walk of faith, give vivid evidence that high standards and business success can complement each other to the benefit of both. The book’s significance is summed up by industry leader, Archie W. Dunham, President and CEO of ConocoPhillips, Inc.: “Loving Monday is a quick read for busy business people. It portrays John Beckett’s journey of faith and his application of God’s values in the workplace.”

Many oil heat service technicians encounter problems with air in the oil supply system. Most are caused by the use of COMPRESSION FITTINGS, but leaks can be found elsewhere.

For many years our electrode settings have remained unchanged. However, in recent years we found that an alternate electrode setting worked well in certain applications. This change amounted to lowering the electrode tips downward from the old standard 7/16” to 5/16” above the nozzle centerline.

We have seen an improvement in light-offs with the 5/16” settings, especially on installations that are susceptible to cold oil or high oil viscosity. The 5/16” setting places the high voltage arc where it can more effectively ignite the larger droplets produced by colder or higher viscosity fuel oils.

In an effort to improve performance and better serve the market we have decided to standardize the electrode settings for our “F” head applications by eliminating the old 7/16” above centerline standard electrode setting and using the 5/16” above centerline setting as the standard setting. The electrode position of 1/16” in front of the nozzle and the 5/32” gap between the electrode tips will remain unchanged.

The following diagram will show you the 5/16” standard specifications:

Connecting more than one oil heating appliance to a common chimney can be easy and beneficial once we understand the basic guidelines. When following the guidelines for installation, the system will work for you. Disregard these guidelines, and the system can work against you.

The flue and chimney sizing not only controls the exhaust of combustion by-products, but also has a direct effect on the burner’s air supply. When the draft of the appliance rises, the fan wheel of the burner moves air easier. As the draft on the appliance drops, the fan wheel must work harder to move the same amount of air. Proper chimney and flue design, along with proper draft control, allow for an efficient combustion process. //

1. The chimney must be of adequate size to properly vent the gases created by the total BTU input of all appliances combined. Refer to Figure 1.
2. The flue piping of the system, whether for single or multiple appliances, should be as short a run as possible, and rise 1/4″ per running foot up and toward the chimney. Whenever possible, do not exceed 10 feet of flue pipe length.
3. Avoid using more than two 90-degree turns in the piping. Additional 90-degree turns further restrict the exhaust system on burner start-up.
4. The piping, when inserted into the chimney entrance, should not extend beyond the inside surface of the chimney liner. The area around the flue piping should be sealed where it enters the chimney.
5. When venting two appliances separately into a common chimney, always install the smaller flue pipe (appliance with lowest GPH input) at a higher point into the chimney than the larger flue pipe for the appliance with the largest GPH input. Refer to Figure 2.

The cadmium sulfide cell, or cad cell, is part of the primary control system and is used to sense the presence of the oil burner flame. The cad cell assembly consists of the actual cell, a holder, and cord to connect the cell to the primary control. This detector is mounted in the air tube of the burner in such a way as to sight the flame.

The cad cell is made from a cadmium sulfide coated ceramic disk with a conductive grid over its surface. Electrodes are attached to this surface, and the cell is sealed in glass to protect it. The cad cell in darkness has a very high resistance to the flow of electrical current. Yet, in the presence of visible light, it has a very low resistance. For a properly adjusted burner, during operation, the cad cell resistance should be approximately 300-1000 ohms, but not more than 1600 ohms. A resistance above 1600 ohms signals a problem that should be corrected.