Talking with the boiler guys today about the pilot burner/igniter/sensor module and why I was replacing it, I mentioned that it was mounted in the boiler at an angle, and they agreed that it was a bad idea. Even the Honeywell documentation has specifics on the flame coverage of the sensor rod, so as a part of the replacement of the pilot module, I'm planning to make a bracket that corrects the angle back so it's vertical.
Yeah, it's modifying the design of the boiler a bit. And there was a time when I would really consider such a thing a bit crazy, like what the hell do I know about burners and ignition systems and the like?
But really, there's this thing inside me that when I see this system malfunctioning and hear anecdotal evidence from the guys who work on it that there are known problems, I want to know it, I want to understand how it works, how it's supposed to work.
That's something that I've had since the beginning, an insatiable curiosity as to how stuff works. It's why I ended up as an engineer, it's why I like making movies, it's why I have all of the interests that I do have. It's an integral part of who I am, and is probably the single biggest key in understanding me that there is, if that's what you want to do.
Okay, back to the matter at hand. The bracket needs to be steel. The burners themselves are plated, either nickel or chrome, but I don't think that's gonna matter a whole bunch as long as the plate won't be getting hot enough to deform (and since it's below the level of the burners, it shouldn't).
