By using a flue gas analyser you can make sure that your equipment is operating safely and at maximum efficiency, and that it fulfils environmental legislation. EPA compliance testing is very important now.
This question can be divided into sections: There is the legal requirement to remain below a certain level of pollutant output and to operate the equipment inside the safety limits at all times. Failure to adhere to these points may well result in heavy fines or the closure of all the equipment until service has been carried out and it can be proved that the safety limits are no longer exceeded or until EPA compliance testing has bee repeated successfully. These procedures are always costly and may lead to long delays and shutdown of a plant, possibly at a very inopportune moment. The safety aspect will, of course, be clear to anyone who has had discussions with the local Saftey at Work or equivalent officials. Saftey is important for many reasons, not just financial ones.
There is then the financial question of use of efficient use of fuel. Even if this is a waste product, it is still financially important to use it carefully. If there is sufficient excess, then it can be sold or used for other purposes, or stored for times when a higher output is required, avoiding the use of alternative and costly fuels.
Both EPA compliance testing and optimal fuel use can be seen as a purely fnancial matter if necessary, allowing them to be quantified and entered into a profit and loss sheet. This can mean that they will be taken seriously by non-technical people, who are often involved in major decisions in industry. it is preferable, however, to also see them from the point of view of ecology and of worker satisfaction. It is generally known, that the feeling, management is trying to reduce risks will improve the morale and hence output of most people, so keeping equipment safe has other benefits as well. EPA compliance and efforts made to keep systems ecologically friendly are, today, good advertising points, a fact which should not be underestimated.
To perform an analysis, the equipment must be clean and operating properly. After you have serviced the equipment, let it run for 15 to 20 minutes. This will allow the unit to warm up and vent properly. This is especially important after cleaning soot out of the flue, since the particle left will burn inefficiently and will falsify the result. Each furnace manufacturer dictates how to do the actual testing on their products. If the service manual does not indicate how, refer to general guidelines set up by the manufacturer of the testing equipment you use. Most modern equipment will come with suggestions as to the pollutant limits typical for the system, so this should increasingly be less of a problem. In any case, the EPA or equivalent natinal standard compliance limits represent a maximum level of pollution allowable.
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