I've worked Google pretty hard and can't seem to find a situation like mine so remembering the help I got here about ten years ago I'm back with questions.
Recently the gas company installed a new meter and volunteered to re-light the pilot on my boiler. After lighting it they checked the gases in my draft hood and came up with 1300 ppm and rising for CO.
First I'll admit to ignoring this boiler for the last ten years or so because it made heat and didn't seem to use much gas.
The boiler is a Crane-line Midget with an Economite E20 gas conversion burner from Midco. My house is 1100 sq. ft. with a calculated heat load of about 32000 BTU/Hr. and is in southern Minnesota.
I checked the gas pressure and it was 3.5 inches of water which works out to about 132000 BTU/Hr
I looked at the nozzle and pilot assembly and it was pretty clean.
The blower had a fair amount of dirt on the vanes of the fan and in it's housing so I thoroughly cleaned it and put everything back together.
I replaced the 90° elbow attached to the output of the boiler because it looked like this.
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I then fired the system up and adjusted the air shutter per the manufacturers instructions for quiet flame. I can't see the nozzle, so don't know about the flame color at the nozzle.
I've spoken to a locally recommended HVAC company and they will come out with equipment to measure the CO as well as other gases but the owner told me all of his older people had retired and he didn't have anybody that would be familiar with my system.
Before I make the appointment I have a questions about the white powdery deposits in the combustion chamber:
1. Is the white stuff in the photo below normal?
2. Is the white stuff related to the high CO reading?
![]()
And finally, given the condition of the elbow shown above shouldn't I be dead if the CO is really high? In the winter I spend hours in the basement working on motorcycles etc. and my lift is less than 6 ft. from the boiler. I've never experienced any of the symptoms of CO poisoning.
Recently the gas company installed a new meter and volunteered to re-light the pilot on my boiler. After lighting it they checked the gases in my draft hood and came up with 1300 ppm and rising for CO.
First I'll admit to ignoring this boiler for the last ten years or so because it made heat and didn't seem to use much gas.
The boiler is a Crane-line Midget with an Economite E20 gas conversion burner from Midco. My house is 1100 sq. ft. with a calculated heat load of about 32000 BTU/Hr. and is in southern Minnesota.
I checked the gas pressure and it was 3.5 inches of water which works out to about 132000 BTU/Hr
I looked at the nozzle and pilot assembly and it was pretty clean.
The blower had a fair amount of dirt on the vanes of the fan and in it's housing so I thoroughly cleaned it and put everything back together.
I replaced the 90° elbow attached to the output of the boiler because it looked like this.

I then fired the system up and adjusted the air shutter per the manufacturers instructions for quiet flame. I can't see the nozzle, so don't know about the flame color at the nozzle.
I've spoken to a locally recommended HVAC company and they will come out with equipment to measure the CO as well as other gases but the owner told me all of his older people had retired and he didn't have anybody that would be familiar with my system.
Before I make the appointment I have a questions about the white powdery deposits in the combustion chamber:
1. Is the white stuff in the photo below normal?
2. Is the white stuff related to the high CO reading?

And finally, given the condition of the elbow shown above shouldn't I be dead if the CO is really high? In the winter I spend hours in the basement working on motorcycles etc. and my lift is less than 6 ft. from the boiler. I've never experienced any of the symptoms of CO poisoning.