How can you tell if the fan on an oil burner is functioning properly?

To determine if the fan on an oil burner is functioning properly, checking if it circulates air and maintains proper flame characteristics is the most insightful approach. The fan plays a critical role in ensuring that the burner receives the appropriate amount of air for combustion. If the fan isn’t circulating air effectively, it could lead to inadequate combustion, resulting in poor flame characteristics such as uneven combustion or a yellow flame, indicating incomplete burning of the oil.

Proper flame characteristics are essential for optimal efficiency and safety of the burner. Observing how well the fan circulates the air helps you understand if it's delivering the correct airflow to support efficient and safe oil burning.

While noise levels can provide some insight into the fan's operation or potential issues, they are not a definitive measure of its performance. Energy consumption may indicate how much power the fan uses, but it does not directly assess whether it effectively circulates air. Similarly, the size of the fan, while relevant to the design and expected performance, does not provide direct evidence of its current operational efficiency or functionality. Thus, assessing air circulation and flame characteristics directly connects to the fan’s primary operational role in the burner system.