Fieldpiece SOX3 Operator'S Manual Download Page 1

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Quick Start

1.  Press ON/OFF to power on the SOX3.

2.  A 30 second warm up ensues.

3. Press FUEL to cycle through fuel 

types.

4. Insert the barrel of the SOX3 into 

flue.

5.  Press MEASURE/HOLD to begin tak-

ing measurements.

6. Use the  up arrow button to toggle 

the upper display between %O

2

 and 

%CO

2

.

7. Use the down arrow button to 

toggle the lower (right) display 

between %EA and % (Efficiency).

8. Make sure all holes in the flue are 

sealed after testing is finished.

 

Description

The SOX3 is a portable hand 

held automated combustion check 

designed for the HVAC technician. 

The SOX3 provides all the essential 

measurements for checking and 

tuning combustion equipment. 

Measure flue temperature and %O

2

 

directly to view the calculated %CO

2

%Excess Air (%EA) and %Efficiency 

(%).

 The ergonomic handle and 8ft hose 

make for easy flue gas measurements. 

Use the magnetic strap and the barrel 

lock to go entirely hands free. 

With three common fuel types as 

well as a custom fuel input the SOX3 

allows you to check %O

2

, %CO

2

, %EA 

and % (efficiency) on any combustion 

equipment you may encounter.  

Keep your SOX3 up and running 

longer with the field calibratable 

thermocouple and replaceable 

oxygen sensor.

Display

Controls

Press for 1 Sec to Exit

PRESS FOR

1 SECOND

FUEL

ON/OFF

MAX/MIN

AUTO-OFF

°F

°C

MEASURE/HOLD

°C

°F

HOLD 

APO

 

%

MAX MIN

%

CO

2

EA

MAX

SET 

  Hold for one second to toggle power. 

Press for 1 Sec to Exit

PRESS FOR

1 SECOND

FUEL

ON/OFF

MAX/MIN

AUTO-OFF

°F

°C

MEASURE/HOLD

°C

°F

HOLD 

APO

 

%

MAX MIN

%

CO

2

EA

MAX

SET 

  Toggle backlight on display.  

  (Hold while powering on the SOX3 to  

  disable the meter's APO.)

Press for 1 Sec to Exit

PRESS FOR

1 SECOND

FUEL

ON/OFF

MAX/MIN

AUTO-OFF

°F

°C

MEASURE/HOLD

°C

°F

HOLD 

APO

 

%

MAX MIN

%

CO

2

EA

MAX

SET 

Toggle between MEASURE  

mode (pump on, live readings) 

and HOLD mode (pump off, 

frozen readings). 

Fieldpiece

Combustion Check  

with AutoPump

OPERATOR'S  

MANUAL

Model 

SOX3

 

Press for 1 Sec to Exit

PRESS FOR

1 SECOND

FUEL

ON/OFF

MAX/MIN

AUTO-OFF

°F

°C

MEASURE/HOLD

°C

°F

HOLD 

APO

 

%

MAX MIN

%

CO

2

EA

MAX

SET 

Cycle through fuel types. Fuel indication 

arrow moves along lower display. (Hold 

for one second to enter Custom Fuel 

setup.)

Press for 1 Sec to Exit

PRESS FOR

1 SECOND

FUEL

ON/OFF

MAX/MIN

AUTO-OFF

°F

°C

MEASURE/HOLD

°C

°F

HOLD 

APO

 

%

MAX MIN

%

CO

2

EA

MAX

SET 

(UP)Toggle between %O

2

 and %CO

2

(Down) Toggle between %EA and %.  

Use during Custom Fuel setup to adjust 

max %CO

2

.  (Hold respective arrow button 

while powering on to change    

 

temperature units to °F or °C.) 

Press for 1 Sec to Exit

PRESS FOR

1 SECOND

FUEL

ON/OFF

MAX/MIN

AUTO-OFF

°F

°C

MEASURE/HOLD

°C

°F

HOLD 

APO

 

%

MAX MIN

%

CO

2

EA

MAX

SET 

Press to cycle through maximum, 

minimum, and real-time measurements. 

(Hold for one second to clear saved values 

and continue measuring.)

Certifications

   C-Tick (N22675)

   CE 

  

WEEE

    

     

RoHS Compliant

WARNING  

!

C o m b u s t i o n   e q u i p m e n t   i s 

extremely hot. Never touch the  SOX3 

without knowing it is cool to the 

touch.

Exhaust may be hot. Do not put 

your skin directly in front of exhaust 

port. 

How to Use

Pre-Testing

1. Power on the SOX3 and allow the 

unit to warm up for 30 seconds. 

2.  Calibrate temperature if needed (see 

Field Temp Calibration). 

3. Check that SOX3 water and particle 

filters are dry and properly sealed.

4. Thoroughly inspect combustion 

equipment for damage.

5. Identify the fuel being combusted 

and use the FUEL button on the 

SOX3 to select that fuel. For fuel 

other than Natural Gas, Oil #2, or 

Propane see Custom Fuel setup.

6. Identify the flue and locate service 

port for taking flue measurements 

or, if necessary, drill a hole using a 

1/2" bit (12.7mm) within 18" of the 

breech.

7. Once your combustion equipment 

has passed all of your preliminary 

and visual inspections, turn on the 

equipment to be tested.

Testing

1. Identify manufacturer's specifica-

tions for % efficiency, %EA (% Excess 

Air), %CO

, or %O

2

 in the flue. If 

manufacturer’s specs are not avail-

able see Table 2 (on back). 

2. Once combustion equipment has 

stabilized, insert rifle into flue gas 

at service port or drilled hole. 

Note: Combustion samples should 

be taken before dilution air enters 

the system, before components like 

draft hoods and barometric damp-

ers. Testing at least 6" upstream of 

the breach is the typical location for 

most equipment. As a general  rule, 

the sample hole should be more 

than twice the flue diameter away 

from any elbows.

3. Press MEASURE/HOLD to start the 

internal pump and begin taking fuel 

measurements.

4. Toggle between %CO

2

 and %O

2

 

with the up arrow button. Toggle 

between %EA and efficiency with 

the down arrow button. 

Note: The correct fuel type must be 

selected to properly display calcu-

lated values. Effieciency will not be 

calculated when using the custom 

fuel setting.

5. Wait for readings to stabilize, this 

can take a couple minutes. 

6.  Press the 

MAX/MIN

 button to cycle 

through  maximum, minimum, and 

real-time values. (Hold MAX/MIN to 

clear saved values.) 

7. Once stabilized, press MEASURE/

HOLD to hold measurements and 

stop the pump. 

8. Make necessary adjustments to 

bring the equipment within manu-

facturer's specifications.

9. Retest.

Post-Testing

1.  Remove the rifle from the flue and 

allow time for the barrel to cool.

2.  Plug any holes you may have put into 

the flue, with heat resistant silicone 

or comparable plug.

3. Power the meter off. The internal 

pump will run for a short time to 

purge the meter before completely 

shutting off.

4. Open and empty water trap before 

storing SOX3 in its case.

Custom Fuel Setup

The SOX3 can be setup to work with 

various fuel types. In order to enter a 

custom fuel, follow the steps below.

1. Hold the FUEL button, for one sec-

ond until “SET” starts blinking in the 

upper right corner of the display and 

the units read “% CO

2

 MAX” 

2. Use the Arrow buttons to select the 

appropriate CO

2

 MAX for the fuel you 

are working with. 

Note: CO

2

 Max is the theoretical maxi-

mum percentage of CO

2

 produced 

when a fuel goes through complete 

combustion. Table 1 shows CO

max 

values for some more common fuel 

types. 

3. Once you have selected the appro-

priate CO

2

 max press the MEASURE/

APO

MAXMIN HOLD              SET

CO

2

EA

MAX

°F

%

%

°C

ENTER

AUTO-OFF

°F

°C

TEMP CAL

PRESS FOR

1 SECOND

SOX3

Combustion

Check

Excess Air, 

%CO

2

 and %O

2

Natural

Gas

Oil

#2

Propane Custom

EXHAUST

CLEAR

SET CUSTOM

ON/OFF

FUEL

MAX/MIN

MEASURE/HOLD

HOLD button to lock in this value 

and return the Hold display. 

4. The fuel indication arrow on the 

display will automatically be moved 

to your newly entered custom fuel.

%CO

2

 Max values

Fuel Oil #5

16.3

Kerosene

15.12

Bagasse

20.3

Dry Wood

20

Coal Anthracite

19.9

Coal Bituminous

18.5

Wood Pellets

20.1

  Table 1

Field Temp Calibration

To calibrate the temperature 

sensor, turn the Temp-Cal pot while 

measuring a known temperature. Ice 

water is very close to 32°F (0°C) and is 

readily available. 

1. Stabilize a large cup of ice water.

2. Dissconnect water trap in order to cut off suction to 

the barrel. This will prevent sucking up water.

3. Plug in the k-type thermocouple and then immerse  

the barrel tip of the SOX3 into the ice water.

4.  Pessure the Measure/Hold button and read 

temperature on the lower left display.

5. For optimum accuracy, adjust the calibration pot to 

read 32°F or 0°C, depending on the scale selected.

 

°F

HOLD 

APO

 

%

MAX MIN

%

CO

2

EA

MAX

SET 

Sensor Life

Auto Power Off

Battery Life

Upper display
%CO2 or %O2

Lower Left Display 

(Temperature) 

Lower Right Display
% Excess Air or % (efficiency)

Fuel Type

Custom Fuel Setup

Natural

  Gas

 

Oil

#2

 

Propane

 

Custom

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