Pilot light keeps dying

[Mike37]

The pilot light on my Baxi Boston balanced flue boiler keeps going out. I've checked that it's not being blown out by wind etc. In the belief that these "conventional" cast iron boilers are not "Hi tec" I came to the view the gas valve must be sticking and got my local Corgi engineer to change it. But the problem persists.

He's changed the thermocouple too. But I'm now at a loss to think what else it could be. Any ideas wd be appreciated.

 

[twgas]

did he clean the pilot injector

 

[Mike37]

I think he did.

 

[twgas]

does it go out on its own or when the main burner comes on/goes off.

 

[Mike37]

Trouble is that I'm only aware of it once the boiler has gone out. So I get up in the morning and find there's no hot water, for instance. The boiler sometimes runs OK for a week or more and then, suddenly, the pilot goes out. So I can't see how I can monitor it to discover which of the two scenarios applies.

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Mike

 

[tonybhoy]

Turn the boiler stat on and off (up and down) whilst the boiler is running.

 

[WDIK]

does anyone know the make and model of this boiler?

 

[Mike37]

It's a Baxi Boston balanced flue boiler. About 9 - 10 years old. Very conventional cast iron heat exchanger etc...


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Mike

 

[namsag]

On initial light up Have a look through sight glass and see if the main burner flame is lifting off and burning about half inch above the burner.

 

[Mike37]

It's very difficult to see as it's only a very small window, but the flame doesn't appear to be much above the burners. As the flame goes out the pilot light flickers but, at the times I was looking at it, it stayed alight.


__________________________


Mike

 

[Agile]

I think that Namsag was wondering if the meter regulator is sticky or suffering from overshoot.

To monitor that you would need a CORGI to check the pressure at the meter with a water gauge during startup and shut down. It migfht need a high speed recording transducer.

Tony

 

[Mike37]

Thanks guys for your help. I think the pilot light is going out when the main burners shut down. The pilot jet is supposed to be on maximum so all your comments seem to be pointing to a gas pressure problem. I'll ask my Corgi chap back to have a look at it.

______________________

Mike

 

[namsag]

Pilot injector has prob got a slight blockage, there is an additive in the gas that leaves a deposit, the pilot supply tube may have some of this blocking it too.

 

[Mike37]

Thanks

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Mike