These diagnostic questions and answers can help you diagnose heating oil burner odor or smoke complaints.

This article series describes the cause and cure for just about any odor or smell at or near an oil burner, where it comes from, what it means, and what needs to be done about it.

High Pitched Noises at Oil Burner: Diagnose & Repair

Watch out: thick dark smoke or soot coming from an oil burner, oil burning heating equipment, or from the flue or chimney venting such equipment is dangerous and risks a fire or puffback explosion. You should shut down such equipment immediately and make a call for emergency service.

Watch out: "Banging" noises inside an oil burner / boiler might be a sign of improper burner operation and risk a dangerous Puffback. Because puffbacks can be caused by a variety of problems (oil piping line leaks, dirty oil burner nozzle assembly, fuel or combustion air problems, simply failure to maintain the system) a trained service technician is needed.

See OIL BURNER SOOT & PUFFBACKS

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On 2018-03-19 by (mod) - oil burner make screeching noise

Johnny

I would like to have given a sharper answer but cannot from so little information.

The problem could be a bad coupling (motor to fuel unit), a bad motor bearing, or something else. You need an on-site experienced service tech.

Unlike air conditioner or heat pump compressors, an oil burner doesn't have a high pressure release mechanism that would itself screech or scream.

On 2018-03- by Johnny

Oil burner make screeching noise when releasing pressure for a few seconds

Squealing Oil Burner Question: chemical odor and high pitched sound from boiler after chimney repairs

Hi, I just had the lining of my boiler flue redone. They took out the large pipe leading into the flue out of the wall and put the lining in. Later, after the boiler was turned back on we had a smell of some type of chemicalish odor.

My boiler was also making a high pitched sound I have never heard coming from a box labeled honeywell on the large pipe connected to the flue.

This box has two silver pipes coming from it that connects to the main heating unit and a red button. We have turned off our boiler. The smell lingered for a long time. What is the box on the pipe called? What would be producing the burning smell (not like a fire smell at all- little chemically( not gas or oil smelling)

The pipe was EXTREMELY hot to the touch. Thanks so much for any advice or labels! - Tania 1/2/12

(Mar 1, 2018) Johnny said:

oil burner make screeching noise when releaseing pressure for a few seconds

Reply:

Tania I'm sorry but I don't quite know what you've got installed - maybe an automatic vent damper that's not opening? Certainly, you should immediately ask your heating service company for help.

Johnny

I would like to have given a sharper answer but cannot from so little information. The problem could be a bad coupling (motor to fuel unit), a bad motor bearing, or something else. You need an on-site experienced service tech.

Question: Intermittent squealing sound when heat is run through two of 3 zones

I have a very old oil boiler that heats our hot water. It has 3 zones. When we run out heat on the 1st and 3rd floors, we hear an intermittent squealing like sound, but we never hear it when we run the heat on the middle floor.

It never makes this sound when the boiler is running for our hot water. Any ideas what this problem or sound is? - Marie 1/4/12

Reply:

Marie, this sounds like a problem with a circulator pump - maybe a bad circulator pump bearing; I'm betting your 3 zones each has an individual circulator and circulator relay;

If I'm right you'll trace the sound to one or two circulators. Else I'm wrong and it's something else.

Question: oil burner bearing replacement - screeching oil burner bearing

Can I fix an oil burner bearing myself - John 12/2/11

Reply:

Probably not, John. Typically we replace the burner fuel unit or motor if it's bearing is shot. The squirrel cage blower fan assembly is also normally replaced as a unit.

Question: chemical odor and high pitched sound from boiler after chimney repairs

Hi, I just had the lining of my boiler flue redone. They took out the large pipe leading into the flue out of the wall and put the lining in.

Later, after the boiler was turned back on we had a smell of some type of chemicalish odor. My boiler was also making a high pitched sound I have never heard coming from a box labeled honeywell on the large pipe connected to the flue.

This box has two silver pipes coming from it that connects to the main heating unit and a red button. We have turned off our boiler.

The smell lingered for a long time. What is the box on the pipe called? What would be producing the burning smell (not like a fire smell at all- little chemically( not gas or oil smelling) The pipe was EXTREMELY hot to the touch. Thanks so much for any advice or labels! - Tania 1/2/12

Reply:

Tania I'm sorry but I don't quite know what you've got installed - maybe an automatic vent damper that's not opening? Certainly, you should immediately ask your heating service company for help.

(Dec 17, 2018) Boiler Noise said: mooing bellowing oil burner

Any insight into this noise?
A 3-5 second loud mooing or bellowing sound.
Lol
Thanks

...

Continue reading at OIL BURNER NOISE SMOKE ODORS - home, or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• HEATING SYSTEM NOISE DIAGNOSIS - home
• OIL BURNER NOISE SMOKE ODORS - home
• OIL BURNER NOISE / ODOR DIAGNOSTIC INDEX - noises often go together with smoke and odors and can help diagnose one another
• OIL BURNER SOOT & PUFFBACKS
• SCREAMING NOISES in BUILDINGS - index
• WATER HEATER WHISTLE NOISE - screaming tankless water heater diagnosis

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