Oil Boiler Won't fire after service

[Adam2050]

Don't be too surprised if your pump is dead they really don't like that sort of crap .
We would just replace.

Yeh do fear that but how would you know.
It's still not running.

 

[Johntheo5]

Boilers are often routinely left idle for ~ 5 months of the year if not used for reheating a HW cylinder so vital IMO to fire them up for even 5 minutes every fortnight or so, I do this with mine since I have Solar Thermal and I havn't had a single (not one) combustion failure in 19 years, probably helped as well that I've never left my kerosene tank run dry, still though pretty remarkable, a Riello G5X burner in a Firebird 90S SE boiler.

 

[Adam2050]

Boilers are often routinely left idle for ~ 5 months of the year if not used for reheating a HW cylinder so vital IMO to fire them up for even 5 minutes every fortnight or so, I do this with mine since I have Solar Thermal and I havn't had a single (not one) combustion failure in 19 years, probably helped as well that I've never left my kerosene tank run dry, still though pretty remarkable, a Riello G5X burner.

Defo learning that the hard way.
I mean it doesn't look like it was ever serviced properly other then calibration and nozzle. Could of avoided this whole situation.

 

[Burnerman]

I really wouldn’t give that pump a second chance......it needs replacing now.
Start at the tank filter / water separator , run some kero through afterwards to see if it’s clean.
Work on to the burner, consider another filter before the kero enters the house.
Pumps have their own filters too, and there’s one on the back of the nozzle too.
Replace the nozzle, they are made under clinical conditions and don’t like to be interfered with.
Good luck with it!
John

 

[Adam2050]

I really wouldn’t give that pump a second chance......it needs replacing now.
Start at the tank filter / water separator , run some kero through afterwards to see if it’s clean.
Work on to the burner, consider another filter before the kero enters the house.
Pumps have their own filters too, and there’s one on the back of the nozzle too.
Replace the nozzle, they are made under clinical conditions and don’t like to be interfered with.
Good luck with it!
John

Finally got around to changing the pump, I even bought a pressure tester to make sure.
It's still not firing, changed the batteries in the wireless as they were flashing.
Put a fresh nozzle on it before hand but may well go back to changing that with a known new one.

You can hear a difference it goes to fire and then just stops, tested the flame checker a week ago no problems, but I've bought a whole replacement boiler second hand two to skive parts off, as its the same model.

I will get to a filter one day, family bereavement has taken sometime to adjust too.


Would sticking the nozzle into a bath of clean kero in say a ultrasonic cleaner do much harm, I couldn't see how it would but it would clean a nozzle in it's fine channels?

 

[Burnerman]

Is the boiler igniting, running for a few seconds and then locking out?
I wouldn’t fiddle with the nozzle, it can lead you up paths unknown!
John

 

[Adam2050]

Is the boiler igniting, running for a few seconds and then locking out?
I wouldn’t fiddle with the nozzle, it can lead you up paths unknown!
John

Essentially but I can't see any air in the system now.

 

[Burnerman]

If the photocell is faulty, or it can’t see the flame, the burner ignites as usual then goes into lockout within a few seconds.
You can actually have the burner just out of the boiler if that’s possible, but of course light mustn’t get in. A reasonable way to check!
John

 

[Adam2050]

If the photocell is faulty, or it can’t see the flame, the burner ignites as usual then goes into lockout within a few seconds.
You can actually have the burner just out of the boiler if that’s possible, but of course light mustn’t get in. A reasonable way to check!
John

I tested with a multi meter and had no problems, can they be faulty and still send a false signal? I have a spare which I know works as it was a boiler stripped from a working system well serviced that was replaced due to a jacket failing on the water tank.

 

[Burnerman]

The photocell is supposed to be matched to the control box - I don’t know how vital that is.
The photocell is just a light dependent resistor, high resistance in the dark, very low in full light.
It needs to be clean and be able to see the flame.
John

 

[Adam2050]

The photocell is supposed to be matched to the control box - I don’t know how vital that is.
The photocell is just a light dependent resistor, high resistance in the dark, very low in full light.
It needs to be clean and be able to see the flame.
John

So it's unlikely to be that, but I can certainly replace it with the other one, as it's the same model of burner, I didn't see anything of it being coded to anything when part referencing if that's what you mean?
It was clean, I think I'm going to go through things again with fresh eyes in the morning, test things again to make sure a fault hasn't occured.

Is it unlikely for a line to the physical burner as in the copper one to be blocked clogged or causing a pressure down turn due to something in there? Or is it a case of something could have been pushed through before I put the new pump on as I haven't checked there yet either?

Thanks for your help so far.

 

[Burnerman]

All I can say is that some control boxes need a photocell that works with it, if you see what I mean.....the cell code is often on the cable - MZ 770 is pretty common if I recall. I can’t say if that is your fault of course but as I mentioned that’s what happens when the photocell goes awol.
Regarding your kero supply, is the tank higher than the burner? If not, a special syringe is used to pull the fuel through.
John

 

[Adam2050]

Thanks, re - photocell.

House is on a slopped garden, so the tanks at the top, never had an issue bleeding it before, that said no one serviced the pump so it was a right state when I replaced it.