Oil Burner FAQs

Air in oil piping
Oil burner combustion air
DIY oil burner service
Oil burner electrical problems
Oil burner flame

Air in Oil Piping to Oil Burner FAQs

Could my oil burner pump be sucking air into the system?

Have a Beckett oil burner just had cleaned and serviced the problem never showed up.

It turns on fine then goes on an off several times the. Runs normal.

I have replaced the aqua stat before calling for service any clue. Could it be the pump sucking air thanks On 2022-01-30 by Jim<

by Inspectapedia Com Moderator

@Jim,

If oil burner were drawing air in the fuel system I would expect there to be a bad flame and the burner to trip off on safety reset.

A leak anywhere in the oil piping may seep or drip oil out when the burner isn't running and if there is a leak on the suction side of the fuel unit, anywhere between the oil tank and the oil piping connection to the oil buner, when the oil burner is running the fuel unit will then draw air into the heating oil.

The results include

Endless foam found in the heating oil discharge when bleeding the oil burner fuel unit after service (to get air out of the fuel unit and piping)

Bad flame at the oil burner nozzle and fouling, ultimately leading to smoky operation, noisy flame, and to the burner tripping off on safety reset

If the safety reset is not tripping it may be that you have a loose electrical connection.

Oil pipe is leaking yellow sludge and boiler won't run

There is a thick yellow sludge coming out of oil pipe and boiler won't fire up. On 2017-08-28 by Al astair

by (mod) - yellow sludge coming out of oil pipe and boiler won't fire up

Al

I'm not sure what "oil pipe" you refer-to, but from what you describe there may be an unsafe chimney as well as oil burner.

And if there is a leak at the heating oil piping that's another reason to shut off the system as well as any valves on the oil piping to try to minimize the oil leakage until you can get a proper repair.

Watch out: I would leave the system OFF and call for repair by an oil heat service technician.

If there is an air leak in the oil piping or at the fuel unit and someone is trying to bleed air from the system you might also see yellow frothy heating oil under those conditions.

Let me know what you're told and we may be able to suggest additional questions to ask the service tech or things that need attention.

Air Leaks into Oil Line = sputtering Beckett oil burner

My Beckett burner runs fine for five minutes, the starts sputtering, and the flame goes out and safety trips.

Air in line, when I open pump bleeder. Can the pump itself be the cause of air issue, or is definitely a problem with the feed? ( fittings, line, filter canister). On 2021-11-04 2 by Tom Hogan -

by Inspectapedia Com Moderator (mod) - pump seam leak can cause air in the high pressure oil line

@Tom Hogan,

If you're pretty confident that the problem is air in the oil lines, yes, a leak at a pump seam can be the problem but the most-common sources of air leaks are at inadequate flare fittings on the oil line between tank and burner, or at the intervening oil filter or fire safety valve.

Oil Burner Combustion Air FAQs

Tip: See these key articles on combustion air for heating equipment

• COMBUSTION AIR DEFECTS 
• COMBUSTION AIR REQUIREMENTS - home
• COMBUSTION AIR for TIGHT BUILDINGS

Oil burner trips off on reset if I close the furnace door

My Beckett AF15 oil burner starts with good flame but when I close the furnace door to check the thermostat it trips itself off( red relay button). On 2019-01-09 by William Curfman

by (mod) - sounds like a combustion air problem

Close what furnace door, William?

Do you mean an inspection door on the furnace itself (suggesting a bad door safety interlock switch) or do you mean the door to a small utility room in which the furnace is located (suggesting maybe the system lacks combustion air).

So first let's check your oil fired furnace or boiler location: if it's in a small room with a door that you can close it's quite possible that you need to provide an outdoor combustion air source.

See COMBUSTION AIR REQUIREMENTS 

Here's an example of a combustion air intake add-on system for oil burners, from a manufacturer:

Carlin COMBUSTION AIR INTAKE SYSTEM Model 97406 INSTRUCTION MANUAL [PDF] Carlin Combustion Technology, Inc, 70 Maple Street East Longmeadow, MA 01028, USA Tech support 800-989-2275 carlincombustion.com - Applies to air intake assemblies on Carlin EZ- series oil or gas burners.

How do I set the draft and combustion air on an oil burner?

Can you explain how to set the draft and or air combuston air settings? On 2022-02-07 by dennis meguire

by Inspectapedia Com Moderator - oil burner troubleshooting tuning and adjustment

@dennis meguire,

I went to oil burner school for months, then with Carol Schnierer ran an oil heat service company for some years. With apologies, I can't squash all that "how to" into an off-the-cuff reply to your question.

And frankly, I don't think it would be safe for you to rely on a brief succinct summary since making a mistake could be dangerous. But I can point you to some helpful reading.

The articles listed at

• DRAFT MEASUREMENT, CHIMNEYS & FLUES
• OIL BURNER INSPECTION - home
• OIL BURNERS - home

give you detail on all of the steps in oil burner troubleshooting tuning and adjustment.

There's also an entire oil heat textbook online

• AUDELS OIL BURNER GUIDE, INSTALLING, SERVICING, REPAIRING

that you will find in the links above and in the article index. Please take a look

Watch out: if you are not trained in proper oil burner service and repair you may not be adjusting or maintaining your oil burner properly. That's dangerous.

Oil Burner Reset Button FAQs

Had to hold down the oil burner reset button to get it going

Hi everybody, Going to do my best to keep this really brief, a quick synopsis.

After running out of oil 3-4 nights ago my oil burner didn't re-start on its own as it had before.

Enlisted my friends' husband to help. He tried unsuccessfully to fire her up, he then enlisted his wife's brother for help, he also had no luck.

I being frustrated pulled up Google and found the manual, figured out that we had to hold in the reset button count from 1 to 30 by thousandths sure enough she fired up.

Heat came on, house warmed up however after the temperature stabilized and the burner kicked off it's never reignited.

I did go down and try to restart it as I did before it didn't work I may have tried two or three times that night and subsequently tried maybe two more times but I'm reluctant to keep doing it, obviously I'm scared to screw anything up and or make things worse.

Failed to mention that after I went down & restarted it successfully, I left the 2 guys down there nursing their bruised egos lol (I'm kidding) the brother said he did bleed the air out of the line(s), now for how long he did that, p not sure, I left the area.

You should all know that I am a new homeowner due to my aunt passing away.

I've never had to deal w/ a issue like this, so please forgive my lack of knowledge. So I'm here sending out an SOS all ears, what are you guys think? On 2022-10-13 by 1WhoFlew147

by InspectApedia-911 (mod) -

@1WhoFlew147 ,

I understand completely. Incidentally even if someone had previously tried to bleed air from the system.

If they didn't know how to do it and didn't know all of the places from which to bleed air they could have left a problem behind.

An example of a more subtle problem left behind is a loosened flare connection on the oil piping line that could be continuing to let air leak into the system.

But Watch out: don't keep pressing the oil burner reset button or you risk a dangerous puffback explosion.

ONLY if the burner starts and runs ok for say a day might you thus limp along until your oil burner service technician can get to the job.

Reset button trips after boiler reaches cutoff temperature

I have an intermittent problem that when you hit the reset button the burner will run until 190 degrees and stop then with a drop of 5 degrees the reset button trips with no demand.

Any idea? I have changed the cad cell and control box still does the same thing On 2021-11-29 by anon

by Inspectapedia Com Moderator

@reset button trips after at temperature,

Do I understand correctly that you changed the aquastat or cad-cell relay on which the reset button is popping?

If so and the control is thus new and correctly wired, and the cad cell is new and clean,

• the cad cell might not be properly-placed to see the flame
• there may be a fuel delivery or oil burner tuning problem that's shutting down the system
  

The assumption is that when the temp drops 5 degrees the aquastat is trying to turn the burner back-on. I can't think of a condition that would commonly trip the reset button if a burner was not trying to run.

Also check the Aquastat Settings (See the Index to Related Articles to see the best aquastat settings)

Signs that the oil burner has been shut down on "safety"

The signal to the heater does not activate the heater.

However when I press the reset on the primary control the heater starts and the hot water pipes get hot and begin to distribute heat.

The heater does not start from the thermostat signal. Thermostats [I have three zones] are working properly. On 2020-02-25 by Don

Reply by (mod):

That sounds to me as if your oil burner has been shut down on "safety" - indicating a flame or burner malfunction that needs to be repaired. It may be as simple as an oil burner cleanout and tuneup.

Watch out: do NOT keep pressing the reset button. If the burner won't keep running after pressing the reset on the primary control the risk is that you keep dumping incompletely burned fuel into the combustion chamber, ultimately leading to a dangerous PUFFBACK explosion.

Furnace won't re-start and no red or green lights show. and re: oil leaks at the oil burner

Furence shut off wont start no red or greene light on reset

by (mod) - check the circuit breaker or fuse

Sounds like a tripped circuit breaker or blown fuse, Anon.

TJ: your fuel system is leaking and spraying fuel inside of the oil burner gun. THIS IS UNSAFE and risks a puffback explosion. It needs expert repair. I suspect damaged threads or a loose connection in the gun assembly. Turn off the system and call for repair.

Oil burner R7184B Primary Control reset button won't re-set

Have a question, my R7184B will not reset, if u hold the reset button for 1 minutes 5 minutes however long it won't reset,

sounds like to me it's gone bad because it should atleast reset and then if there's a problem lockout again right, but since it won't reset at all its probably gone bad? On 2016-02-14 by Robbie

by (mod) re:

Good question Robbie. My answer is ... as my mentor Mark Cramer (Tampa FL home inspector / educator) says: ... it depends.

When a primary control trips off on reset, if you depress the re-set button rather quickly (say a minute or two) after it has tripped, it may not re-set. Depending on the particular control's design it may need to be off and left alone 5-10 minutes, as some controls include a thermal device that heats up to cause the tripping, and it has to cool.

If after a good wait - say 10 minutes or longer - the control won't reset then something else is wrong.

Watch out: don't keep pressing the reset button. If you press it and it resets and the burner runs for 10-20 minutes or longer you can have heat while waiting for the repair technician. But if the burner tries to start but trips off on reset quickly, you're sending unburned oil into the combustion chamber. Light that off after a few button presses and restart attempts and you could cause a dangerous puffback explosion.

Search Inspectapedia for PUFFBACK EXPLOSION to read details.

by Robbie

Thanks for the feedback, yes I left it sit and turned the power off to it for 6 hours came back turned the power on still locked out, pushed and held reset for over 1 minute still just keeps flashing, I

'm going to get a new primary control as soon as possible and replace it and see if that helps,

I have a R8184G 4009 I might hook up and see if it works because it'll be a week before I can get a new R7184B or I'm some place I can get someone on to look at it, thanks

by (mod) re: possible bad oil burner control

That sounds like a bad control. Before replacing it, turn power off to the heater, wait a couple of minutes and turn it back on. Try once more.

Ducane oil furnace only runs when hit reset button twice

I have a Ducane oil furnace and it will only run when I hit the reset button twice. So after hitting it twice it's fine until the next turn on. I've changed the filter and nozzle with no luck so far. On 2017-12-02 by Shaun

Reply by (mod) -

Check also all of the things a service tech would review like fuel unit strainer, combustion air, flame smoke level, oil line leaks, draft.

Sometimes the reason you have to press the RESET button more than once is that on your first try you have not waited long enough since the primary control shut down the oil burner.

The primary control reset switch needs to cool down, often for several minutes, before it will allow you to reset-it.

See these Ducane furnace manuals that might help you out

• DUCANE, bought by Lennox 1999 - also see LENNOX HVAC MANUALS & PARTS GUIDES

You can also contact Ducane

• Ducane Air Conditioning & Heating, 215 Metropolitan Drive, West Columbia, SC 29170 USA Tel: 1-800-448-5872 Website: http://www.ducanehvac.com/

Why do I keep needing to reset my Beckett oil burner?

Hi Gentlemen,

I have a Beckett oil furnace, with a Honeywell igniter, lately it needs to reset to ignite and heat, not always, but enough to let the house get extremely cold.

Any tips on what it may be? Getting sick of going down and hitting reset a few times a day :( - On 2017-03-11 by Anonymous

by (mod) re: oil burner keeps going off on reset

Anon:

When an oil burner keeps going off on safety-reset, there can be any of a number of cleaning or adjustment problems, most of which will be listed

in OIL BURNER WONT RUN

You need to call your oil heat service tech for cleaning, inspection, repair help.

This isn't something that a homeowner can correctly nor safely do on their own, though it is useful to read through the typical diagnostic procedure to rule out something obvious and also to be prepared to understand what the service tech is going to do, say, explain, recommend.

Watch out: do not keep pressing the reset button or you risk an OIL BURNER PUFFBACK EXPLOSION (search InspectApedia.com for that phrase to read details).

If the burner will start and run for 10 minutes or longer after pressing a reset then it's probably not leaving un-burned oil in the combustion chamber and you can limp along with heat while you wait for your oil heat service technician to get to your home.

But if the burner runs poorly or doesn't keep running, do not keep pressing the reset button.

Service or Fix your Own Oil Burner FAQs

Tip: Watch out: unless you are trained in oil heat service and repair and also are equipped with absolutely necessary measurement and test equipment such as a draft gauge, temperature measurement equipment, oil pressure gauge, a smoke measuring device, etc. you cannot properly tune, set, and adjust a modern high speed oil burner.

With an older slow speed 1725 rpm oil burner it was possible to adjust the burner to get at least in the ballpark of acceptable operation by eye and some simple crude observations. (We spit on the hot flue pipe and observed how quickly it evaporated: drool: too cool, evaporate in an instant: too hot, sizzle: probably around 450 F - acceptable.) We'd adjust the air supply for trace of smoke by eye, etc.

But modern high speed oil burners at 3450 rpm operate more efficiently (and more noisy), but in a much more narrow range of correct adjustment.

I decided to do my own oil heat service after not being satisfied with local heating service techs

Quite a few years ago I used to get qualified service men to do the yearly service on our oil furnace.,

I always ended calling therm back the next day because they always screwed something up.

Being a home maintainance person, I look up in my old Popular Mechanics Encyclopedia set from the 1960's.

And it is there where I found out how to maintain and do all the service on my oil furnace.

There are five pages on how to service your oil fired furnace.

For the last 15 years at least I have had no problems with my oil furnace by doing my own service work on it. I could never find anything on the internet on how to set up the electrodes for proper ignition etc. over the nozzle, but it tells you there in the Popular Mechanics Encyclopedia.

I also have not replaced the nozzle over the years (I do clean it yearly)and the furnace works fine for a Fifty year old machine. (Jan 27, 2013) Bob

Reply:

Bob, while we support basic tasks that a homeowner can do, even inspecting for obvious signs of oil burner malfunction such as soot, odors, leaks, noises, without actual training and proper equipment one cannot properly adjust a heating oil burner.

Older oil burners were more tolerant of modest mis-adjustments and would limp along throughout the season. With the shift to modern high-speed 3450 rpm oil burners and higher efficiency heating boilers and furnaces, more accurate adjustment of oil line pressure, combustion air, draft, and more thorough attention to filters, nozzles, electrode adjustments, oil pump fuel strainer, are necessary for proper, safe operation.

In several decades of working around oil fired heating equipment, while I sometimes found an oil burner that had been chugging along unattended for several years, I generally found that oil fired heating equipment really needs an annual cleaning and service to run properly, safely, and reliably.

In short, lucky to have a 50 year old machine that is still fairly simple to tune and adjust, but even then I would not assume you're running the system at its optimum adjustments - which means you risk wasting money on fuel.

If it were my system I'd think it's long past time to ask for an inspection, cleaning, and tune-up by a trained heating service tecnician.

I changed the thermostat, oil burner electrodes, cad cell eye, nozzle, but my oil burner won't run.

I have a Honeywell oil furnace ignition box, the light is a steady red light. I change the thermostat, the electrodes, eye, nozzle. Yes I am getting Voltage. Do I need a new ignition box? On 2017-01-27 by Emily Thompson

by (mod)

Emily,

I don't know what control you are referring to by the term ignition box - perhaps you mean the ignition transformer on the oil burner - that transformer creates a high voltage current that creates the spark at the oil burner ignition electrodes.

Try this, make a note of the brand and the control identification numbers that will be on a label either on the controller inside of its cover.

Then you are I can find the installation and operation manual for that control and we can interpret what the indicator lights on the control mean.

Watch out: I am concerned from your text and by the fact that you don't know the names of oil burner parts, that you are servicing your own oil burner without training and without the necessary tools and test equipment to properly set up an oil burner. The result is dangerous, risking a fire or puffback explosion.

While at at OIL BURNER WONT RUN - topic home - we list a number of things that a homeowner can check to get an oil burner running, if you've done the obvious like making sure that there is fuel in the oil tank and that power is on the oil burner, then

It's time to get help from a trained oil heat service technician.

What do I do about crud on the end of the oil burner tube?

I have a oil build up on the end f the blast tube that sealed the end up (Dec 23, 2012) Anonymous

Reply:

Anon, you describe a symptom of a system that needs cleaning and service. The turbulator or blades on the end of the oil burner tube are there to give a desired pattern and movement to combustion air as it enters the combustion chamber.

A dirty nozzle or burner operation clogs the turbulator, eventually to the point that the burner will fail to ignite and run properly. A heating service tech who fails to inspect and if needed clean the turbulator is not doing his or her job.

How to Choose an oil burner for a home made heating boiler

I have built a heater for my greenhouse with a 30 gal barrel inside a 55 gal barrel fired by a detachable rocket stove. There is a thermostat on the outer barrel controlling the air circulation fan. The rocket stove can use wood (vertical feed) or wmo/wvo in a fire chamber.

The system works great, but I have to baby set it to keep it going. My question is, what type and size oil burner can I mount onto the draft door of the rocket stove which is an 8" x 8" tube 20" long entering the heat exchanger (barrels)? The greenhouse is 32' X 14' X 6.5' tube type. I live in West Kentucky USA. (Jan 1, 2015) Freddie S. said:

Reply:

Freddie, with admiration for your creativity, I confess I'm much too scared of giving advice that causes a fire or injury to pretend to prescribe oil burner specifications for a home made heating system.

You might get some help from braver technical experts at one of the oil burner manufacturers, but I'm doubtful. What would be helpful to you would be to obtain manufacturer's specs for combustion chamber design, venting, fire safety, clearances, etc.

I replaced an oil burner but the new one smokes badly

I replaced my friends oil burner unit with one I got through the internet. It starts up and smoked really bad for a little while but did clear up.

After a day or so they dad to shut it down because thier little white dog was turning black with soot. What do you think the problem is? On 2017-04-15 by Rick

by (mod) re:

Rick,

The soot situation in the new oil burner case you describe is good evidence that the system is not working properly and is unsafe.

There are a variety of possible causes: improper set-up, combustion air, nozzle, electrode settings, chimney draft, etc.

Sometimes during work on an oil burner some oil is spilled by the worker - in the combustion chamber. Igniting that unburned oil is always scary and can cause an OIL BURNER PUFFBACK explosion; use the search box just above to look for that article to see details.

But if there is a chronic problem such as oil line or nozzle adapter leaks, a bad burner shutdown cycle, air leaks in the oil piping, or other causes of sooty operation, then the smoky conditions will continue. And little white dogs become little gray or even black dogs.

Such oil burner systems should indeed be shut down and the homeowner should call an experienced, trained oil heat service technician for repair to avoid worse trouble.

Watch out: While I congratulate you for trying to be a generous help to your friend - by replacing their oil burner - in my OPINION, unless you're trained and equipped as an oil heat service technician it is impossible to set up a new oil burner correctly and safely.

That's because in addition to knowing where various parts go, the heating system's draft, combustion air, oil line pressure, temperature, CO, CO2 are all measured along with smoke as part of proper oil burner setup.

With older 1725 rpm oil burners one could eyeball the flame, spit on the flue (sizzle rate told old timers if the temperature was in range), and get the burner working acceptably - often. But newer high speed (3450 rpm) more efficient oil burners require equipment, measurements and adjustment for proper operation. Spitting doesn't work any more. I've given it up.

Where can I buy an oil burner gun assembly?

Anyone know what can goes wrong with the valve in the oil gun assembly and where can I buy the gun assembly with the valve and the nozzle adapter? (May 20, 2014) NATHAN

Reply:

Nathan

Armed with the brand and model of oil burner you could certainly buy an entire assembly, even the burner tube, and replace those parts, but before considering that I'd look for normal maintenance replacements instead.

The usual parts that are replaced are the electrodes if the ceramic is cracked or damaged, and of course the nozzle at annual service.

If someone heavy-handed has worked on the system and over-torqued the nozzle into the nozzle adapter there could be damage and leaks at the nozzle adapter or at the connection of the adapter to the oil tube.

The turbulator, if your oil burner gun has one, is cleaned but rarely would need replacement.

Watch out: from the wording of your question that includes "valve in the oil gun assembly" I'm not certain what you're looking at, and I'm worried that you are not trained in oil heat service and repair. For safety, you should get help from a trained oil heat service tech.

I changed the nozzle on my oil burner but it still won't fire up

I changed my oil burner nozzle and it still wont start up (Jan 15, 2015) Anonymous

Reply:

So **IF** the nozzle is correctly selected and installed and you see no flame whatsoever, we need more information: does the burner motor run? does the coupling from the motor spin the burner's air blower and fuel unit? Is there fuel supply.

To get your oil burner going, step through the diagnostics

at OIL BURNER WONT RUN

Oil Burner Electrical Problem FAQs

House lights dim when the oil burner starts

Sometimes when furnace starts it powers downs furnace and 1/4 of power in house. after minutes to 30min will start up on its own. zero breakers trip? Power company verified outside lines ok? On 2020-03-23 by Cliff

Reply by (mod) -

Cliff

I expect your technician will check

- that the electrical panel, circuit breakers, wiring, are in good condition and working properly

- that the furnace electrical circuit is remaining on and at proper voltage

- that the furnace blower and burner motors are not drawing abnormal levels of current (dimming house lights, dropping power)

- that there are no loose electrical connections

- for the system being turned off by a safety control

- and then will check for a relay or control board failure

Oil furnace buzzes then the cad cell relay reset button pops out

Oil furnace will work fine for hours then all of a sudden will not start has buzzing noise and then cad cell relay kicks out .

Motor circuit breaker stays in not kicking out , cad eye new, cad relay new , igniter 1 year old .

Burner is in my hunting camp it's a wayne eagle 1 On 2020-12-05 by Keith

Reply by (mod) -

Keith

It will be diagnostic to see if we can pinpoint the source of the buzzing sound.

t's possible for example that what is buzzing is a relay which would possibly mean that we have a bad relay on a control board.

If the burner never starts or circulator never starts because a relay has failed then of course the heater won't turn on.

Try pulling the cover off the control to see if you can see or hear a buzzing relay. If you're not sure what that looks like you can tell me and I'll post a photo for you.

When oil burner runs the damper flapper keeps clapping and lights flicker in the house - draft regulator door keeps banging

When the heater kicks on the flapper keeps clapping to the point that it seems like it's gonna choke out and electric flickers in the house

Reply by (mod)

Linda

If by "flapper" you mean the draft regulator in the flue vent connector between heater top and chimney, then it sounds as if there is a burner operating problem; flickering electric means there's an unsafe condition in the electrical system - perhaps a shorting wire or control at the heater.

Watch out: You want to TURN OFF the equipment and call for emergency repair.

Keep me posted.

Oil burner occasionally won't start until I turn electrical power off and back on

My oil furnace sometimes and only sometimes randomly will not kick on at all. I turn the power off for a minute than back on. It comes right on. I'm thinkinking a relay or something. On 2017-12-20 by Jeff D

by (mod) - random refusal of burner to kick on

Yes that sounds like a failing control relay in the primary control or the aquastat

Oil Burner Flame FAQs

Tip: see the oil burner diagnostic flowchart at OIL BURNER WONT RUN

or at OIL BURNER NOISE SMOKE ODORS 

And to be sure you have the proper oil burner flame shape and pattern

see OIL BURNER NOZZLE GUIDE

• OIL BURNER NOZZLE GUIDE

Oil burner flame too big for the combustion chamber

The sketch above is provided courtesy of Carson Dunlop Associates, a Toronto home inspection, education & report writing tool company [ carsondunlop.com ].

I have an old, National-U.S. Radiator, Carlin, oil fired residential, baseboard heating, furnace/hot water heater, that a couple years ago, was repaired by an outside contractor, replacing the then, All, Carlin brand oil burner equipment, with a new Becket, igniter, transformer-burner tube.

It still has the Carlin oil pump and firing relay, but the firing tube , transformer, and electrodes were changed to Becket brand. The oil firing nozzle is a 60 degree, I believe.

I myself once replaced the combustion chamber, and recently had to replace the igniter transformer, as an economic way of keeping heat in my home,without hiring the work, out!

But now, the flame seems too intense in that modified combustion chamber and I'd like to turn it down, some!

Any tips, before I either try reinforcing the chamber walls, for security(my own!)or taking the igniter apart(mickey mousing it-dangerous!)Is there away to turn down the speed of the pump, maybe?

Please see if you can help me. Thank you very much! Joel Wysocki-slywysocki@aol.com On 2016-03-26

by (mod) - Oil-burner-for-asphalt-work-383-Gwguns.jpg

Joel,

Because a mistake can burn down the house or blow up the boiler I have to suggest hiring a professional and trained heating service tech. In the old days we could look at the smokiness of the flame and spit on the flue vent connector and with those alone we could reasonably adjust the draft and air intake of a low speed oil burner.

But modern high speed burners (3450 RPM) cannot be properly and safely adjusted without making some technical measurements such as oil pressure, CO2 level, smoke level, stack temperature, and draft both in the breech and over the fire.

That said, your service tech might install a smaller flow rate (gph) nozzle and re-adjust the other settings accordingly. It is also possible to set the fuel unit pressure down but typically not below 100 psi.

Uneven flame flutters when the burner is on

Have Burnham boiler. Model PV84WC-TBWN.

Have changed filter and nozzle. It lights and runs but flame flutters durning cycle. Any suggestions. Thanks On 2014-02-12 by Anonymous

Reply by (mod) - common causes of uneven oil burner flame

Anon: some possible causes of uneven oil burner flame could be

• inadequate combustion air
• improper draft setting
• intermittent debris clogging at the nozzle
• dirty oil burner blower
• slipping oil burner motor coupoling
• bad nozzle,
• nozzle or nozzle adapter or oil burner oil tube damaged and leaking
• a blower assembly problem,
• a combustion air supply problem,
• a failing drive motor or motor bearing
• or something else;

I'd want an experienced service tech to check the system. Keep us posted. Daniel.

Oil Burner Clog/Foul Problem FAQs

Tip: dirty heating oil, water in the oil, or failure to change the oil filter on the oil line ahead of the oil burner can cause the oil burner to fail to run or to run poorly.

Can cheap heating oil cause problems with the oil burner?

Can cheap oil hurt heater? On 2021-12-06 by Linda

by Inspectapedia Com Moderator - yes if its contaminated

@Linda,

If "cheap" heating oil means dirty or contaminated with water, yes. Contaminated heating oil can foul the oil burner and lead to both loss of heat and additional costs to service the burner.

If the "cheaper" oil is identical to the expensive oil, no, it wouldn't hurt the oil burner.

Keep in mind that in some communities, usually ALL of the heating oil, regardless of who is re-selling it to you, comes out of the same physical storage tank serving oil companies in that area, so all of it would be identical.

The differences in oil retail prices in that case may be variations in the time and rates at which oil companies bought their share of the oil in the master tank.

Another price difference is that even though the oil being sold and delivered to you was bought and delivered and stored in the big oil depot tank six months or a year ago, SOME oil companies, perhaps many of them, charge you an amount per gallon based on the current (increased) wholesale heating oil price - the cost to them of replacing the oil they are delivering .

Watch out though: in other communities, different oil companies may be getting their oil from different suppliers or may be storing it with different care.

Oil burner only runs if I disconnect the underground tank and feed it from a bucket

I have a 550 gal underground oil tank. I started having issues recently with the burner regularly kicking off.

If I disconnect the supply and return lines to the underground tank and feed them from a local bucket of oil instead, the system runs fine.

Any suggestions to repair so this run properly from the underground tank? On 2020-09-26 by Joe

Reply by (mod) -

Joe

A service Tech will measure vacuum on the oil line supplying the burner and from the determine if the line is probably clogged.

If the line is clogged or if the oil filter or strainer in the fuel unit itself is clogged it needs to be cleared.

The problem may also be a failed fuel unit (oil pump).

Oil Burner Primary Control / Cad Cell Relay FAQs

Signs of a bad cad cell relay on my oil burner

Electric oil burner furnace New York Honeywell Beckett I’m thinking it is the cad eye?

The furnace room is fine but it stopped heating up almost like it’s not calling for it. If I manually starving it will run just fine most of the time then it’s OK for a few days but sometimes I have to keep manually starting it.

It won’t be run for 10 minutes and then stop before it’s up to temperature then I will have to restart it again. That’s only once in a great while.

Usually once I need tostart it, it will take the temperature right up and the furnace may run fine for two days then it will stop calling for it again and won’t heat up the water to correct temp again. On 2021-09-10 by Mike

by Inspectapedia Com Moderator

@Mike,

Could be a bad cad cell, and of course that's an inexpensive and easy part to swap.

Look also for a loose or corroded electrical connection

and of course to properly set up the system to be sure that it's running clean requires training and special equipment such as to measure CO2, oxygen, smoke, temperature, and draft.

I replaced the oil burner cad cell and my oil burner worked!

I had a similiar problem some years ago. It took two service visits before the technician tested the cad-cell. It was defective.

The furnace was running erratic with the occasional puffback.

I write to caution your readers to consider replacing the flame controller cad-cell if it was never changed in five or ten years.

The cell is not expensive, lasts for years, is important for safety and will help prevent puffback, loveuming the furnace is regularly cleaned and inspected. (Jan 29, 2014) M Harrigan

Reply:

MH that advice is OK but first it is critical to properly diagnose and fix the trouble.

Just swapping in a new cad cell might shut down a smoky oil burner, but it won't fix the actual cause of a dangerous puffback risk caused by a dirty oil burner nozzle or other combustion issues.

Indeed how quickly a technician finds a problem varies widely - I suspect that sometimes the oil companies are so busy that techs are sent into the field with just basic training; this limitation can be offset if the tech is humble enough to call in to speak with a senior tech on staff for help with troubleshooting.

The cad cell can be quickly tested using a VOM.

Where to get manuals for the control on a Grant Boiler sold in the U.K.

Hi, have a Grant boiler, unless the thermo attached to the boiler is on 85 degrees, the burner will not fire up?
Is this a fault with the thermo?
Cheers On 2017-08-24 by Simon

Reply by (mod) -

Simon,

I suspect that the sensor for the thermostat is either defective or it's not making good thermal contact with the boiler surface or well used to monitor boiler temperature.

Here's an example, though this is not the control on your Grant boiler:

HONEYWELL RESIDEO L7224U UNIVERSAL & L7248 AQUASTATS 

discusses the problem of poor temperature sensor contact in the sensor's insertion well on a boiler. Some technicians omit the thermal-conductive grease that is required.

If I'm right that you're using a U.K.-made Grant Boiler, you can also contact the company directly to get the installation, operation, and service manual for your boiler or to ask their technical support team for help.

You didn't give me a model name/number, but we provide access to Grant's boiler manuals at GRANT BOILERS Grant Euroflame

...

Tapping the control gets the oil burner to run - Burner started locking out for no apparent reason

I have a Beckett RWB burner with a Sid Harvey R75-39R control. The control is 10 years plus in age. Burner started locking out for no apparent reason several weeks ago.

Pushing the reset button fires up the burner and it cycles correctly for a few hours and starts the routine again.

Sometimes I need to tap the control to start the flame after the reset button is pushed.

I bought a Beckett Genisys 7505 control to replace the faulty one. Wiring diagram showed my setup. Run power to the control. Connect the motor and igniter to the output of the control, and tie all the white wires together like the old control.

Didn't work. Held reset button till both lights flashed. Burner did not run. Reinstalled old Sid Harvey control and burner fired up. What am I missing? On 2019-01-24 by Bill

by (mod) - Warnings about Tapping the control to get the burner to run

Tapping the control to get the burner to run could be something as simple as a loose or corroded electrical connection.

Other common causes of a burner to fail to run are in the flowchart at OIL BURNER WONT RUN

The most-popular quick and dirty things a service tech will do with little preliminary analysis are

- swap in a new cad cell eye and wire

- change the nozzle and re-set the electrodes

- check the transformer / igniter and replace it if spark is weak

- confirm fuel flow, changing oil filter cartridge and fuel unit screen inside the oil pump