Oil Delay Solenoid Valves, Quick-Stop Valves, Oil Safety Valves

OIL LINE QUICK STOP VALVES
Quick stop valves or oil delay solenoid valves: what are they, why & how are they used?
- How does a quick stop oil safety valve work?
- How is an oil delay solenoid valve wired-up?
- How Long does an Oil Shut-off Valve Delay at Oil Burner Start-up?
- What's the difference between an oil delay solenoid valve or quick stop valve and a vacuum operated oil safety valve?
FIRE SAFETY CONTROLS - separate article
OIL LINE SAFETY VALVES - separate article
OIL LINE SAFETY VALVE TURN DIRECTION to OPEN or SHUT - separate article
Questions & Answers about quick-stop valves, oil delay valves, & oil solenoid valves: definition, installation, uses, & troubleshooting
References

Click to Show or Hide Related Topics

InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website.

Oil quick stop valves or delay valves: this article describes solenoid operated quick stop valves used at oil burners. These oil safety valves, when they include a timer that delays valve opening at burner start-up, are also referred to as oil delay valves or oil delay solenoids. Quick-stop valves and oil delay valves improve oil burner operation by eliminating the delivery of oil to the oil burner nozzle at low pressures. Low pressure oil delivery, which can be caused by air leaks or just slow burner start-up, causes dirty oil burner operation and can lead to loss of heat or dangerous oil burner puffbacks. Here we explain how and why quick stop and oil delay valves are used, how they are installed, and how to diagnose problems with OSVs and quickstop or delay valves.

Oil Delay Solenoid Valve or Quick-Stop Valve or Safety Valve Installations on Oil Burner Pumps / Fuel Units

This article series explains the installation & use of Fusible Link Oil Safety Valves, Vacuum-Activated Oil Safety Valves, OSVs & PRVs, Check Valves on Heating Oil Lines, and Tigerloop™ or similar oil line de-aerator/prime-protection devices. Oil delay valves, also called quick-stop valves and also referred to as oil safety valves, are discussed separately at OIL LINE QUICK STOP VALVES.

Here we explain two functions of an oil delay solenoid or quick-stop valve or solenoid safety valve

Oil heating technicians use at least four names for versions this device: an oil shut-off valve, an oil delay valve, a solenoid safety valve or a quick-stop valve. Except for the presence or absence of providing a valve opening delay at oil burner start-up, these are all the same product and they have the same basic purposes:

The quick stop valve assures a clean shutoff of oil flow to the oil burner nozzle when the oil burner is turned off, reducing the risk of a puffback explosion of un-burned low-pressure oil that might otherwise flow to the nozzle during burner shutdown. The quick stop of oil flow is accomplished by using an electrically operated solenoid to open or shut the valve.
The quck-stop valve [may depending on model] include a delay circuit that delays opening of the valve for a brief time [1-2 seconds or as much as 5 seconds depending on model] at the start of an oil burner on-cycle.This means we are delaying sending oil through to the nozzle and igniter.

This delay makes sure that the oil burner blower assembly is up to full speed, helping to assure very clean initial combustion and in some installations, helping establish draft before ignition. Both of those features act to reduce sooting and improve initial combustion of the heating oil being consumed. A thermistor inside the valve provides the desired start-up delay.

Sources of Internal Check Valve Troubles in the Oil Pump or Fuel Unit

In standard installations the fuel oil pumping unit sends high pressure heating oil through its outlet tube to an inlet fitting on the oil burner that in turn sends that high pressure oil to the oil burner nozzle where it is sprayed and ignited in the combustion chamber. When the oil burner tops, we want to quickly stop the flow of oil to the nozzle. If we don't stop the oil flow quickly, heating oil at lower pressure continues to squirt, then dribble, out of the end of the nozzle where it will not benefit from complete combustion.

The result is an accumulation of un-burned heating oil in the combustion chamber - the cause of a "bang" or worse an oil burner puffback at the start of a subsequent oil burner "on" cycle.

Oil burner fuel units (oil pumps) already contain an internal check valve intended to quickly stop the flow of oil to the burner when the oil burner motor stops. But with age, or more likely with the passage of dirt and sludge from the oil tank, through the oil lines, through the oil filter, and finally sneaking past the internal filter screen found inside the fuel unit, that crud, or some of it, lands on the internal check valve seat where it can cause the valve to fail to seal quickly or completely.

How does an Oil Shut-off or Oil Delay Shut-off Valve Work & What Problems Does it Solve?

An oil delay solenoid switch or valve, also popularly referred to by some service techs as a quck-stop valve, is an electrically operated valve installed on the oil line between the fuel unit and the oil burner nozzle assembly.

Our photo (left) shows a new oil burner fuel unit installed on our older Beckett oil burner. It's worth reading the label on the fuel unit - it warns Use Only with Valve on Delay.

The oil delay valve, operated by an electrical solenoid switch, closes to immediately stop the flow of oil to the oil burner assembly the second that electrical power to the oil burner is shut off.

This quick-stop valve is a handy "fix" that we can add to an existing oil burner fuel unit if we think that its internal check valve is not working properly. (Few technicians would attempt to disassemble and clean the fuel unit to that level of detail, and an oil delay valve is less expensive than a whole new fuel unit.)

When the oil burner motor starts, the power circuit also powers the oil line solenoid valve. We call the device an oil-delay-valve because the valve includes a built-in time delay that allows the oil burner motor and blower assembly to spin for a brief time before the valve opens to permit oil to pass on to the burner nozzle. This delay, an added feature, helps establish draft and reduces sooting at the oil burner.

Oil Shut-Off Valves Integral with New Fuel Units

Interestingly, some fuel units now come from the manufacturer with an oil delay valve assembly already attached. The importance of a sharp clean cessation of oil flow makes this added feature desirable. We had asked our heating service company to install an oil delay valve on our oil burner to stop a startup "Bang" and soot problem that was chronic on our lab heating system. Bob, Bottini's service tech, inspected more closely and found that the fuel unit had a small leak around its shaft. That leak sent oil into the oil burner assembly, crudding up the oil burner combustion air fan and adding to a dirty oil burner flame problem.

Since our oil burner fuel unit needed to be replaced anyway, it was more economical to install a new fuel unit that included as well an oil delay solenoid valve than it would have been to buy and install those parts separately.

Wiring the Oil Shut-off or Oil Delay Valve

Wiring the oil delay solenoid: for most models, the solenoid valve's electrical wires are connected to the oil burner "run" circuit inside the primary control by connecting the solenoid control circuit wires to the oil burner motor leads - in this case, the nearby cad cell relay.

The standard oil burner solenoid valve cordset can be replaced with a PD timer kit such as the R.W. Beckett PD Timer #21887U that provides a precise 4-second delay between the oil burner motor start-up and the opening of a valve that admits oil from the fuel unit to the oil burner nozzle. You should follow the wiring diagram that will certainly come with the product that you purchase.

Above we provide an example wiring diagram for an oil delay valve time, from Beckett's 21887U PD Timer delay cordset.

How Long does an Oil Shut-off Valve Delay at Oil Burner Start-up

To be clear, we want a zero-second delay at oil burner shut-down, as we explained above. But we may want our solenoid operated shut-off valve to delay its open by a few seconds to allow the burner and blower assembly to get up to full speed, improving draft and combustion air flow to assure a very clean start-up when oil is released to the oil burner nozzle and igniter.

Suntec, a manufacturer of fuel units and delay valves describes a solenoid dumping pump used on their A-7400 fuel unit as including

With a dumping solenoid incorporated in the charge circuit, [so that] nozzle cut-off occurs quickly, while the blower is at nearly full speed. The solenoid itself contains a thermistor which provides an approximate delay of 2 seconds on start-up, ensuring nozzle cut-on at high blower speeds.

Solenoid operated shut-off valves are sold in both non-delay models (Such as Suntec R642NL) and delay models that provide a 1-2 second delay (Suntec R641DL) or a 3-5 second delay (Suntec R643LL) or even up to 15 seconds of delay to suit various application needs.

Other Heating Oil Piping & Flow Control Valves

Don't confuse oil safety valves, oil delay valves, or oil quick stop valves discussed just above with Fusible Link Oil Safety Valves, Vacuum-Activated Oil Safety Valves, OSVs & PRVs, Check Valves on Heating Oil Lines, and Tigerloop™ or similar oil line de-aerator/prime-protection devices.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Quick Stop Oil Safety Solenoid Valves & Timers

...

Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia

Questions & answers or comments about quick-stop valves, oil delay valves, & oil solenoid valves: definition, installation, uses, & troubleshooting.

Ask a Question or Enter Search Terms in the InspectApedia search box just below.

Technical Reviewers & References

Related Topics, found near the top of this page suggest articles closely related to this one.

[1] Audels Oil Burner Guide, Installing, Servicing, Repairing, Frank D. Graham, Theo. Audel & Co., New York 1946, 1947, 1955 (out of print, copies occasionally available from antique book dealers and on EBay)
[2] Beckett Model SR Oil Burner Instruction Manual, R.W. Beckett Corporation, PO Box 1289, Elyria OH 44036 and R.W. Beckett Canada, Ltd., 430 Laird St., Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 3x7
[3] Thanks to Bottini Fuel service tecnician Bob for discussing the buzzing aquastat relay problem, 4/18/2012. Bottini Fuel is a residential and commercial heating oil distributor and oil heat service company in Wappingers Falls, NY and with offices in other New York locations. Bottini Fuel, 2785 W Main St, Wappingers Falls NY, 12590-1576 (845) 297-5580 more contact information for Bottini Fuel
[4] Beckett Model SF Oil Burner Instruction Manual, op.cit.
[5] Sunstrand Corporation - Sunstrand Fuel Units, 4949 Harrison Avenue P.O. Box 7003 Rockford, Illinois 61125-7003 U.S.A. Telephone: (815) 226-6000 Fax: (815) 226-5399 http://www.sundstrand.com
[6] Sunstrand Transmission Service Manual, May 1974, web search 08/19/2011, original source: http://www.cushmantrackster.com/pay-pdfs/sundstrand.pdf - Sunstrand Series 15 hydrostatic transmissions
[7] Webster Fuel Pumps & Valves, Capitol City Tool, Inc., http://www.websterfuelpumps.com/
[8] Suntec Model A-7400 Fuel Unit Solenoid Dumping Pump,
Suntec Industries Inc., 60 Aberdeen Drive - PO Box 5000 Glasgow, KY 42142-5000 - USA Tel : 270 651 7116 - Fax : 270 651 9276 e-Mail : info@suntecpumps.com and
Suntec Industries France, 1 Rue Lavoisier - B.P. 102 F-21603 LONGVIC Cedex - FRANCE Tel : +33 (0)3 80 70 60 70 - Fax : +33 (0)3 80 70 61 11 e-Mail : information@suntec.fr, [copy on file as /heating/Oil pumps fuel units/Sunted_Solenoid_DumpingPPump.pdf] ,
Also /Suntech_Solonoid_Safety_Valves.pdf (brochure)
web search 4/19/12, original source: http://www.suntecpumps.com/Suntecus/PDFs/Form%202740%20
-%20Solenoid%20Dumping%20Pump.pdf
[9] Suntec Model PRV-38 Oil Safety Valve Installation Information, untec Industries Inc., 60 Aberdeen Drive - PO Box 5000 Glasgow, KY 42142-5000 - USA Tel : 270 651 7116 - Fax : 270 651 9276 e-Mail : info@suntecpumps.com and
Suntec Industries France, 1 Rue Lavoisier - B.P. 102 F-21603 LONGVIC Cedex - FRANCE Tel : +33 (0)3 80 70 60 70 - Fax : +33 (0)3 80 70 61 11 e-Mail : information@suntec.fr, [copy on file as /heating/Oil pumps fuel units/Form 2155 - PRV-38 Installation.pdf]. You can download this file from Suntec's website. ,
[10] Firomatic Globe Type Oil Line Valves & Lever Type Fusible Link Control Valves: ISP Automation, Inc., 1035 Old Georges Road, North Brunswick, NJ 08902, Phone: 866-383-3481, FAX 866-383-3482, Email: support@ispautomation.com
[11] Fusible link oil line control valves for commercial equipment: ASCO products by Emerson Industrial Automation, P.O.Box 160, 17 Airport Road Brantford, Ontario Canada N3T 5M8 Tel: (519) 758-2700 Fax: (519) 758-5540
[12] Fuel oil safety valves, Webster Fuel Pumps & Valves, 219 Hahn Road Frankfort, Ky. 40601, Tel: (800) 766-1233 Email: czahalka@cctoolinc.com (Curtis Zahalka Sales Mgr/Mkt /Cust Service/Tech Support/Webmaster ) web search 10/12/2011 original source http://www.websterfuelpumps.com/pdffiles/osv1.pdf
[13] Webster Service Technicians' Handbook, Webster Fuel Pumps & Valves, 219 Hahn Road Frankfort, Ky. 40601, Tel: (800) 766-1233
[14] "The Oil Safety Valve (Service)", Charles Bursey, Sr., Fuel Oil News, February 2006 (Still trying to get the full article - October 2008 - DF) Charles W. Bursey Sr. can be reached at F.W. Webb Co. www.fwwebb.com/
[15] "Installation Information for Suntec A-2000, A-7000 Single Stage and B-8000 two stage fuel units"Suntec Industries, 60 Aberdeen Drive, Glasgow KY 42141, 270-651-7116 (1725 rpm black label, 3450 rpm white label)
[16] Tigerloop: oil line de-aerator devices, Westwood Products Inc., 330 William St., PO Box 610, South River, NJ 08882-0610 - (732) 651-7700
Mark Cramer Inspection Services Mark Cramer, Tampa Florida, Mr. Cramer is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors and is a Florida home inspector and home inspection educator. Mr. Cramer serves on the ASHI Home Inspection Standards. Contact Mark Cramer at: 727-595-4211 mark@BestTampaInspector.com
John Cranor is an ASHI member and a home inspector (The House Whisperer) is located in Glen Allen, VA 23060. He is also a contributor to InspectApedia.com in several technical areas such as plumbing and appliances (dryer vents). Contact Mr. Cranor at 804-747-7747 or by Email: johncranor@verizon.net
Carson, Dunlop & Associates Ltd., 120 Carlton Street Suite 407, Toronto ON M5A 4K2. (416) 964-9415 1-800-268-7070 info@carsondunlop.com. The firm provides professional home inspection services & home inspection education & publications. Alan Carson is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors. Thanks to Alan Carson and Bob Dunlop, for permission for InspectAPedia to use text excerpts from The Home Reference Book & illustrations from The Illustrated Home. Carson Dunlop Associates' provides:
- Commercial Building Inspection Courses - protocol ASTM Standard E 2018-08 for Property Condition Assessments
- Home Inspection Education Courses including home study & live classes at eleven colleges & universities.
- Home Inspection Education Home Study Courses - ASHI@Home Training 10-course program.
  Special Offer: Carson Dunlop Associates offers InspectAPedia readers in the U.S.A. a 5% discount on these courses: Enter INSPECTAHITP in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space. InspectAPedia.com editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author.
- The Home Reference Book, a reference & inspection report product for building owners & inspectors.
  Special Offer: For a 10% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference Book purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space. InspectAPedia.com editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author.
- The Home Reference eBook, an electronic version for PCs, the iPad, iPhone, & Android smart phones.
  Special Offer: For a 5% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference eBook purchased as a single order. Enter inspectaehrb in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space.
- The Illustrated Home illustrates construction details and building components, a reference for owners & inspectors.
  Special Offer: For a 5% discount on any number of copies of the Illustrated Home purchased as a single order Enter INSPECTAILL in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space.
- The Horizon Software System manages business operations,scheduling, & inspection report writing using Carson Dunlop's knowledge base & color images. The Horizon system runs on always-available cloud-based software for office computers, laptops, tablets, iPad, Android, & other smartphones.
Dave Ferris - M&S Environmental Systems, Dutchess County, New York. Mr. Ferris was an HVAC expert. Personal communication to DJF 1987. Remove the firematic or fusible oil supply line valve on return oil-line side - in case of fire if this one closes first the pump continues to run, blows its seal, and sprays oil all over the fire. Proper installation is to have a fusible link valve only on the supply side, and to install a check valve on the return line to prevent back-siphonage from the tank.
Thanks to Rick Johnston for pointing out that the more likely cause of a fire safety valve in the return oil line is a burst seal on the fuel unit 4/6/2009
Thanks to reader T.R. for suggesting clarity on where oil safety valves should or should not be installed and for discussing the proper hook-up location for the Tigerloop and similar oil line prime protection & air removal devices. April 2011.

Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair

Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore. Also see our Book Reviews - InspectAPedia.

The Home Reference Book - the Encyclopedia of Homes, Carson Dunlop & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, 25th Ed., 2012, is a bound volume of more than 450 illustrated pages that assist home inspectors and home owners in the inspection and detection of problems on buildings. The text is intended as a reference guide to help building owners operate and maintain their home effectively. Field inspection worksheets are included at the back of the volume. Special Offer: For a 10% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference Book purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space. InspectAPedia.com editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author.

Or choose the The Home Reference eBook for PCs, Macs, Kindle, iPad, iPhone, or Android Smart Phones. Special Offer: For a 5% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference eBook purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAEHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space.


	InspectAPedia^®	InspectAPedia
	Free Encyclopedia of Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, Repair	Ask a Question or Search InspectAPedia

Free Encyclopedia of Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, Repair

Ask a Question or Search InspectAPedia