Oil boiler not firing (with photo's) Riello RDB

[tentimes]

Hi,

Firstly thanks for the forum and the people that take the time to answer - I do the same for a computer forum an realize it is free time donated.

Our boiler is poorly maintained and has not been serviced in years. It is an outside oil burner and because we are short of money I have to bleed it every time the oil runs out, using the red button to fire it up. I realise this is BAD, my partner disagreed to any expense in maintaining it.

The problem is that after thee last time we got oil it was fine for a week, then all went dead. I went outside to press the red button, thinking I might need to bleed an airlock, but the red button now does nothing and it does not fire up.

I have an electronic systems engineering degree from 20 years ago, but know little of home heating. I am going to get someone in, but before I do I want to get some advice. There are a lot of cowboys out there and we are desperately short of money, so need to get this done as cheap as possible. Within reason though - I do not want to have a cheap and dangerous solution.

I have checked the electricity supply to the box, which contains two normal AC power circuits with something plugged in to each. The supply to there is fine.

I have removed the black cover to press the small white reset switch, that does nothing.

There are TWO internal thermostats, one upstairs and one downstairs. Fiddling with them makes no difference. The controller is a Centaurplus C27 and appears to function normally.

As the boiler is not firing, I assume the problem is there.

I am unsure of the EXACT model name for the burner, but have included a photo of it's label.

Could someone advise of potential faults (if that's feasable) and maybe take a guess at what expense we are looking at? Any help with how to choose a good tradesman would be helpful too. I see some listed with a OF(something) qualification but not sure this will mean more money or not.

Many thanks for any help or opinions Here are the photo's:

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[cozzmic]

That outdoor boiler is in dire need of some TLC. Lot of corrosion round oil pump, under burner and looks like the alu shell beside the control box. When was it serviced last?
Boiler dead could be several things, OH stat tripped, bearings gone on pump and/or burner motor so jammed. Water in oil line causing failure of pump. Control box failure.
Its a Reillo RDB burner so parts readily available but cannot diagnose from pictures.
Look at the OFTEC site for recommended service repairs>

 

[tentimes]

Is it possible that constantly running oil has just been putting grit into the burner?

How much does a new burner cost, and the pipe on top that is corroded/ (Roughly speaking, even within an order of magnitude - we are looking at the bank balance and thinking we might have to go the winter without any heat. £150 a month on oil has been killing us).

 

[Burnerman]

Expect to pay around £325 to £400 for a new burner - which comes complete with control box etc.....it will need commissioning though!
However, if the burner lock out lamp is not lit, then you could be looking at mains supply failure, thermostats tripped (manual type), seized motor, dud start capacitor or pump, etc.
There is a gauze filter inside the pump front cover should you wish to check it, and all bits are available for Riello stuff.
That thing needs a full strip down and every part tested.....!
John

 

[tentimes]

Looks like we will be putting our woolly jumpers on and going without heat this winter then unfortunately

 

[Burnerman]

These things aren't rocket science - I'm sure there are things you can do if you have the confidence (or curiosity).
If you can turn the oil off at the tank, disconnect the supply line to the burner oil pump.
The electrical connections are often at a multi block connector, so disconnect that. (Isolate the thing electrically, of course).
The burner usually just has a couple of screws holding it in to the boiler - loosen these and gently pull the burner out and get it on a bench.
Don't interfere with any of the pump pressure settings, or the burner air door, but you can remove the motor and test it with its own 240v supply, and clean the blast tube and electrode area. Spin the pump by hand to check for siezure or stiffness.
Within the control box you'll see some connection diagrams and symbols which are logical, and its possible to check the control box operation too - I've used light bulbs for this in the past!
The start up sequence is something like this.....motor starts up, runs for 8 sec to purge the flue with fresh air. Ignition spark starts, followed by the oil pump solenoid opening and allowing oil to the nozzle and in theory the burner lights. A photocell sees light, and tells the control box to keep things going. Ignition spark stops, and the coil voltage drops to keep the solenoid open.
Maybe I'm sticking my neck out here, I don't know and others may advise - but at least you'll get the gist of how an oil burner works!
John

 

[tentimes]

Thanks for that. I am safe working with high voltage electronics, so should be able to manage a disassemble. I have multimeter to hand and might give it a go.

The red button does nothing, there is no start up sequence of any kind, and maybe I might be in luck and it's not getting juice.

What worries me more is the corroded pipe above in the picture. It shouldn't corrode like that in a sealed unit.

I have the technical manuals downloaded from Riello and will have a look. When I saw £400 I just though maybe it's time to prepare for the worst

Maybe my partner will listen to me about boiler maintenance from now on. I agree it looks like it could do with clean and rebuild. I am considering asking for a quote, but just scared it will cost the earth. I would say we could get together £300 tops, and with that it means hitting the last of the credit card. Times are hard for most of us I suppose. Just not the work out there.

 

[Burnerman]

The pipe with the auto air vent does look in a hell of a state.....
I'm sure there are some second hand burners around - it could be worth asking a couple of OFTEC people. Usually the diameter of the flame tube that goes into the boiler is standard (80mm I think) - but the length of the blast tube varies.
John