Shutdown, clogged burner, new condition

Yesterday (November 02, 2008) the boiler shutdown. I opened it up and discovered a different clog then I previously enjoyed. Normally the clog has been on the air slots on the combustion head; the clog has historically been a part-pasty, part-crispy mess (I call it coke). This clog was the same consistency as usual but now around the circumference of the burner's secondary air supply holes. There are about 10 or 12 1/4" holes around the combustion head that supply additional air to the fire. A few of these holes were obscured with the coke. It appears the Delevan nozzle I'm using (instead of the Hago nozzles I used last winter) put the coke in a different spot. This coke was easier to remove then the previous mess on the retention head; this is progress.

I have still not put in my Delevan Pro-Tek nozzle valve, I want to see how the non-valved nozzle behaves and if the check is necessary. So far it does not appear to be a needed thing; winter is here so we'll see more soon.