Need some advise flushing a system with an oil fired Rayburn

Joined
16 Apr 2010
Messages
97
Reaction score
14
Location
Somerset
Country
United Kingdom
Hi guys, feel like a numpty here but i have been asked to power flush a farmers heating system....this i have no problem with...
The thing is i have never ever dealt with oil fired anything let alone a Rayburn/boiler run on oil.......

So In theory all i will be doing is taking of a rad, plugging my machine and flush away...
Is there anything i need to be aware of with the rayburn?
Just by turning the boiler/rayburn off the heating circuit should be open?

The farmer has concerns with the rayburn saying its a bitch to start up again if its shutdown completely or if something goes wrong....Gas i'm fine with but oil is not my thing....

Sorry for the noobish questions but i want to be sure before i commit myself...

Thanks all
 
Sponsored Links
Older oil-fired rayburns are a bit of a pain to deal with, if you switch off the oil supply you can't relight it again until it's cooled down, which will take several hours. It can then be around a 30-minute process to get them going again, and if this one's a pain it might take even longer.

As they aren't thermostatically controlled I wouldn't advise using any reverse flow function on your flushing machine, or you'll end up pushing hot water back through the boiler which could cause severe overheating - the boiler can't simply shut down if it gets too hot, it just carries on heating the water until it turns to steam.

Avoid draining the system at all costs, you need to keep as much water in it as possible, unless you plan to turn the rayburn off and play the relighting game afterwards. If the boiler ends up with a lot of air in it, there is an increased chance of overheating.

You're potentially opening a can of worms with this one IMHO, good luck!
 
If its a vaporising burner and you're not keen or have no experience with them id definitely steer clear or pay someone else as well to re-commission it and see what he does for future reference
 
Sponsored Links
Many thanks guys....think i will let this one slip to be honest.....i dont need the extra hassle at the moment...
And she is a typical farmer and haggled the price a bit...
Cheers
 

DIYnot Local

Staff member

If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.

Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.


Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local

 
Back
Top